Australia: Bendigo Cup could help sort Melbourne Cup field

The Irish stakes winner Pondus needs to win Wednesday’s Group 3 Bendigo Cup at Bendigo Racecourse in Australia to have a chance of earning a berth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup on Nov. 3.

As of Monday, Pondus ranked 39th on the list of candidates for the two-mile Melbourne Cup, which will have a maximum field of 24 runners. The field is largely determined by weight assignments, and a victory in the Bendigo Cup at 1 1/2 miles would lead to an increase for Pondus and could put him in the final field, pending developments in coming days. Some berths are allotted to winners of major stakes in Australia.

The Bendigo Cup also has Melbourne Cup ramifications for Haky and Zebrowski.

Pondus, trained by Joseph O’Brien, will have his Australian debut in the Bendigo Cup, which is expected to have a full field of 16. Post time for the Bendigo Cup is 1 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, or 10 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday.

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Pondus won the minor Lenebane Stakes at about 1 1/2 miles at Roscommon Racecourse in Ireland in July and was later fourth in a field of five in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes on Aug. 6 at Leopardstown and 20th of 21 in the prestigious Ebor Handicap at about 1 3/4 miles at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 22.

The Bendigo Cup does not have a standout. Aside from Pondus, two other runners could go favored – Lord Belvedere, a three-time winner in handicaps at extended distances at Flemington from June to Septemer, and Zebrowski, who is 25th in the Melbourne Cup rankings.

Zebrowski, second in the Group 1 ATC Derby at Royal Randwick Racecourse in April, is winless in his last seven starts, but was second by 1 1/4 lengths to Chapada in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes at 1 1/2 miles Oct. 10 at Caulfield Racecourse.

Haky, who will be a longshot in the Geelong Cup, is ranks 37th on the list of candidates for the Melbourne Cup. Haky is winless in his last three starts, including an 11th in a field of 15 in the Group 3 Bart Cummings Stakes on Oct. 3 at Flemington.

Lord Belvedere was eighth in the Bart Cummings Stakes.