Even though Preferment has won a Victoria Derby over 2500m and raced in a Melbourne Cup, his regular rider Hugh Bowman has some distance doubts when he lines up in the Group 1 $1.5m The BMW over 2400m at Rosehill on Saturday.
Perferment has been installed the early favourite for The BMW at Rosehill. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Preferment is coming off a protest win in the Group 1 $1.5m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 12 and Bowman believes that 2000m is his preferable distance.
“Even though we thought he was a genuine Melbourne Cup horse, I think that we’ve all come to the conclusion that his premium distance might be 2000 metres,” Bowman told RSN’s Racing Ahead.
Despite this, Bowman is still giving the Chris Waller trained multiple Group 1 winner a great chance of winning The BMW following his Australian Cup win.
“The 2400m at Rosehill is hard to ignore, he looks really well-placed there and although his best form is at Flemington I think the race, off the nominations, looks to set up very well for him,” Bowman said.
“I don’t think he has to improve off his Australian Cup win to win the BMW, the only query will be is he going to be as strong at that distance.”
All three of Preferment’s Group 1 wins have been at Flemington, his first as a three year old in the 2014 $1.5m AAMI Victoria Derby over 2500m.
Eleven months later the Zabeel stallion scored a narrow win over stablemate Royal Descent in the Group 1 $500,000 Yellowglen Turnbull Stakes over 2000m with the Australian Cup his latest Group 1 win.
Waller tested Preferment over the 3200m in the 2015 Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington but he was never in the contest and finished twentieth of the twenty four runners behind $101 shot Prince Of Penzance.
Preferment sits at the top of The BMW market order at $3.50 and is one of twelve stayers nominated and is likely to be joined by stablemates Who Shot Thebarman, Grand Marshall and English import Storm The Stars.
Early BMW market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.50 Preferment, $4 Our Ivanhowe, $7 Mongolian Khan, $8 Rising Romance, Who Shot Thebarman, $10 Grand Marshall, Montaigne, $12 Almoonqith, $18 Magic Hurricane, Storm The Stars, $26 Sir John Hawkwood, Arab Dawn.
