English import Bow Creek has drawn the outside barrier of the eleven horse field in the Group 1 $1.5m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Bow Creek has drawn the outside barrier in the Australian Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Bow Creek put up a phenomenal performance last start and after walking out of the barriers went on to score a soft win the Group 2 $200,000 Crown Golden Ale Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on February 27.
Winning rider Damien Oliver was able to weave his magic in the straight to slice through the field and he will have to be on his A grade game again this week to secure the same result on the John O’Shea trained five year old.
Oliver rarely rides for the O’Shea stable but made every post a winner when he picked up the ride on Bow Creek in the Peter Young Stakes.
“It sort of came from nowhere,” Oliver told the Herald Sun.
“I’m not sure quite how the circumstances came about, maybe when Ben (Melham) chose to ride Our Ivanhowe instead that’s when the option came up, but I was rapt to pick up the ride.”
Ben Melham will again be aboard the Lee and Anthony Freedman trained Our Ivanhowe who finished two and a half lengths fifth behind Bow Creek at Caulfield after being badly held up for a run in the straight.
Our Ivanhowe has drawn the inside gate and Melham will be hoping for a lot more luck in the run this week.
Blake Shinn takes over from Mark Zahra on Fenway who should be able to get the run of the race from barrier four.
The Lee and Shannon Hope trained Fenway has had two runs back from a spell and is coming off a last start second to Bow Creek in the Peter Young Stakes.
Group 1 winning mare Suavito has drawn nicely at barrier five with Luke Currie retaining the ride.
Currie and Suavito combined for a first up win in the Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 13 followed by a third to Turn Me Loose in the Group 1 $500,000 italktravel Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 27.
The Chris Waller trained Preferment has drawn barrier ten with Hugh Bowman to ride.
Australian Cup final field: 1 Happy Trails (8), 2 Preferment (10), 3 Extra Zero (3), 4 Mourinho (2), 5 Our Ivanhowe (1), 6 Bow Creek (11), 7 Almoonqith (7), 8 Awesome Rock (9), 9 Rising Romance (6), 10 Suavito (5), 11 Fenway (4).
