Scenic Blast ($19) from Western Australia took out the G1 Lightening Stakes upsetting the BIG TWO of Weekend Hussler and Apache Cat who won this race last year. Weekend Hussler running for the first time over 1000m was ridden poorly outside of Apache Cat and never looked in the race.
Scenic Blast sat just off the pace coming to the outside 200m from the post and burst past for an impressive win in front of Typhoon Zed and ($13) and Grand Duels ($26). The 1000 metre sprint was run in 56.94 seconds with the last 600 run in 33.20 seconds. Scenic Blast’s last 600 was run in a scintillating 32.44 seconds, narrowly ahead of Swick’s 32.53 seconds who loomed on the outside and was finding the line well.
The big questions from this race are, well many. After last years debacle in attempting to make Weekend Hussler a distance horse, did he do enough? Was it just a poor ride, or has last year’s experiment stuffed it all up completely? Is Apache Cat through as a sprinter and will now need 1400m – 1800m? While the odds will be slashed, should we all be backing up on Scenic Blast in the Oakleigh Plate?
Bloke: Hey Dianne, I’ve decided to give you a new name Dianne: What Bloke: Weekend Hussler Dianne: Why, because I’m loved by everyone? Bloke: Nope, you can’t stay
Godolphin finally have something to cheer about down under with All The Good winning the Caulfield Cup at 50-1. I was thinking all week that this was not going to be a race for the favouriates and that an outsider had a chance at taking this one out. I was super keen on Ice Chariot and Mad Rush as hopes but just pick the wrong guys. But having said that, Mad Rush by far and above anything else was finishing the best of any horse including the winner, a 2800 metre race and he storms home.
So the result was All The Good, Nom de Jeu and Barbaricus with Mad Rush for forth. Now I really face a delima as my system that you can get in the guide will have All The Good as the best foreign horse but I am totally hung up on Mad Rush after the Caulfield Cup run.
Ice Chariot I think was out classed or maybe even picked the wrong horse to follow into the race and then didn’t have enough when the go buttons needed to be pressed. You can see from the video below that at about the 600m mark Littorio comes to the outside but does not quite go at that stage and fades a bit before coming home for 5th, but if it had enough to keep going Ice Chariot was ready to follow but they both kind of stalled at the 400-600 mark with nothing really coming. Ice Chariot was still grinding away but has no turn of speed whereas Littorio kicked
Over the next few days, while sitting here in Tasmania over looking Constitution Dock I will put together my top four horses as it currently stands for the Melbourne Cup and we’ll see ow things stack up. The important thing to keep in mind is not to get caught up in all this and think about some horses outside of this race, the likes of Efficient, Zipping etc are still out there.
Otherwise, the Caulfield Cup has just confirmed everything that we knew about Weekend Hussler and some people did not want to believe. Weekend Hussler is a great 1600 metre runner, perhaps the best and should stick with that. Horses like Desert War, knew their place and dominated the EPSOM and that distance, I don’t think we’ll see Weekend Hussler in the Cox or Melbourne Cup and should be spelled to tackle more appropriate races in the Auntum like the Doncaster.
The below is an article from Racenet that I thought you would all be interested in
Guillotine To Win Cup – Hussler, Littorio a risk
By Sean Bartholomew
I have laid Guillotine at Racing Odds to win almost $1m in the Caulfield Cup, through a series of bets in the last few weeks, with question marks over his ability to make it into the field.
Now that he has qualified we’ll be running for cover at Racing Odds as with its postage stamp weight of 51.5kg, and getting out to the 2400m journey (he is a half brother to Melbourne Cup and Derby winner Efficient after all!) I think he is a fantastic chance to take out the Cup at 9.00 despite his wide draw.
Saturday looms as a fantastic betting day across the 10 race card, with the time honoured Caulfield Cup the feature.
