Defending champion and reigning Victorian Racehorse of the Year Without A Fight has been assigned topweight of 58.5kg for the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m).
Racing Victoria’s (RV) Head of Handicapping, David Hegan, made the announcement today that Anthony and Sam Freedman’s stable star would be asked to create history and become the first horse in almost half a century to win either of the nation’s marquee staying contests with more than 58kg.
Think Big was the most recent horse to achieve the feat in the Melbourne Cup when he carried 58.5kg to victory in the 1975 edition, whilst no horse has carried more than 58kg to victory in the Caulfield Cup since the introduction of the metric system in 1972.
Last year, Without A Fight became the 12th horse in history to etch his name onto the Cups double honour roll carrying 55.5kg to victory at Caulfield and 56.5kg to success at Flemington.
Three-time Group 1-winning mare Via Sistina sits second in the weights for both Cups with 56kg which looms as the lightest weight she’ll have carried in three years. The high-priced import is one of a number of entries for trainer Chris Waller whose CV boasts two Caulfield Cups and a Melbourne Cup.
Current Melbourne Cup favourite Vauban (Willie Mullins), who warmed up for his return to Victoria with an eye-catching second behind Kyprios in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) at The Curragh over the weekend, has been allocated 55.5kg – 0.5kg more than he carried when unplaced in 2023.
Emphatic Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) winner Warmonger rocketed into Caulfield Cup favouritism after his flashing lights return in last Saturday’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained four-year-old has been weighted on 53.5kg.
Quotes attributable to David Hegan, RV’s Head of Handicapping
“It is almost 50 years since a horse carried more than 58 kilograms to victory in either Cup, so history suggests Without A Fight faces a tough task, but if he returns the same horse that we saw in 2023 then nothing is beyond him even with the penalty from last year.
“No horse has claimed the Cups double and then returned to win the Melbourne Cup the following year, whilst only Rising Fast and Poseidon have returned to win Caulfield Cups the following year. Without A Fight would be in rare air and I hope he’s able to take up the challenge.
“Of the overseas contingent, it was not hard to be taken by the effort of Vauban in the Irish St Leger behind an elite horse in Kyprios. Whilst connections may have been disappointed with his defeat in last year’s Melbourne Cup, it is never wise to underestimate Willie Mullins and so a small rise in the weights to 55.5 kilograms is a proportionate increase given his recent performances.
“The form of some of the more progressive horses in the entry list, both at home and overseas, is perhaps less exposed so as always it has been a challenge to weight them accordingly given that their potential scope for improvement cannot reasonably be factored in.
“The MRC Foundation Cup and the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday will give us a further guide on which horses are set to play a major role in the spring features with stayers like Fawkner Park, Place Du Carrousel, Saint George, Que Tempesta and The Map among the entries.”
$5.15 million Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m), Caulfield, Saturday 19 October 2024
Fawkner Park, who is scheduled to make his return for Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald in this Saturday’s Group 1 Henley Homes Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield, and Group 1 winner Kalapour (Kris Lees) sit prominently in the Caulfield Cup weights on 55kg.
After an impressive winter campaign which culminated with his dominant victory in the $1.2 million Q22 (2200m) in Brisbane, Fawkner Park is out to emulate the deeds of Without A Fight who used the same race as a springboard to Caulfield Cup success in 2023.
Six internationally trained horses have flown home with the Caulfield Cup, with two hailing from Japan and ‘the land of the rising sun’ is again set to have representation at Caulfield this year in the shape of Warp Speed (Noboru Takagi), who has been given 54.5kg in both Cups.
Place Du Carrousel also started her career overseas but now calls Victoria home, having been purchased by Yulong Investments and sent to Team Freedman who almost pulled off a training masterstroke when the mare finished second behind Via Sistina on her Australian debut in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m).
Place Du Carrousel, who has been assigned 54kg in both Cups, is due to line up in the Underwood Stakes on Saturday as is Coco Sun, the mare trained to Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) glory by Tony and Calvin McEvoy. Coco Sun has been allocated 50.5kg in both races with the Caulfield Cup her primary aim.
Another four-year-old entry creating interest in the Caulfield Cup is the Joe Pride-trained Ceolwulf who sits on 52kg. The son of Tavistock is yet to win a black type race, but was runner-up in both the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Group 1 ATC Derby (2400m) earlier this year.
Italian import Que Tempesta (53kg), who made a notable impression on his debut for the in-form Lindsay Park training team, is also due to ramp up his spring campaign this Saturday when he contests the Group 3 Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Cup (2000m), which affords the winner ballot exemption for the Caulfield Cup.
Another talented import Eliyass, who has won both his starts for Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse since arriving on Australian shores, is slated to step out in Sydney on the same day. He has been assigned 53kg, the same weight as evergreen 2019 Caulfield Cup runner-up Vow And Declare who was not nominated for a tilt at a second Melbourne Cup.
$8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), Flemington, Tuesday 5 November 2024
The Melbourne Cup betting markets were shaken up over the weekend after leading overseas contenders Jan Brueghel (54kg) and Illinois (53kg) ran the quinella in the time-honoured Group 1 English St Leger (2900m). Both trained in Ireland by world-renowned horseman Aidan O’Brien, the Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds have been assigned 54kg and 53kg respectively.
They form part of a six-strong team of entries assembled by O’Brien, who has also nominated Stakes winners Point Lonsdale (55.5kg), Grosvenor Square (52kg) and The Euphrates (50.5kg), along with The Equator (50kg) for the Melbourne Cup.
Whilst O’Brien is still searching for his first win in Australia’s great race, his compatriot Dermot Weld has two Melbourne Cups to his name and the astute trainer would appear to have another live chance this year in the form of Harbour Wind (53kg). The northern hemisphere four-year-old has two Stakes wins on his resumé and is yet to finish outside the top two in seven career starts.
Closer to home, Point King (50.5kg) will aim to join his Freedman Racing stablemate Without A Fight on the Melbourne Cup honour roll after he secured his place in the starting gates courtesy of his win in last Saturday’s Group 3 Lexus Archer Stakes (2500m) at Flemington.
Point King is raced by seven-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams and another surname synonymous with the Cup is Cummings, with Godolphin head trainer James – whose grandfather Bart won the race on 12 occasions – pinning his hopes on four-year-old mare Zardozi who has 51kg.
Ciaron Maher, who trained Gold Trip to Melbourne Cup glory two years ago, has a plethora of entries led by Circle Of Fire who has been allotted 54.5kg – 3kg more than he carried to victory in this year’s Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m).
Victoria’s leading trainer is no stranger to winning big races, but it would be a fairytale if the South Australian partnership of Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray could put their stable on the map with a Melbourne Cup triumph.
Their six-year-old mare The Map (50kg) guaranteed her place in the Melbourne Cup thanks to her thrilling victory in the Lexus Andrew Ramsden (2800m) in May, with Magical Zoe (52.5kg) and The Grey Wizard (53kg) the other two horses to gain ballot exemption courtesy of their respective wins in the Ebor Handicap (UK) and the Belmont Gold Cup (USA).
Second acceptances for the Caulfield Cup will close at 12 noon (AEST) on Tuesday, 24 September, while first acceptances for the Melbourne Cup will be taken at 12 noon (AEST) on Tuesday, 1 October.
For the full list of Sportsbet Caulfield Cup weights, please click here
For the full list of Lexus Melbourne Cup weights, please click here