WA Representatives Well Placed In Cup Weights
12 September, 2018
Thoroughbred
West Australian gallopers Pounamu and Trap For Fools appear well placed to compete strongly in this year’s Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, after Racing Victoria’s Executive General Manager of Racing Greg Carpenter released the weights for both races on Tuesday.
The Alan Mathews-trained Pounamu received 54.5kg for both races, while Trap For Fools, now in the care of Victorian trainer Jarrod McLean, was allotted 53kg in both races.
Pounamu will have his second start of his campaign, which will also be his first start in Melbourne, in Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
He is likely to be aimed at the Caulfield Cup.
Trap For Fools has struck a rich vein of form in the past month, where he has won two races over 2040m at Moonee Valley and he’s also likely to progress to the Caulfield Cup.
The Darren Weir-trained Kings Will Dream is a $4.40 TABtouch favourite for the Caulfield Cup, while he is also the early $13 favourite for the Melbourne Cup.
The five-year-old was allotted 53kg for both Cups and has already guaranteed himself a place in the Caulfield Cup by taking out the Mornington Cup earlier this year.
TABradio’s Victorian racing correspondent and The Age newspaper’s racing journalist Patrick Bartley said he expected Kings Will Dream to be hard to beat in the staying events.
“Kings Will Dream, I think, will win both races,” he told TABradio.
“This horse is doing in Weight-For-Age races, what no handicapper can do.
“There’s a lot to be played out, but I would very much like to be in Darren Weir’s corner for a lot of reasons.
“There’s so much pressure off your back (winning the Mornington Cup).”
Bartley said last year’s Melbourne Cup favourite Marmelo could be the one to provide the strongest opposition to Kings Will Dream in the two mile event this year.
“A horse last year that I thought was disappointing, but he did get hard tracks, was Marmelo,” he said.
“I think he’s worth another chance.
“I’m surprised Rekindling isn’t coming back…in this day and age it’s achievable to win back-to-back Cups.”
You can listen to Bartley’s full discussion on the wieghts below.
Tim Walker