The prelude to the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday did not disappoint as Lankan Rupee re-instated his name at the top of the world’s sprinters.
Officially rated the best in the world at the start of the season, Lankan Rupee had suffered two shock defeats going into this race. He was beaten by Angelic Light in the McEwen Stakes before being denied by the front-running Buffering in the Moir Stakes.
Connections had insisted that the horse was approaching his best for this race but a wide draw in barrier nine presented jockey Craig Newitt with a dilemma. Should he sit in behind and hope for the gaps to appear or take the bull by the horns and go from the gate. He chose the latter and blasted from the stalls before crossing over in front of old rival Buffering.
He held off the chasing pack in a dramatic finish which saw eight horses covered by barely half a length. Buffering had tried to get to him by never looked likely to do so while Angelic Light got within a short-head at the finishing line. Famous Seamus was just a nose away in third spot with the luckless Rebel Dane fourth and Terravista fifth.
Lankan Rupee then had to survive a dual protest before connections could claim the $1 million prize. Angelic Light’s jockey Damien Oliver and Famous Seamus’ rider Tim Clark both objected on the ground that Lankan Rupee had caused severe interference only 100m from the start. Oliver told the stewards that his mount was nearly brought down while Buffering was also seriously hampered on his inside.
Lankan Rupee has now earned more than $3 million and is set to clash with the likes of Earthquake, Rubick and Chautauqua in the Darley Sprint at Flemington next month. That race is also the target of Europe’s leading sprinter Slade Power, owned by bookmaker Paddy Power.
The five-year-old disappointed on his only previous start outside Europe when only tenth in the Hong Kong Sprint last year. He has won all three starts since culminating in the July Cup at Newmarket. He has shown his flexibility by winning on a variety of different tracks and going but it is an ambitious raid by Ed Lynam’s five-year-old. No doubt the connections of all of those packed in behind Lankan Rupee will also fancy at a crack at the champion sprinter next month.
Sportsbet quote Lankan Rupee at 5.50, the same price as Slade Power, with Chautauqua the clear favourite at 2.80.
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