A third attempt at the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington next Spring is on the cards for Red Cadeaux after the English stayer scored his maiden Group 1 win at Sha Tin on Longines Hong Kong International Race Day last Sunday.
After winning the Hong Kong Vase Red Cadeaux could have line up for a third Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Daniel Costello
At the end of a long international campaign, the Ed Dunlop trained Red Cadeaux scored his initial Group 1 victory in the HK$15m Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and the top Newmarket conditioner is looking at a repeat campaign next year, possibly starting at the Dubai World Cup Carnival in March.
Dunlop will monitor how Red Cadeaux copes with the harsh British winter before confirming a trip to Dubai with the Group 1 US$5m Dubai Sheema Classic (2410m) on turf at Meydan, Dubai on March 30 the race he has picked out for his tough stayer.
“I’m a little concerned having been in the southern hemisphere for so long and he comes back to this weather we have here, which is going to get worse everyone tells us,” Dunlop said.
“It will be a bit of a culture shock for him when he returns to us on Thursday.
“We will see how he copes with it. We’ve got a stable with heat lamps, which we will use, and see.
“He will be entered in the Sheema Classic and possibly the staying race, but the Sheema Classic now looks the more likely.
“If he is OK we will consider it. If we’re not happy we will wait and start with a European campaign and then do it all again.”
Red Cadeaux came through a tough program and after arriving from England ran a solid race to finish a creditable eighth to Green Moon in the Melbourne Cup at his second attempt after going down by a whisker to Dunaden the year before.
Dunlop then packed up Red Cadeaux and travelled to Japan where the six year old was the best of the European horses when eighth to Gentildonna in the Group 1 US$6.5m Japan Cup (2400m) at Tokyo on November 25.
Dunlop then instructed Gerald Mosse to have the back marker closer to the speed in Hong Kong and the change of tactics paid dividends with the gelding getting a perfect run in the first half of the field and finishing strong under hard riding from the top French jockey.
“We learnt from the slow pace in the Melbourne Cup that we had to sit closer and thought there might not be much pace. Gerald has given him a great ride,” Dunlop said.
Dunlop has never been frightened to travel his horses and if Red Cadeaux follows the same program next year as he did this year will also be lining up for his third Hong Kong Vase after finishing third to Dunaden last year.
Dunlop feels that Red Cadeaux has one more season left in him and is happy to test the six year old at the international level with one more campaign.
“We discussed before he ran on Sunday that next year would be his last year,” Dunlop said.
“It probably will, but it’s quite hard to be saying that when at the age of six his last start of the year, he wins a Group One for the first time.
“The horse keeps improving, he enjoys his racing and keeps being competitive. He has to run in all the big races now.”
In a very early market for the 2013 Melbourne Cup, Red Cadeaux has been posted a $26 chance with the Darren Weir trained Puissance De Lune the early favourite at $7.50.
