A year long plan for the Lloyd Williams owned Fawkner has the six year old primed to run a mighty race in the Group 1 $2.65m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Fawkner should get a good run in the Caulfield Cup from his midfield barrier. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Nick Williams, part owner and stable representative at the Caulfield Cup barrier drew, wasn’t too concerned about drawing barrier twelve in the original barrier draw, but will jump from ten if all the emergencies failed to gain a start.
“With a little bit of luck it might come into ten or certainly come into eleven and from that gate Nick Hall will be able to give the horse every chance,” Nick Williams said.
Fawkner is stepping up to the 2400m for the first time and Williams is quietly confident the extra distance won’t be an issue after finishing third behind Happy Trails and Puissance De Lune in the Group 1 $500,000 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 5.
“It is new ground. We’ve been training him for it and that’s been his target since November last year so we have always planned for this to be his grand final I’m sure he will run well,” Williams said.
“I thought he was outstanding in the Turnbull, he showed that the 2000m wasn’t any problem and we are very lucky, we have an in-form jockey in Nick Hall and he will give the horse a great ride.”
“This horse has been specifically targeted for this race, we expect him to perform well.”
Jockey Craig Williams is confident that English raider Dandino is going good enough to be able to overcome the horror barrier after drawing nineteen out of twenty-two in the original draw.
Dandino will jump from fifteen if the all the emergencies aren’t required and Williams knows what it takes to win the Caulfield Cup a wide barrier after Dunaden steamed home to score last year after jumping from the outside gate.
“Of course we would like to have a more favourable draw, but we haven’t got. It is not a hidden extra now as we know what we have to deal with,” Craig Williams told Racing Network.
“If we had a horse that wasn’t going well and it drew one to five you would be worried, but we have a horse that is in really good order.
“We will just need a little luck going into the first turn from that draw. I would say if you haven’t got cover by the 2000 or 1800 metre mark then it is pretty detrimental to the rest of the race.”
Paul Francis, travelling representative for Newmarket trainer Marco Botti, is very happy with the way Dandino has settled into his new surroundings at the Werribee International Horse Centre, reporting that the seven year old is in top order.
“From day one he has settled in well, like he’s been here all his life, which is a good sign,” Francis said.
Fawkner is well in contention in the Caulfield Cup market order at $11 while Dandino has eased slightly to $8.50.
The Chris Waller pair of Hawkspur ($4.60) and Royal Descent ($6.50) hold down the top two spots just in front of top Kiwi mare Silent Achiever at $7.
