Geelong Cup winner Qewy has earned a 0.5kg penalty for the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 1.
Qewy, above in the royal blue colours winning the Geelong Cup, has earned a 0.5kg penalty for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Kerrin McEvoy rode Qewy to an all the way win in the Group 3 $300,000 Geelong Cup (2400m) at Geelong for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby and the Street Cry seven year old now has a great chance of making the final twenty-horse horse field of the Melbourne Cup.
The Geelong Cup win over Grey Lion and stablemate Oceanographer also enabled Qewy to pass the first qualifying clause in the conditions of entry with a win in a Group race over 2300 metres or further.
Qewy has now been re-handicapped to 50.5kg and is officially number thirty-one in the Melbourne Cup order of entry but will be able to creep up the ladder with the announcement today that the Chris Waller trained pair of Preferment and Sacred Master, both above the English stayer in the order of entry, won’t be contesting the Melbourne Cup.
“Qewy was a narrow winner of the Geelong Cup over fellow import Grey Lion in what was a truly run race,” Racing Victoria (RV) Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter said.
“Qewy carried 1kg less than Grey Lion at Geelong, and is now handicapped to carry 0.5kg less than that horse in the Emirates Melbourne Cup.”
Melbourne Cup winners Dunaden (2011) and Amercain (2010) both received a 0.5kg penalty for winning the Geelong Cup before going on to win Australia’s most famous race while the Dermot Weld trained Media Puzzle was hit with a 1.5kg penalty for his Geelong Cup win before winning the 2002 Melbourne Cup.
Qewy had established himself as a strong stayer back in England, mixing his racing over the jumps and on the flat, and before his Geelong Cup victory he last visited the winner’s stall when victorious in a 3319m Hurdle at Newbury in February 2015.
Travelling stable representative James Ferguson said he now hoped that the Godolphin owned seven year old would make his way into the final twenty-four horse field for the Melbourne Cup.
“I hope so now. That is the plan and we will see what happens,” James Ferguson said.
“At the moment if he goes up enough (in order of entry) and he gets in I am pretty sure he will run.”
Qewy is currently marked as a $21 chance for the Melbourne Cup with Ladbrokes.com.au along with stablemate Oceanographer.
Hartnell also races under the Godolphin royal blue colours from the John O’Shea stable and heads the market order at $5 just ahead of Caulfield Cup winner Jameka at $6.50.
Early Melbourne Cup market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $5 Hartnell, $6.50 Jameka, $10 Bondi Beach, Almandin, $11 Heartbreak City, $15 Big Orange, Exospheric, $17 Wicklow Brave, $19 Almoonqith, $21 Curren Mirotic, Gallante, Oceanographer, Qewy, $26 Beautiful Romance, Grey Lion, $31 Scottish, Our Ivanhowe, Real Love, $41 Excess Knowledge, Second Wave, Who Shot Thebarman, $51 or more the rest.
Second declarations for the 2016 Melbourne Cup will be taken at 10am (AEDT) on Monday, 24 October 2016.
