Flemington: Green Moon, Melbourne Cup winner, heads Australian Cup field of 13

Green Moon, the winner of the Melbourne Cup in November, makes his second start of 2013 in Saturday’s $1,020,000 Australian Cup at Flemington Racecourse, site of his Melbourne Cup win.

Green Moon, a 6-year-old Irish-bred horse by Montjeu, drew post 9 in a field of 13 in the Group 1 Australian Cup, which is run over about 1 1/4 miles. Trained by Robert Hickmott, Green Moon has had one start this year, finishing fourth of 10 in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes for older horses over about seven furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 23.

Last October, Green Moon won the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes over about 1 1/4 miles at Flemington.

Green Moon’s competition on Saturday includes Super Cool, the winner of the Group 2 Autumn Classic at Caulfield on Feb. 23, and Glass Harmonium, who was second in the Futurity Stakes.

There are two other lucrative Group 1 races in Australia on Saturday.

Moment of Change, a 5-year-old gelding by Barely a Moment, will be favored in the $1,020,000 Lexus Newmarket Handicap over about six furlongs at Flemington. Moment of Change was second in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes over about five furlongs at Flemington on Feb. 16. His opposition includes Ortensia, who won the Al Quoz Sprint on turf at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai last March.

Defending champion Shoot Out is one of six entrants for trainer Chris Wallis in Saturday’s $357,000 Chipping Norton Stakes over about a mile at Warwick Farms, near Sydney.