Onesmoothoperator (USA) ridden by Craig Williams wins the Ladbrokes Geelong Cup at Geelong Racecourse. (Reg Ryan/Racing Photos)
Racing Victoria (RV) Head of Handicapping, David Hegan, has announced that yesterday’s Ladbrokes Geelong Cup (2400m) winner Onesmoothoperator has received a 1kg penalty in the $8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) following the gelding’s dominant Group 3 victory.
The Brian Ellison-trained English raider, who delivered Craig Williams his sixth win in the race, has been lifted from his original weight of 50kg to 51kg.
The penalty and first prize cheque of $300,000 has seen the gelding move from 33rd to 22nd position in the Melbourne Cup Order of Entry.
Hegan explained: “Onesmoothoperator showed terrific acceleration to put the race away with 100m remaining after making an early run around the field. It was a dominant victory, displaying both stamina and an impressive turn of foot.
“The commanding victory demonstrated that a 1kg penalty was appropriate when we consider the opposition, those horses around him in the ballot, his form from Europe and his performance rating in winning yesterday.
“With his rise to 51kg, both The Map (sixth in the Geelong Cup) and Interpretation (second) will meet him 1kg better in the Melbourne Cup for yesterday’s defeat, whilst the third placegetter Muramasa will meet him 2.5kg better.”
The penalty puts Onesmoothoperator ahead of Interpretation and Muramasa in the Melbourne Cup Order of Entry who are now 23rd and 25th respectively.
It is the fourth time in the last 10 years that a horse has been allocated a 1kg penalty following a Geelong Cup victory with Steel Prince (2020) the last horse to be issued the same penalty in the Melbourne Cup.
Following the withdrawals of Warmonger, Military Mission, Coco Sun and Berkshire Breeze this morning by their connections, a total of 51 horses remain in the hunt for a spot among the final field of 24 at Flemington on 5 November 2024 prior to third acceptances at 10am (AEDT) next Monday, 28 October.
Click here to view the updated Lexus Melbourne Cup Order of Entry as 24 October 2024.