THE PETLEY REPORT: THE MONEY KEEPS COMING FOR ANTHONY VAN DYCK IN THE MELBOURNE CUP

By Jack Petley | Monday, November 2, 2020

The money just keeps coming for the Aidan O'Brien stayer Anthony Van Dyck as tension mounts amongst punters as the Melbourne Cup, to be run at Flemington tomorrow, edges closer and closer. The Caulfield Cup placegetter had been sitting in smallish double figures last week, but after the draw the money has arrived and looking at the latest market he sits at a very firm $8 with his stablemate the lightly raced Tiger Moth, for so long sitting at the top of the market now easing slightly to $8.50. Chris Waller's oustanding NZ bred mare Verry Elleegant is firm at $11 and Waller’s other runner, Finche, with James McDonald up, is at $17. Also solid in the market is the Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet at $10 , the same price as Prince of Arran who has drawn well and has Jamie Kah to ride.

Aidan O'Brien has yet to win the Cup after many tries. The closest he has been was that second with Johannes Vermeer behind Rekindling who was trained by his son Joseph. O'Brien, sitting at home because of Covid 19 says he is ever so happy with both his Cup runners.

Charlie Fellowes, the trainer of Prince of Arran, is also watching from afar. "I am gutted I am not over there," he said in the press."I would give anything to be there, but the world has changed." Prince of Arran starts from gate one, the same stall that Michelle Payne brought Prince of Penzance home in 2015 and Fellowes is hopeful that Jamie Kah can become the second winning lady rider in the Cup history books.

There is much interest from NZ in the Cup with Surprise Baby, by Shocking, at $9 and solid ever since the market opened. The Sir Owen Glen owned and Michael Walker's mount, Dashing Willoughby is not wanted at $81 and The Chosen One has been firming ever so slightly and now sits at $34, not bad odds for a stayer who ran third in the Caulfield Cup. The Baker-Forsman stable are pleased with his progress since the Caulfield Cup and he has drawn well with Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse engaged.

‘The Chosen One is spot on and should get every chance from his good draw," said Forsman to the NZ Racing Desk. The trainers won't be on hand at Flemington for the Cup with the stayer in the capable hands of travelling foreperson, Aleisha Legg.

Remember the 1983 Melbourne Cup and that whirlwind last to first win for Kiwi and James A Cassidy and Kiwi prepared by the masterful trainer and dairy farmer, Snow Lupton at Waverley. Tomorrow Etah James, the winner of the Sydney Cup earlier this year, takes her place in the Cup field and the daughter of Raise the Flag is bred and part owned by Mark and Cath Lupton with Mark being the nephew of that great man Snow Lupton. The mare ran a sound fourth in the Moonee Valley Cup.

And of course interest is high in Verry Elleegant, trained by NZ born Chris Waller who had a wonderful first day of the carnival winning three, two at Gr1 level. The daughter of Zed is bidding to become the first horse to win the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double since that great NZ bred mare, raced by Sir Peter Vela, Ethereal back in 2001. Like most NZ owners with Cup runners they will watch from afar from a local race meeting.

News out of the Aidan O'Brien camp … Armory, runner up in the Cox Plate, will not race again in Oz, but will next be seen at the international meeting in Hong Kong next month.

And while on Hong Kong, the Pierro gelding Furore came back to form with a resounding win in the Ladies Purse Handicap at Sha Tin leading home stablemate, from the Tony Cruz stable, Exulted . That was his first win since taking out the 2019 HK Derby as a four-year-old having failed at his next 12 outings. The winner was ridden by Joao Moreira and that gave him his 31st for the season and now with a lead of 10 over his arch rival Zac Purton who was on Exulted.

Still in Hong Kong, Blake Shinn gained his second winner for the season, on Plikclone for Australian David Hall.

In Japan, at Tokyo, that great mare Almond Eye gained her 8th win at Grade One level when successful in the Tenno Show, Autumn, holding out late challenges. “It was an unbelievable win," said her jockey Christophe Lemaire. "She is certainly the number one racehorse in Japan.” Now the great mare will either run in the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen.