Tag: Signoff

Protectionist lands Melbourne Cup for Germany

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Melbourne Cup was won impressively by the German-trained Protectionist who stormed clear of the gallant Red Cadeaux in a dramatic renewal of the great race.

Protectionist had been elevated to favourite following his eye-catching run to finish fourth in the Herbert Power Stakes but eventually started at 7-1. The race did not go entirely to plan for the Andreas Wohler-trained four-year-old as he lost his position early on. Ryan Moore refused to panic and bided his time before bursting through runners in the home straight and win by four lengths.

Ed Dunlop’s Red Cadeaux finished second for the third time in the race, an incredible achievement for the eight-year-old. While Dunlop admitted that time was not on the horse’s side, he did not rule out the prospect of returning yet again in 2015.

The places went to Who Shot Thebarman and Signoff with Godolphin’s Willing Foe finishing an honourable fifth. There was a sad postscript to the race with the favourite Admire Rakti and Araldo both incurring fatal injuries. The Japanese-trained winner of the Caulfield Cup collapsed after the race while Araldo kicked a fence after apparently being distracted by a flag-waving spectator.

The race also produced several disappointing runs, notably from the well-backed Fawkner and Lucia Valentina, both beaten horses as soon as they turned for home. It completed a fantastic double for Moore who won the Cox Plate on Adelaide for Aidan O’Brien.

The winner is part-owned by Australian Bloodstock who will probably send the horse to Kris Lees to train for the major Sydney races during March and April. The Irish duo of Mutual Regard and Royal Diamond also faded badly while My Ambivalent never gave herself a chance of seeing out the trip by racing freely early on. The low draw scuppered the chances of Seismos who immediately dropped back to last before running on to finish ninth.

The result was generally a good one for bookmakers despite the early support for Protectionist. There was plenty of support for Admire Rakti, Fawkner, Mutual Regard and Lucia Valentina. Sportsbet will be refunding bets on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th horses following their special offer.

Full result; 1st Protectionist 7-1, 2nd Cadeaux Genereux 20-1, 3rd Who Shot Thebarman 20-1, 4th Signoff 7-1.

Lexus Stakes Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Saturday’s Group 3 Lexus Stakes is the last chance for horses to book their place in the line-up for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup. The race carries automatic qualification for the winner and all bar one of the runners still hold an entry in the big race.

Andrew Balding was forced to withdraw Side Glance from the Mackinnon Stakes with an injury but could still pick up a nice prize with Lord Van Percy. The four-year-old made his Australian debut in the Herbert Power Stakes earlier this month when he was a staying-on fifth behind Big Memory.

Kerrin McEvoy had his first ride on the gelding that day and he will have learned a great deal from the race. Lord Van Percy pulled hard early on and then had to switch wide into the home turn to make his run. He never looked like troubling the leaders but was only a length and a quarter behind Protectionist at the line. That horse was all the rage for the Melbourne Cup afterwards.

Big Memory held off Signoff by half a length and most pundits expect the form to be reversed here. That is down to Big Memory’s penalty plus the fact that he made no impression in the Caulfield Cup. To be fair, Tony McEvoy’s runner had a terrible draw that day and will find it much easier to get into a rhythm here.

Lord Van Percy, formerly “Van Percy” but renamed to race in Australia, has always been a decent handicapper in the UK. As a three-year-old he travelled well into his races but didn’t always find as much off the bridle as expected. He has raced in a hood for most of his career but seems more resilient this season, battling on well to beat Havana Cooler for a decent prize at Goodwood.

He followed that with a terrific run in the Ebor Handicap when second to Mutual Regard. The winner is a strong Irish fancy for Tuesday’s Cup and Lord Van Percy could well give the form a boost on Saturday. Lord Van Percy is part-owned by OTI Racing who almost won the Melbourne Cup with Luca Cumani’s Bauer in 2008.

Signoff also ran well in the Group 3 David Jones Cup and was under pressure a long way out in the Herbert Power. I just feel that McEvoy will be able to keep his mount closer to the pace this time and use his turn of foot to good effect.

Another horse familiar to UK racing fans is Caravan Rolls On who used to be in the care of Peter Chapple-Hyam. He won the Group 3 Geelong Cup last week but is still not certain of a place in Tuesday’s field so has one more crack at it on Saturday. Craig Williams has been booked to ride the seven-year-old who will start from barrier one. Shocking achieved the Lexus/Melbourne Cup double in 2009 but it is certainly a tall order.

Lord Van Percy @7-1 Bet365 Non-runner

Caravan Rolls On @9-1 Sportsbet