A Melbourne Cup rematch is on the cards on March 14 at Flemington in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m), with Red Cadeaux returning to Australian shores to try to get one up on Protectionist, the German horse that thrashed the field back in November.
The battle was set when Racing Victoria announced that Red Cadeaux’s trainer, Ed Dunlop, would bring the popular stayer back to Australia for his fifth attempt to win a big feature race.
Protectionist will loom as a likely favourite should the pair be fit and ready for racing come March.
Nine-year-old Red Cadeaux was reported as entering quarantine in England on Friday, and will arrive in Australia on February 14.
The old warhorse ran second in the 2011, 2013, and 2014 Melbourne Cups, an astonishing record.
Red Cadeaux was entered for Dubai’s World Cup carnival before Dunlop decided on a return to Australia.
In a further coup for Australian racing, the horse is expected to race in The Championships in Sydney, taking on the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) on March 28 before his major target, the Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 11.
Red Cadeaux may elect to take on the rich $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the Sydney Cup depending on how the horse is travelling
peeeko
Roar Guru
damn i dont like Red Cadeaux - keeps ruining my Cup trifecta every year. looking at his form over the long run he will either run second or last