Half Yours has drawn barrier 2 for the Oct. 18 Caulfield Cup (G1), a result the Tony and Calvin McEvoy team say will allow the stayer to settle and obtain an economical run.
"It's a good draw," Calvin said. "These are high-pressure contests, and we've watched the replays, and the pressure comes on a long way out. Drawing inside with a horse that can hold a spot is going to mean he's going to get a rest for the first half of the race which is so important. We know he can absorb pressure and we couldn't be any happier with the barrier."
Half Yours entered Caulfield Cup calculations after winning the Caloundra Cup over 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles), the same distance as the Caulfield Cup, in July. Originally penciled in for a Sydney campaign, the gelding was redirected to Melbourne after finishing fifth over 1,500 meters at Rosehill Gardens Aug. 30. Victory in the Naturalism Stakes (G3) at Caulfield Sept. 20 secured him a Caulfield Cup ballot exemption. He then finished fourth in the Turnbull Stakes (G1) at Flemington Racecourse Oct. 4, further boosting his Caulfield Cup credentials.
"He's been up and racing for a long time, but he's probably one of the fittest horses with the miles he's got in his legs," McEvoy said. "His Turnbull run was great, he did a little bit of work on the course proper at Flemington yesterday and worked beautifully."
International Caulfield Cup entrant Meydaan has been cleared for Saturday's race after completing a look at the course Tuesday morning. Traveling foreman Paul Holley, riding the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained gelding, reported that Meydaan handled the Caulfield circuit well.
"There was a bird, and he had a good look at that down the back, but over the last 600 meters I let him stride on a little bit and I was pleased with him, and he galloped out well," Holley said. "He might be better on more of a galloping track like Flemington, but he's run around Goodwood which is an undulating course. All his best runs have been at Goodwood, but I think Caulfield will be OK for him, but I think Flemington would be better again, as Caulfield you are turning all the time. Fingers crossed, we're ready to go."
The gelding, who initially lost weight on arrival in Australia, has picked up quickly and is reportedly thriving in his preparation.
"I think this horse is going to keep on improving," Holley said. "As a younger horse he was doing it the wrong way around. He was too keen early on, but since he's been gelded, he's learning to race properly now, and we've got the best of him to come, I think."
Andrea Atzeni has been booked to ride Meydaan, with Holley expecting the gelding to settle around sixth or seventh in the run. Meydaan is the highest-rated of the international contenders, currently sitting as the AU$8 second pick behind Half Yours at AU$2.50.
Gai Waterhouse believes Vauban's barrier draw of 13 gives him a great chance in Saturday's Caulfield Cup. The French import was last seen finishing strongly to place fifth in the Metropolitan (G1), a performance Waterhouse believes sets him up perfectly for the Caulfield showpiece this weekend.
"He's thriving, he's done very well," said Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott. "He got a long way back in the Metropolitan and chased the winner home. He's really acclimatized to Melbourne, he loves the track, loves the way of going, he's a very versatile gelding. (The draw) means we can win it. We will be out of harm's way."
Ole Dancer draws well in Guineas
Having got a bit of luck prerace in drawing barrier 5, Katherine Coleman is hoping that Ole Dancer can also have some luck in running when she tackles Saturday's Thousand Guineas (G1) at Caulfield. Trained by Coleman and Peter Moody, the 3-year-old daughter of Ole Kirk will be bidding to turn the tables on Ferivia after finishing a narrow second to the Phillip Stokes-trained rival in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude (G2) last start.
"She has been terribly unlucky in the barrier draw department, her last couple of starts," Coleman told The Verdict podcast. "It (barrier 5) just gives you a few more options, doesn't it? We know that when she is ridden cold she has an electric turn of foot and can sustain an improving run, when she gets into clear air. If that draw on Saturday means we can sit a little bit closer, especially if Caulfield happens to be playing leaderish, which we know it can do ... it just opens a few more doors for us. It was a little bit of a hard watch, in some regards, but I managed to pick my bottom lip up off the floor by telling myself it was the perfect prep run for a Thousand Guineas. I couldn't be happier with her going into Saturday."
Filly Takes on Elders in King Charles III Stakes
Bjorn Baker isn't afraid to take the unconventional route and will race 3-year-old filly Within The Law against some of Australia's top weight-for-age stars in the 1,600-meter (about 1-mile) King Charles III Stakes (G1) at Randwick Racecourse. Within The Law has never faced older opposition, but that will change when she lines up against the likes of Mr. Brightside, Fangirl, Pride Of Jenni, and last year's winner Ceolwulf.
"It's something that hasn't been tried, in recent times anyway, a 3-year-old filly up against the older horses," Baker said. "It works out with timing. She was a good second in the Flight Stakes which was a relatively slowly run race. It looks to be a truly run race on Saturday. Then we have the option whether we go down to Melbourne two weeks later or we back her up in the Spring Champion (Stakes). She is in great order and she's very genuine. It's a tough ask but you've got to be in it to win it."
Rachel King will take the ride on Within The Law, while Josh Parr partners stablemate Pericles, who has impressed this campaign with a Tramway Stakes (G2) win and a solid third in the Epsom Handicap (G1).
"I was lucky enough to get a readymade horse off Godolphin and he's been very straightforward," Baker said. "He was very good in the Tramway when he won first-up and he was excellent in the Epsom Handicap when he'd had four weeks between runs. The two weeks now into the King Charles, he is perfectly set up."
Ciaron Maher is optimistic crowd favorite Pride Of Jenni can secure back-to-back wins for the first time in almost two years when she returns to Sydney for the first time in 12 months to contest the King Charles. Pride Of Jenni resumed with a win in the Feehan Stakes (G2) at Moonee Valley Sept. 26, convincing Maher she had bounced back from a forgettable trip to Queensland earlier in the year.
"I was a bit dubious first-up because she was a bit heavier than she'd ever been, but she ran just as good and she seems to be in that similar sort of spot," Maher said. "Things have to go right (with her) and Queensland wasn't as smooth as what I would have liked. There's no in-between, you're either fighting out the finish or you are out the back. That's how those style of horses are, there's no in-between. But I do think she's in a good order. She's in a good spot."
