The Australian Cup is the Autumn Carnival target for Beaten Up who lines up in the Group 1 $400,000 Sportingbet C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Beaten Up’s main target for the Autumn Carnival is the G1 Australian Cup at Flemington. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Even though trainer Chris Waller is expecting an improved performance from the English import on the weekend, he expects Beaten Up to be peaking in condition in a month’s time for the Group 1 $1m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington.
“He will run a nice fifth or sixth. Go to the St George, two weeks 1800m same track and he would have had the benefit of the run on Saturday,” Waller said.
“Two weeks after that the Australian Cup.”
Waller was able to win the 2013 Group 1 $500,000 Kirks Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben with Beaten Up but the seven year old was forced to the sidelines because of a tendon injury after running second to stablemate Hawkspur in the Group 2 $175,000 Tattersall’s Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick during the 2013 Sydney Spring Carnival.
Waller was pleased with his first up run when he made up some ground from the back when eighth to Weary in the Group 2 $200,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on January 31 and expects him to settle back in the field again from a wide barrier.
Beaten Up drew the outside of the fifteen horse field and jockey Glen Boss will have no choice but to settle in the second half of the pack.
“From his draw at fifteen where is he going to end up? He has to go back. He is tricky horse and you have to get him to settle,” Waller said.
Waller will step Beaten Up up in distance again after the C.F. Orr Stakes and head back to Caulfield for the Group 2 $200,000 Peter Young Stakes (formerly the St George Stakes) over 1800m on February 28 before lining up in the Australian Cup a fortnight later.
The premiership winning trainer will also saddle up Bagman in the C.F. Orr Stakes and expects the eight year old to be running on at the finish after being beaten two and a quarter lengths when seventh first up in the Expressway Stakes.
“He is a great old horse. His first up run in the Expressway was terrific, attacked the line nicely,” Waller said.
“You couldn’t fault his form last prep, he is going terrific.”
Beaten Up has been unwanted in the early betting for the C.F. Orr Stakes and has drifted from $19 to $34 with Ladbrokes.com.au while his stablemate Bagman has come in for some support firming from an opening quote of $51 to be currently a $21 chance.
The Peter Moody trained Dissident dominates the betting at $3.20 ahead of the three year olds Petrology at $6.50 and Java at $8.
Next in the market order is Entirely Platinum at $11, Spillway at $12, Mouro and Happy Trails at $14 and Mourinho and Real Love at $15.
Beaten Up is currently marked at $26 for the Australian Cup.
