Dear Demi may not have won the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington this afternoon but the classy mare could not have produced a better trial for the 2013 Melbourne Cup; making up significant ground on the inside of the track in the final stages of the race.
Dear Demi has been well backed in 2013 Melbourne Cup betting markets after her strong performance in the Mackinnon Stakes. Photo by: Daniel Costello
The performance was enough to see the Dehere mare shorten significantly in 2013 Melbourne Cup betting markets and she is now into odds of $14 after being available at a price of $21 before her impressive performance.
Dear Demi will go into the 2013 Melbourne Cup with plenty of miles in her legs and trainer Clarry Connors has clearly subscribed to the famous theory of Bart Cummings that suggests stayers need 10 kilometers worth of race starts in their legs heading into ‘the race that stops a nation.’
The 2012 Crown Oaks winner have five starts during the 2013 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, with a second place finish behind Royal Descent in the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) her best performance, before heading to Queensland for the 2013 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
She won the Group 3 The Roses (2000m) but could not find her best form when finishing sixth in the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) at Doomben and seventh in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm.
Dear Demi had only a short stay in the paddock and returned to the races with a promising seventh behind Commanding Jewel in the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) before producing one of the best runs of her career when she finished third behind equine superstars It’s A Dundeel and Atlantic Jewel in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m).
The four-year-old followed that impressive performance up with an unlucky eight in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) and flew home late to finish third in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) a fortnight later.
Mackinnon Stakes favourite Jet Away needed to win the race to earn a start in the 2013 Melbourne Cup but was not a factor in the finish, while Mourayan finished seventh and remains an outsider in betting markets at odds of $71.
Connections of Ruscello have decided to run the four-year-old in the 2013 Melbourne Cup, which means that Bart Cummings-trained Precedence will miss out on a start in the Melbourne.