The Caulfield Cup has of recent times dropped off in standard, and become somewhat of a lead-up race for the Melbourne Cup as many trainers avoid the race with their horses to ensure they don’t receive a weight penalty for the Melbourne Cup (think Zipping, Efficient and Tuesday Joy prior to her bleeding attack), as the first Tuesday in November is the holy grail.
While I concede that Guillotine is terrific value, the other horse at a bit of a price which I’d suggest punters have a go at is Maldivian. At the $17 quote I certainly think he can run a cheeky race each-way. In all 5 runs this prep he has hit the lead in the straight, only to be run down. I just feel with the step up to 2400m, that the tempo won’t be as solid as it has been in his lead up runs at WFA over shorter trips, and as such will leave him with a bit more of a kick as he approaches the final furlong. And $17 certainly seems a juicy price considering he was being offered up at $2.50 in last year’s Caulfield Cup.
As for the rest I think this is a race to bet around the favourites.
Weekend Hussler is a HUGE risk at 2400m, after dropping out badly last time at his first try at 2000m, albeit with a suspect ride. And for all the plaudits of Littorio’s last start victory, he did have the absolute perfect run, letting Weekend Hussler take him into the race, and peeling off his back once they hit the straight. Together with his strike rate of 2 wins from 14 starts, he is a genuine risk, as I can see him running on late, but perhaps once the others have bolted.
For those Kiwi’s out there, if you want to back Red Ruler and Boundless, back them at Racing Odds as we’ll be happy to bet top odds on those two as they make their first Australian appearance this preparation in the high octane atmosphere of a Caulfield Cup.
Just a few items that need addressing from last weekends racing. Dolphin Jo, who ran 5th in the 2007 Melbourne Cup, ran on well in the Winning Edge Presentation over 2400m to win and now sits about about $40 for the Melbourne Cup having hovered around $100+, could be some value given he is proven to run out the 3200m, reply of the race is below to review. Dolphin Jo beat home the Wolverine and Cafalu.
The other major race with Melbourne Cup interest was the Yalumba taken out by last years Caulfield Cup runner up Douro Valley at long odds mind you. I am very disappointed not to be on him as I was all over him this time last year in the lead up to the Caulfield Cup. Douro Valley was just able to keep grinding on over the last 200m to hold off Pompeii Ruler and Guillotine.
Winning Edge Presentation
Yalumba
So this leaves us this weekend with one of the major lead up races, the Caulfield Cup. This has been a good indication of form, while the last winner of the Caulfield Cup / Melbourne Cup Double was Ethereal in 2001 place getters have done well in the Melbourne Cup, the last being Delta Blues in 2006 who finished 2nd in the Caulfield Cup and obviously won the same year, the great mare Makybe Diva did the same in 2004.
List of Caulfeild Cup / Melbourne Cup doubles
Year Winner
1906 Poseidon
1937 The Trump
1939 Rivette
1954 Rising Fast
1962 Even Stevens
1966 Galilee
1982 Gurner’s Lane
1991 Let’s Elope
1995 Doriemus
1997 Might and Power
2001 Ethereal
Skipton won the 1941 Melbourne Cup as a 3YO and then won a division of the 1943 Caulfield Cup.
Rising Fast won the 1955 Caulfield Cup for second time to then run second in the 1955 Melbourne Cup.
Poseidon won a second Caulfield Cup in 1907.
So, this year Littorio is this years favourite to win the Caulfield Cup after upstaging the disappointing Weekend Hussler (2nd Fav) in the Turnbull and is equal $6.50 fav with Efficient and Septimus in the Melbourne Cup.
Personally I am only really interested in this years Caulfield Cup to see Melbourne Cup form but will have a stab at some value taking Ice Chariot who has been running well and hitting the line as the distance goes up for three 3rd placings, currrently, $41 and I’ve been getting $200 on betfair for the Melbourne Cup ($41 on TAB) and the other one I’ll be watching is Mad Rush with Damien Oliver on board, very similar to last years Melbourne Cup 2nd place getter Purple Moon, again, bloody Efficient!
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