Japanese Melbourne Cup Contenders Arrive In Australia

Japanese 2015 Melbourne Cup contenders Fame Game and Hokko Brave arrived in Australia on Saturday night and have both settled into their new environment at the Werribee Quarantine Centre without any issues.

Zac Purton (pictured winning the Caulfield Cup on Admire Rakti) has been booked to ride Fame Game in the 2015 Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Zac Purton (pictured winning the Caulfield Cup on Admire Rakti) has been booked to ride Fame Game in the 2015 Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Fame Game and Hokko Brave both left Japan on Saturday morning and had a four hour lay-over in Singapore before they arrived in Australia a few hours after the conclusion of racing at Caulfield for Naturalism Stakes Day.

Racing Victoria International Racing scout Leigh Jordon told Racing.com that both stayers have handled the testing flight without any issues and will continue to build towards both the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 and the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3.

“Everyone from both camps seems happy,” Jordon said.

“Both horses seemed to travel well.

“It’s still early days, but with the initial shipment at least, everything seems to have gone well.”

Fame Game is rated the superior of the two Japanese chances in the 2015 Melbourne Cup and he is currently a clear favourite in betting markets for ‘the race that stops a nation’.

The Heart’s Cry entire has been a consistent performer at Group level in Japan since he scored a narrow win in the 2013 edition of the Group 3 Keisei Hai at Nakayama and he scored another Stakes win when he took out the Group 3 Diamond Stakes (3400m) in Tokyo in February last year.

Fame Game performed well without winning in both the Group 1 The Tenno Sho (3200m) and the Group 1 Takarazuka Kinen (2200m) last year before he returned to winning form in the Group 2 Copa Republica Argentina (2500m).

He was able to defend his title in The Diamond Stakes before he stamped himself as a genuine Melbourne Cup contender with a fast-finishing second place finish behind Gold Ship in the Group 1 The Tenno Sho (3200m) in Kyoto on May 3.

Hokko Brave does not have form on the same level as Fame Game and he has not recorded a race win since he took out the 2013 edition of the October Stakes (2400m) in Tokyo, but he finished a close third in the Group 2 Nikkei Sho (2500m) at Nakayama on March 28 and he was far from disgraced when sixth in the Tenno Sho.

Fame Game is currently available at 2015 Melbourne Cup odds of $8 with Ladbrokes, while Hokko Brave is on the second line of betting at $15.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.