English stayer Scottish will not be included in the field for Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington next Tuesday and will be saved for the weight for age Emirates Stakes.
Scottish, above in royal blue colours running second to Jameka in the Caulfield Cup, won’t run in the Melbourne Cup. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Group 1 $2m Emirates Stakes (2000m) is the renamed Mackinnon Stakes and is now run on the final day of the four day Melbourne Cup Carnival on Saturday, November 5.
The Godolphin owned Scottish ran a mighty race at his first start on Australian soil when second to Jameka in the Group 1 $3m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 15 and was listed as an $18 chance for the Melbourne Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au.
But Godolphin’s English trainer Charlie Appleby said from Newmarket this morning that the five year old gelding will drop back in distance to the 2000m of the Emirates Stakes at weight for age.
“Scottish has continued to do well since the Caulfield Cup and we are happy to have him dropping back in distance, from 2,400m to 2,000m for the Emirates,” Appleby said.
Scottish has won over the 2000m on three occasions in England and was also a winner two starts back over 1800m in the Group 3 £85,000 Strensall Stakes at York in England on August 20.
Scottish was eleventh in the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup and his withdrawal allowed stablemate Qewy to move up to number twenty-four in the order of entry.
Qewy passed the qualifying conditions for the Melbourne Cup when he led all of the way to win the Group 3 $300,000 Geelong Cup (2400m) at Geelong on October 19.
Appleby is also sweating on a start in the Melbourne Cup for Geelong Cup third placegetter Oceanographer who moves into twenty-eighth spot in the order of entry.
The royal blue colours of Godolphin will also be carried by the John O’Shea trained Hartnell and Tally in the Melbourne Cup.
Hartnell sits at the top of the Melbourne Cup market order at $4.60 with Ladbrokes.com.au following three wins on the trot before finishing second, beaten eight lengths, to Winx in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley last Saturday.
Tally is marked as one of the outsiders at $61 and is coming off a last start twelfth in the Caulfield Cup but gets one more chance to impress for the Melbourne Cup when he runs in the Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Early Melbourne Cup market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $4.60 Hartnell, $6.50 Jameka, $10 Bondi Beach, $11 Heartbreak City $13 Almandin, $15 Big Orange, Wicklow Brave, $17 Exospheric, $19 Almoonqith, $21 Curren Mirotic, Oceanographer, $26 Grand Marshall, Who Shot Thebarman, Qewy, Secret Number, $31 Grey Lion, Our Ivanhowe, Real Love, Beautiful Romance, $41 Gallante, $51 Assign, Excess Knowledge, $61 Tally, Howard Be Thy Name, De Little Engine, Sir John Hawkwood, $81 Tom Melbourne, Pentathlon, $101 Vengeur Masque, $301 Rose Of Virginia, The Bandit.
