Johanes Vermeer can give O'Brien 25th Grade 1 win of year in Caulfield Cup

Trainer Aidan O’Brien will start Johannes Vermeer in the $2,353,200 Caulfield Cup in Australia in an attempt to match the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel’s 2003 mark of 25 Grade 1 or Group 1 wins in a season.

As of Wednesday, Johannes Vermeer was the 7-2 favorite in a field of 17. The race has a post time of 1:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, and 10:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday.

A 4-year-old, Johannes Vermeer is making a quick turnaround in the 1 1/2-mile race on turf, having finished second by a head in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes at 1 /-4 miles on turf at Caulfield Racecourse on Oct. 14 in his Australian debut. Johannes Vermeer won the Group 3 International Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at the Curragh in Ireland on July 2.

Johannes Vermeer inherited the role of favorite for the Caulfield Cup earlier this week after Admire Deus suffered a leg injury in a workout.

The domestic hopefuls for the Caulfield Cup are led by Bonneval, a 4-year-old filly who was a 15-2 shot as of Wednesday. Bonneval was sixth in the Caulfield Stakes, ending a six-race winning streak.

There will be support for Humidor and Amelie’s Star. Humidor won the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at a mile in September and was third in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Flemington on Oct. 7.

Amelie’s Star won the Group 3 Bart Cummings Stakes at 1 9/16 miles on turf at Flemington on Oct. 7.

The Caulfield Cup is a handicap. Humidor is the topweight at 123 pounds. Johannes Vermeer has been assigned 120 pounds, noticeably higher than the females Bonneval (115) and Amelie’s Star (112).

The Caulfield Cup is likely to produce a few runners for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Nov. 7. Almandin, who is not part of the Caulfield Cup field, is the 10-1 favorite in the future-book for the Melbourne Cup as of Wednesday, a slight favorite over Johannes Vermeer at 12-1.