Mongolian Khan is into 2015 Caulfield Cup odds of $4.80 and he is now a clear favourite for the Group 1 event that will be held at Caulfield on Saturday after he produced a fast-finishing performance in the 2015 Caulfield Stakes.
Mongolian Khan savaged the line to finish third behind Criterion and Happy Trails in the 2015 Caulfield Stakes on Saturday. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos
Mongolian Khan went into the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) as one of the outsiders of the field and he was settled in the middle of the field by jockey Opie Bosson in the early stages of the race.
The Holy Roman Emperor entire was left slightly flat-footed when the Caulfield Stakes field started to sprint at the 600 metre mark and he was shuffled through the field, but he found the line strongly in the straight to outsprint former Cox Plate favourite Kermadec and finish a very close third behind Criterion and Happy Trails.
Bosson has ridden Mongolian Khan in the majority of his race starts and he told the media after the race that he was thrilled with the Caulfield Stakes run of the four-year-old ahead of the Caulfield Cup next weekend.
“It was a top run,” Bosson said.
“He got a little bit held up approaching the turn but once he got around he hit the line strong.”
Mongolian Khan is now a clear favourite to deliver trainer Murray Baker a maiden win in the Caulfield Cup and he has leapfrogged Japanese stayer Fame Game on the top of the Caulfield Cup betting market with Ladbrokes.
Fame Game has not been seen at the races since he stormed home late to finish second behind Gold Ship in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (3200m) at Kyoto on May 3, but he has impressed onlookers with his trackwork at the Werribee International Equine Centre ahead of the Group 1 event.
Hauraki and Set Square are the only other horses that are available at single figure 2015 Caulfield Cup odds and they are the two local chances that punters fancy ahead of the $3 million race.
Set Square has not recorded a race win since she took out the Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival last year, but she stamped herself as a genuine Caulfield Cup contender when she finished third behind Preferment in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 4.
Hauraki was only narrowly denied by Mongolian Khan in the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) earlier this year and he returned to Caulfield Cup calculations with a very narrow second behind Complacent in the Group 3 Craven Plate (2000m) at Royal Randwick on October 3.
The other big Caulfield Cup market mover on Saturday was Herbert Power Stakes winner Amralah and he was backed into $10 before Macedon Lodge confirmed that he would not take his place in the Caulfield Cup field.
