Can Tres Blue make it two for Waterhouse?

Round Table Racing Director Bruce Slade has confirmed that the 2014 Melbourne Cup is the goal of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival goal for stayer Tres Blue.

Finishing 22nd in last year’s Melbourne Cup, Slade would be hoping for a better performance this year. However Tres Blue’s attempt at the Cup last year was shrouded in controversy when he was treated with medication that was prohibited from being used on race days.

After playing up in the mounting yard, Tres Blue ended up finishing 50 lengths behind Fiorente in a poor display. He was spelled before coming back for a light campaign during the autumn carnival finishing 13th in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) and tenth in the Group 3 Japan Racing Association Plate (2000m).

From all reports from the Round Table racing team they have said that trainer Gai Waterhouse was happy with the light campaign, in preparation for his second tilt at the biggest race in Australia.

While his last preparation was disappointing and I would’ve liked to have seen more from him, but it’s a similar preparation that last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente undertook.

While the light autumn preparation was disappointing there is no doubting that the four-year-old bay stallion by Anabaa Blue has the ability. An indication of that ability came on the 25th August 2013 at Deauville, when Tres Blue scored his most significant win to date, getting the money in the $253,357 Prix De Deauville.

Since then things have become a little more difficult with Tres Blue failing to place in his next five starts, which included two barrier trials.

It’s worth noting that Tres Blue comes from a notoriously late maturing family, Anabaa Blue was a French Derby winner and his sire comment says that he ‘gets Two-year-old winners and progeny have progressed as three-year-olds.’

We may be seeing that progression this year. Sky Racing’s Andrew Bensley has already tweeted that Tres Blue is a different horse to last year, and appears much more relaxed then he has been previously.

The big factor however is that Tres Blue has also put on 25kg’s and is finally starting to look like a horse that could challenge for the Melbourne Cup. He isn’t expected to return to racing until late August, and the path he will take for his next preparation is yet to be decided.

His path to the cup will be decided by Racing Victoria Chief Handicapper Greg Carpenter, with Slade already declaring that weights will be a factor in which path Tres Blue takes.

“The weights and things will decide whether we need to win races to get him into the Cup or whether we can just take him through a preparation that sort of culminates in the Melbourne Cup,” Slade said.

“He will be right on the brink of being guaranteed a start or not and the weights will make a big difference as to where we go with him.

“Gai is very keen to have the majority of his preparation in Melbourne.”

While there are a lot of questions to be answered between now and the cup and with Waterhouse breaking her Melbourne Cup hoodoo last year.

Her main focus this spring will be to add to her maiden victory with Fiorente, and if Fiorente last year was anything to go by I expect Tres Blue to be in ripping form come that first Tuesday in November.