Image credit: Bradley Photographers - Bradleyphotos.com.au
Just Fine has been handed a 0.5kg penalty for the Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) after the Irish import broke the Randwick track record when keeping his unbeaten record on Australian soil intact in the Metropolitan (2400m) on Saturday (30 September).
The six-year-old, who is now three from three since arriving in Australia after he held off the persistent challenge of Spirit Ridge under Rachel King, will now carry 53kg as he bids to secure a second Melbourne Cup victory for Gai Waterhouse and a first for her co-trainer Adrian Bott.
With his new weight, which is 6.5kg below the weight-for-age benchmark, Just Fine has now passed the first ballot clause for the $8.4 million Melbourne Cup and moves to 30th place in the updated Melbourne Cup Order of Entry, which will be published tomorrow (Tuesday, 3 October) following the closure of first acceptances.
“Just Fine is a very advancing type who keeps improving with every run,” said David Hegan, Racing Victoria’s Head of Handicapping.
“Not only did Just Fine break the track record, the first two pulled well clear in the closing stages and there was a considerable margin back to Kalapour in third place.
“The half kilo penalty balances the fact that Just Fine carried the minimum weight of 50kg in the Group 1 Metropolitan, and he already had 52.5kg in the Melbourne Cup. So, he was expected to run a big race and duly did so in extending his unbeaten run in Australia.
“When measuring his performance through the horses that finished between third and fifth who are all heading towards the Melbourne Cup, and also factoring in his updated domestic rating with an overall profile as Group 1 winner over 2400m, a slight adjustment to his weight was required. The adjusted weight of 53kg therefore confirms a performance level that is commensurate with his last two wins.”
After finishing third behind Just Fine, Kalapour (trained by Kris Lees) collected $71,500 which saw him climb from 84th to 71st place in the Melbourne Cup ballot order.
First acceptances for the Melbourne Cup will be taken at 12pm (AEDT) tomorrow, with an updated Order of Entry to be published later that afternoon.