Australia: Amade needs strong effort in Bendigo Cup to have chance at Melbourne Cup
The task is simple. Amade must finish in the top three in Wednesday’s Group 3 Bendigo Cup at Bendigo Racecourse in Australia to have any chance of gaining a berth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse on Nov. 2.
Amade is currently outside of the top 24 horses in the handicap ratings that determine the final field. More importantly, Amade has yet to finish in the top three in a group-level stakes at 1 7/16 miles or farther since Feb. 1, 2020, which is part of eligibility for the two-mile Melbourne Cup.
Amade was fourth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, in the Group 3 Geelong Cup at 1 1/2miles at Geelong Racecourse on Oct. 20, finishing a length behind third-place finisher Hasta La War, who ranks 28th among the Melbourne Cup hopefuls.
:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing
The $299,840 Bendigo Cup is worth $179,904 to the winner. A win or second-place finish may be enough to get Amade in the final 24 before entries are finalized on Saturday.
An 8-year-old, Amade won the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup in New York in June 2019 before being sent to Australia.
As of Monday, Amade was the third choice in early betting for the Bendigo Cup at 7-2 behind two 5-year-old geldings trained by David Eustace and Ciaron Maher - 2-1 Smokin’ Romans and 3-1 Tooradin. Both have won 6 of 16 starts, and tend to run near the front.
Tooradin is in a similar situation to Amade regarding Melbourne Cup eligibility.
Tooradin, an Australian-bred, was seventh by 5 3/4 lengths in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Caulfield Racecourse on Oct. 9 behind Delphi and The Chosen One, who are Melbourne Cup probable starters. The Power Stakes was Tooradin’s group stakes debut.
Smokin’ Romans was not nominated to the Melbourne Cup. The Bendigo Cup will be his stakes debut.
A New-Zealand bred, Smokin’ Romans was second in a lucrative handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Caulfield Racecourse on Oct. 9, a loss that ended a three-racing winning streak at races ranging in distance from 1 5/16 to 1 1/2 miles from late June to late August.
The Bendigo Cup is the seventh race on a nine-race program that begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, or 6:30 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.