Australian Cup candidate Beaten Up is likely to have his next run in the Group 1 $400,000 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Premiership trainer Chris Waller will nominate Beaten Up for both the Group 2 WFA $250,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick and the weight for age C.F. Orr Stakes but is leaning towards the Caulfield event.
“He will be nominated for the Apollo Stakes in Sydney as well but I want to see him in Melbourne because the Australian Cup is the goal,” Waller told AAP.
“He came through his first-up run really well.”
Beaten Up was having his first run back from a lengthy injury enforced break when eighth of eleven behind stablemate Weary in the Group 2 $200,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on January 31.
That was the English imports first run since finishing second to Hawkspur in the Group 2 $175,000 Tattersall’s Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick during the 2013 Sydney Spring Carnival.
Beaten Up was just another of the European gallopers that Waller has turned into a Group 1 winner and at his fourth run for the stable was able to beat the more fancied stablemate Foreteller in the Group 1 $500,000 Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben during the 2013 Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Waller then gave the Beat Hollow gelding a short winter break before finishing fourth in the Group 2 $175,000 Pro-Ride Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm at the beginning of the 2013 Spring Carnival prior to his second in the Chelmsford Stakes.
The C.F. Orr Stakes is starting to attract plenty of quality nominations including the Peter Moody trained Dissident, last Spring’s Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes winner Happy Trails as well as the David Hayes and Tom Dabernig trained three year old Petrology.
Beaten Up will then progress towards the Group 1 $1m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 14 for which he is a $26 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au.
2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist heads the Australian Cup market order at $5 ahead of Happy Trails at $10 and Godolphin’s English import Contributer at $11.