Connections of imported stayer Illo have paid a late entry fee to be included in the Group 1 $2m Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 21.
The $5,500 fee was paid today for the Bart Cummings trained six year old who returned to form with a second to Lucas Cranach in the Group 2 $200,000 Carlton Draught Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield last week.
Cummings took over the training of the German bred stayer before last year’s Spring carnival and prepared him for a first up third to Americain in the Group 2 $250,000 Drake International Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley before the six year old finished near the tail of the field in Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
Illo resumed in the Autumn with an eye catching fourth to Black Caviar in the Group 1 $400,000 Sportingbet C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 11 then hit the line hard in the Peter Young at his second run back.
Illo was a winner of five races in Europe including one at Group 3 before travelling to Australia and has never won at a distance under 2000m and is currently on the fourth line of betting at $8 for the Group 1 $1m Dubai Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 10.
Melbourne Cup winner Americain heads the markets in the Australian Cup at $3.40 just ahead of Lucas Cranach at $3.60.
While Lucas Cranach is honing in on Americain for favouritism for the Australian Cup, jockey Nash Rawiller is one of many who thinks he can topple him after his performance in the Peter Young.
“We’re all sort of in awe of Americain here in Australia on what he’s been able to achieve,” Rawiller said.
“What Lucas Cranach showed me on Saturday – I don’t think it’d be any walk in the park for Americain to take him on at a mile and a quarter the way he went the other day.”
