The 2015 Melbourne Cup is now an option for promising stayer Big Orange after he scored an upset victory in the 2015 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket last week.
Big Orange has English form around The BMW winner Hartnell. Photo by: Steve Hart
Big Orange went into the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes as an outsider after missing the placings in both the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes (2696m) at Chester on May 8 and the Listed Grand Cup (2816m) at York on May 30, but the produced easily the best performance of his career to date to claim the Group 2 event.
Trainer Michael Bell is yet to make any decisions about the future plans for Big Orange, but he said that he would love to have the chance to take the Duke Of Marmalade gelding to Australia for the 2015 Melbourne Cup.
“Racing is a tough game and there are more disappointments than surprises so it is nice to get a nice surprise in a big race on a big race day,” Bell told the media after the race.
“I think the cheekpieces have helped dropping back in trip and it’s a brilliant result for the owner who lives locally and loves to have a winner here.
“He’s in the Goodwood Cup, but we would have to carry a penalty so I doubt we’ll go that route now.
“We’ll have to think about what to do next but I would like to go to Australia with him one day, that’s the dream anyway.
“I would love to go for the Cup but it will be down to his owner and it was discussed last year but never happened.
“I think he would be perfect for the race – he doesn’t mind what the ground is and is tough as well.”
Big Orange made his racing debut at Goodwood on October 13 of 2013 and he broke through for his maiden race win at Lingfield in April last year before he finished a credible fourth behind subsequent The BMW winner Hartnell in the Listed Queen’s Vase (3219m) at Royal Ascot.
He claimed his first black-type victory with a win in the Chester Stakes on August 30 and he claimed the Listed Noel Murless Stakes (2816m) at Ascot on October 3 before he was sent for a break after a fifth place finish in the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup (3219m) at Ascot on October 18.
Runner-up Second Step is another stayer that was considered a potential Melbourne Cup runner, but Luca Cumani revealed after the race that a trip to Germany was a more likely option for the four-year-old.
