Veteran stayer Red Cadeaux has started preparations ahead of his trip to Australia for a fourth straight tilt at the 2014 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 4.
Red Cadeaux finished a brave second behind Fiorente in the 2013 edition of the Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Red Cadeaux made his Melbourne Cup debut when he was beaten by a pixel by Dunaden in the 2011 edition of the race and returned the following year to run a credible eighth before finishing second behind Fiorente in last year’s race.
The Cadeaux Genereux gelding went on to finish fourth in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin on December 8 last year and after a stint in the spelling paddock returned to racing with a credible sixth in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup (2000m) at Meydan on March 29, but failed to fire in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (3218m) at Kyoto on May 4.
Trainer Ed Dunlop told Racing Victoria that Red Cadeaux had been given a lengthy stint in the spelling paddock after his run in the Tenno Sho and he confirmed that the eight-year-old had now returned to trackwork.
“He has had a long break since Japan, where he had a bad experience; the ground was very firm and he got very jarred up,” Dunlop said.
“He’s back working and he’ll have one prep-run, maybe two before going back to Australia all being well.”
Red Cadeaux has never previously had a lead-up run in Australia for running in the Melbourne Cup and Dunlop said that his star stayer would follow that same pattern during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival.
Dunlop has always said that the Melbourne Cup is one of his favourites races on the global racing calendar, but he admits that he is heading into the 2014 edition of ‘the race that stops a nation’ with a degree of pessimism because he is worried about the weight that Red Cadeaux will be allocated by Racing Victoria Handicappers.
“At his age, I don’t think he should be running in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup,” Dunlop said.
“Ronnie has an infatuation with winning the race, but I’ve been advised that they are struggling to get a top weight, which worries me.
“We don’t want to be carrying top weight.”
Red Cadeaux is currently available at a quote of $61 in the 2014 Melbourne Cup betting market with Ladbrokes Australia.
