TWO GOOD! Zahra wins back-to-back Melbourne Cups on Without a Fight as three horses pull up lame
Without a Fight completed the rare Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double on Tuesday as star jockey Mark Zahra went back-to-back in the big one after…
New Zealand mare Silent Achiever and German import Le Roi are the two big omissions from the list after second acceptances for the 2014 Melbourne Cup were announced today.
40 horses remain in the frame to run the world’s richest race on turf, with the $6.2 million in prizemoney an attraction to trainers, increasingly becoming tempting to overseas trained and bred runners.
UPDATE: Gai Waterhouse runner The Offer has been withdrawn from the 2014 Melbourne Cup
12 of this year’s second acceptances are international horses. In 2013 there were 47 second acceptances, with 11 internationals in the mix.
The four-year-old mare Silent Achieve was said to be targeting the Cox Plate in 2014, potentially moving over to longer runs in 2015. Trainer Roger James confirmed as much to Fairfax.
The German Le Roi, whose withdrawal was not entirely unexpected, has run three times this spring. The last gallop was at Mooney Valley on the weekend, where it ran second to Prince Of Penzance, currently sitting at 30th on the list of nominations below. Trainer Tony McEvoy said it was always behind the eight-ball this year, and with no victories to his name so far this spring, he decided against keeping him in the frame for the Cup.
“I’ve always been just that little bit behind with him, sort of just one run behind so I thought I won’t ask too much of him but I’m very hopeful he’ll make an outstanding stayer next year,” McEvoy said.
Prince Of Penzance has also copped a 2kg penalty for the Melbourne Cup, taking the five-year-old gelding to 52.5kg for the race.
The full second acceptances list is here:
Name (country) | Weight | Rating | Last Run | |
1 | Admire Rakti (JPN) – T.UMEDA | 58.5 | 114 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 1st |
2 | Green Moon (IRE) – R.HICKMOTT | 57 | 116 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 9th |
3 | Fawkner – R.HICKMOTT | 57 | 112 | 25 Oct, M V, 2040m – 2nd |
4 | Red Cadeaux (GB) – E.DUNLOP | 57 | N/A | 6 Sep, K PK, 2400m – 7th |
5 | Cavalryman (GB) – S.B.SUROOR | 57 | 107 | 22 Aug, YOR., 3300m – 4th |
6 | The Offer (IRE) – G.M.WATERHOUSE | 56.5 | 109 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 11th |
7 | Protectionist (GER) – A.WOHLER | 56.5 | 110 | 11 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 4th |
8 | Sea Moon (GB) – R.HICKMOTT | 56.5 | 105 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 18th |
9 | My Ambivalent (IRE) – R.VARIAN | 54.5 | N/A | 29 Jun, CURR, 2000m – 4th |
10 | Lucia Valentina (NZ) – K.A.LEES | 53 | 108 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 3rd |
11 | Seismos (IRE) – M.BOTTI | 56 | 109 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 15th |
12 | Royal Diamond (IRE) – J.MURTAGH | 55.5 | N/A | 14 Sep, CURR, 2800m – 6th |
13 | Junoob (GB) – C.J.WALLER | 55.5 | 108 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 7th |
14 | Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) – C.J.WALLER | 55 | 107 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 13th |
15 | Mutual Regard (IRE) – J.MURTAGH | 55 | N/A | 23 Aug, YOR., 2800m – 1st |
16 | Gatewood (GB) – J.GOSDEN | 55 | 101 | 31 Aug, DVLE, 2500m – 2nd |
17 | Willing Foe (USA) – S.B.SUROOR | 55 | N/A | 14 Sep, CURR, 2800m – 4th |
18 | Precedence (NZ) – J.B.CUMMINGS | 54.5 | 106 | 25 Oct, M V, 2500m – 5th |
19 | Brambles (NZ) – P.G.MOODY | 54 | 105 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 4th |
20 | Mr O’ceirin (NZ) – C.MAHER | 54 | 105 | 12 Oct, CRAN, 2025m – 7th |
21 | Opinion (IRE) – C.J.WALLER | 53.5 | 104 | 25 Oct, M V, 2500m – 6th |
22 | Au Revoir (IRE) – A.FABRE | 53.5 | 103 | 25 Oct, M V, 2500m – 3rd |
23 | Lidari (FR) – P.G.MOODY | 53.5 | 105 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 6th |
24 | Araldo (GB) – M.D.MORONEY | 53 | 100 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 5th |
25 | Unchain My Heart – D.A.HAYES | 51.5 | 99 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 17th |
26 | Shoreham – S.HASAN | 53 | 100 | 22 Oct, GEEL, 2400m – 6th |
27 | La Amistad – J.R.HAWKES | 51.5 | 98 | 18 Oct, RAND, 2406m – 2nd |
28 | Caravan Rolls On (GB) – D.T.O’BRIEN | 52.5 | 95 | 22 Oct, GEEL, 2400m – 1st |
29 | Big Memory (FR) – A.J.MCEVOY | 52.5 | 100 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 10th |
30 | Prince of Penzance (NZ) – D.K.WEIR | 52.5 | 94 | 25 Oct, M V, 2500m – 1st |
31 | Lord van Percy (GB) – A.BALDING | 52.5 | 100 | 11 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 5th |
32 | Noble Protector (GB) – R.SMERDON | 51 | 95 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2000m – 2nd |
33 | Let’s Make Adeal – N.A.BLACKISTON | 50.5 | 99 | 11 Oct, CAUL, 2400m – 3rd |
34 | Marksmanship (IRE) – C.MAHER | 50.5 | 96 | 22 Oct, GEEL, 2400m – 2nd |
35 | Wish Come True (IRE) – P.G.MOODY | 50.5 | 97 | 22 Oct, GEEL, 2400m – 5th |
36 | Like a Carousel – K.M.KEYS | 50 | 96 | 22 Oct, GEEL, 2400m – 3rd |
37 | Signoff (IRE) – D.K.WEIR | 50 | 66 | 18 Oct, CAUL, 2000m – 3rd |
38 | Amralah (IRE) – R.HICKMOTT | 54.5 | N/A | 9 Aug, HAYD, 2100m – 1st |
39 | Gris Caro (GB) – J.A.STEPHENS | 52 | 97 | 4 Oct, FLEM, 2000m – 12th |
40 | Thunderbird One (NZ) – F.FINNEGAN | 50 | 91 | 16 Oct, MOE, 2050m – 8th |