The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Melbourne Cup 2016: Jameka given 1.5kg weight penalty

(AAP Image: Joe Castro)
Editor
17th October, 2016
1

Jameka has been handed a 1.5kg weight penalty for the race that stops the nation after the mare dominated at the Caulfield Cup on Saturday.

The four-year-old won by a confident three lengths at the $3,000,000 race over the weekend to stamp her mark on the Melbourne Cup field, driving home hopes of recording the historic Caulfield-Melbourne double.

» Everything you need to know about the 2016 Melbourne Cup
» All the horses: 2016 Melbourne Cup field and nominations
» Melbourne Cup TV guide: How to watch, stream and listen to the big race
» The complete and comprehensive 2016 Melbourne Cup raceday schedule

While a penalty of some kind was all but a certainty after Caulfield, many were expecting the Ciarian Maher-trained horse to cop two kilograms.

Luckily for Maher and Jameka, Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter was a little more lenient in his ruling.

“A penalty of 1.5kg represents around three lengths over 3200m, which is the same margin she defeated Godolphin stayer Scottish by on Saturday,” Carpenter said.

Advertisement

“While she was clearly the dominant stayer at Caulfield on Saturday, Jameka will face a new challenge in the Melbourne Cup when she lines up against a second wave of international rivals.”

While this same penalty has been given down to three other winners of the Caulfield Cup in the past ten years, the best finish among them was a sixth place by Fawkner in 2013.

Jameka will now carry 53.5kg in the big race but could be nudged up another half a kilogram.

The minimum top weight for the field must be at least 57kg, but the heaviest horse in the paddock at the moment is Preferment who is carrying 56.5kg.

If no one jumps up to that minimum weight, then everyone is brought up equally to fill in the gap.

“As it stands, Preferment is the highest weighted horse in the Cup with 56.5kg, followed by star UK stayer Big Orange on 56kg, which will require all weights to be raised by at least 0.5kg. If this eventuates Jameka will have to carry at least 54kg,” Carpenter said.

Advertisement

No four-year-old mare has ever won the Melbourne Cup with this much weight.

The current record of 52.5kg was set in 1965 by Light Fingers under the tutelage of Bart Cummings. His first winner.

close