Australia: Geelong Cup crucial to Melbourne Cup hopes for Tralee Rose
The Group 3 Geelong Cup at Geelong Racecourse in Australia on Wednesday is a vital race for Melbourne Cup hopeful Tralee Rose.
As of Monday, Tralee Rose was 25th on the list of candidates for the Melbourne Cup on Nov. 2, a race limited to 24 runners. While there will be numerous changes in the prospective field for the Melbourne Cup in coming weeks, a win by Tralee Rose in the $296,720 Geelong Cup at 1 1/2 miles would certainly enhance her chances of gaining a berth in the race.
With a win at Geelong, Tralee Rose would be given a higher official rating, and therefore a higher weight assignment.
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It's rare when owners and trainers wish their horses were assigned more weight. Tralee Rose was about three pounds out of the first 24 as of Monday.
The Geelong Cup drew a field of 14, including the longshots Knights Order, Johnny Got Angry and Mirage Dancer, who are among the 24 hopefuls for the Melbourne Cup. Geelong Cup entrant Le Don De Vie is 28th on the list.
Tralee Rose, trained by Simon Wylde, is a 5-year-old New Zealand-bred mare who has won 5 of 14 starts. She won two stakes in January and February this year, but is winless in her last four starts.
On Oct. 2, Tralee Rose raced from a stalking position and was second by 1 1/4 lengths to Grand Promenade in the Group 3 Bart Cummings Stakes at about 1 9/16 miles at Flemington Racecourse. Grand Promenade earned an automatic berth to the Melbourne Cup with the win.
Knights Order was 11th of 16 in the Cumming Stakes, beaten nine lengths at 16-1. Knights Order won the Group 2 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm Racecourse in June, but has been ninth and 11th in two starts since returning from a three-month layoff last month.
Not all the Geelong Cup runners are rated as Melbourne Cup hopefuls. Defibrillate was recently excluded from Melbourne Cup consideration for lack of success in group-level stakes in the last 18 months.
Defibrillate was fourth in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Caulfield Racecourse on Oct. 9 and needed a top three finish to remain in consideration for the Melbourne Cup. The fourth could be enough, however, to make Defibrillate a contender in the Geelong Cup.
Geelong has a nine-race program beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, or 6:30 p.m. Pacific, on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFbets.com.