G1 Melbourne Cup

Hong Kong-based jockey Zac Purton will ride Willie Mullins trainee Absurde (Fr) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November. "The Melbourne Cup is the race that Zac wants the most," Purton's manager Paul 'Popup' Webster told Racenet. "Earlier this year we discussed targeting Willie Mullins. "Whatever he brings over, lets do everything we can to get on it and it's come to fruition. We've picked up the ride on Absurde." A winner of the Ebor H. in August, Absurde and his Mullins stablemate Vauban (Fr)...

Group 3 winner and Classic-placed Desert Hero (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who races for The King and The Queen, will not travel to Australia and contest the G1 Melbourne Cup in November. Instead, he will be given a break and will return as a 4-year-old. Trained by William Haggas, the son of Desert Breeze (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) won the G3 Gordon S. in August and was third to Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster on Sept. 16. John Warren, racing adviser to the...

Scuderia La Tesa's Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), a winner of the G2 Yorkshire Cup S. in May, will not travel for the G1 Melbourne Cup in November, with connections considering the G2 Long Distance Cup at Ascot instead, trainer Marco Botti revealed. "He's in good form and has come out of the race at York in fine shape, but we're not going to Australia," said Botti. "There were a few niggling problems and it's not going to happen this year unfortunately. "Hopefully next year if we still have him and...

Multiple Group 3 winner Lastotchka (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) has been purchased by Australian Bloodstock and is under consideration for the G1 Melbourne Cup in November. The 4-year-old filly most recently won the G3 Prix Gladiateur at ParisLongchamp earlier this month. She was raced by Ecurie Noel Forgeard, Pierre Bonnier, Earl Touchstone, Charles-Henri Bonnier and Philippe Stein prior to her acquisition. The daughter of Muthla (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}) won the G3 Prix Belle de Nuit earlier in her career. "We completed the deal last night," Jamie Lovett of Australian Bloodstock told...

Group-winning stayer Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who ran third in the 2022 G1 St Leger, is under consideration for the G1 Melbourne Cup in November, trainer Marco Botti revealed. A winner of York's G2 Yorkshire Cup S. in May, Francesca Franchini's Scuderia La Tesa flagbearer was fifth in the G1 Goodwood Cup S. in early August, and improved to take third in the G2 Lonsdale Cup S. back at York later that month. Besides the Race That Stops a Nation, the 4-year-old entire holds entries in the Sept. 10 G1...

Former Coolmore partners' runner Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won the 2020 G1 Derby at Epsom, ran out a three-quarter length winner of an Eagle Farm handicap for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott on Saturday and is targeting the G1 Melbourne Cup in November, according to co-trainer Gai Waterhouse. "Serpentine, the 2020 English Derby winner, greeted the judge in determined fashion at Eagle Farm today on his road to the Melbourne Cup," the First Lady of Australian Racing tweeted. Now racing for an ownership group, the chestnut gelding had placed...

LEXINGTON, KY--On a morning like this, you really couldn't be anywhere in the world but the Bluegrass: as night faded into dawn, a ghostly mist was exhaled from every swale, only to be burned off as the surrounding pastureland yawned and stretched gratefully beneath a sky of cut-glass brilliance. For one new arrival in Keeneland, however, a degree of disorientation remained wholly pardonable. Helpfully, James Ferguson had hit a wide-awake phase when coming down to the quarantine barn to supervise the preparations of Mise En Scene (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) for...

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy will ride likely G1 Melbourne Cup favourite Deauville Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the two-mile race at Flemington on Nov. 1, trainer James Ferguson announced. "McEvoy has been confirmed," said Ferguson, who has worked with McEvoy in years' past. "He's won the race three times and knows his way around Flemington. He's a very good friend of mine and we have worked together a lot in the past." The two-time group-winning gelding is due to enter quarantine shortly. Racing in the colours of K K...

Deauville Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a dual group winner in the UK this season, is firmly on course for the G1 Melbourne Cup Down Under in November and enters quarantine "a week on Monday" according to trainer James Ferguson. Second in Royal Ascot's King George V S. in June, the 3-year-old gelding franked that form with a narrow victory in the July 7 G3 Bahrain Trophy S. at Newmarket. Runner-up to the subsequently G1 Cazoo St Leger-placed New London (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in Goodwood's G3 Gordon S. on...

Sunday's G1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger hero Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}) will not travel Down Under for a tilt in the 2021 G1 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Johnny Murtagh, the Kildare Racing Club colourbearer took the Listed Martin Molony S. at Limerick in June and, although sixth in the G3 John Smith's Silver Cup S. at York on July 10, bounced back with a narrow win in the Sky Bet Ebor H. there on Aug. 21. The 4-year-old gelding defeated 2020 Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment (Ire) (Teofilo...

The well-traveled group winner Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) will enter quarantine on Thursday before traveling to Australia. His goals Down Under include the Oct. 16 G1 Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup and the Nov. 2 G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup. The May 2 Yorkshire Cup S. hero, who races for Team Valor LLC and Gary Barber, was last seen running second to Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G2 Lonsdale Cup S. at York on Aug. 20. Trainer Andrew Balding is pleased with the 5-year-old entire and hopeful of...

After winning his first domestic group contest with Eve Lodge (GB) (Ardad {Ire}) in the G3 Sirenia S., trainer Charlie Fellowes has called time on his likable globetrotter Prince of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), who finished last of five in the G3 September S. at Kempton on Saturday. The Saeed bel Obaida silksbearer is best known for placing in three editions of the G1 Melbourne Cup--second in 2019 and third in both 2018 and 2020. "It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to retire Prince of Arran,"...