Whip Warning; Cup Gear Changes; Jet Away Injured; Precedence Preference; Perth Plans; Dubai Calling; Mr Moet; Crowded House.
• THE European jockeys set to ride in the Melbourne Cup will be warned by stewards before the race about excessive whip use.
Top UK rider Jamie Spencer found out about Australian whip rules on Saturday when he was fined $750 for excessive use of the whip on Mackinnon Stakes winner Side Glance.
The visiting jockeys will be given a copy of the local rules to ensure there are no misunderstandings, but put yourself in their position if your mount is n front with 200m to go in a $6 million race.
Would you risk a fine or suspension?
• THE most important gear changes going into the Melbourne Cup apply to last year's winner Green Moon and his stablemate Mourayan.
The Lloyd Williams-owned Green Moon will defend his Melbourne Cup crown with the addition of blinkers, a move the Robert Hickmott stable hope will help the stayer switch on for his grand final on Tuesday.
The shades are being removed from the free running Mourayan after his ordinary effort in Saturday's LKS Mackinnon Stakes and signals that he will put some genuine pace into the race in the first half if no other horse wants to take up the lead.
• HIGH profile import Jet Away suffered a fetlock injury in Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes when he failed to qualify for A Cup start.
His trainer David Hayes reported today that Jet Away will be spelled, ending plans to pursue a trip to Hong Kong for the international meeting next month.
Gai Waterhouse is one trainer with her eyes on Hong Kong. She hopes Julienas can secure an invite to the Hong Kong Cup but the class of the overseas entries is very strong.
• JAMES Cummings seems to have inherited the renowned philosophy of his grandfather and training partner, the Cups King Bart.
When reflecting on the disappointment of seeing Precedence miss out by one qualifying spot on a start in the Melbourne Cup, young James put an interesting slant on the $300,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, his consolation race at Flemington on Saturday.
He opined that winning the Queen Elizabeth may carry prestige but the first prizemoney of $180,000 would still fall short of running in the first four in the Melbourne Cup.
It left no doubt that the latter would still be their preferred option.
• PERTH's Super Saturday at Ascot on November 23 is building into a big event with several spring carnival stars set to head west for the $1 million Winterbottom Stakes.
They include Fontelina and Spirit Of Boom, the pair that filled the quinella in the Yellowglen Stakes on Saturday, and the Jason Warren-trained Bel Sprinter.
Fontelina could back up against Bel Sprinter on Saturday in the G1 VRC Sprint Classic before they heads to Perth.
• PETER Snowden is set to run Epaulette and Sessions in Saturday's G1 Sprint Classic at Flemington.
The pair are not on the short list to join the Godolphin stable in Dubai later in the season but he will again be losing some big guns including Caulfield Guineas winner Long John.
Others on the short list for Dubai are Academus, Complicate, Bello and Paximadia, taking a good slice of his top class talent from his team.However Snowden will be relieved that the impressive Complacent is, for now, not on the list as he is certain to be a star of his age group again in the autumn classics.
• THE waning New Zealand presence at the Melbourne Cup is set to get a late boost from G1 winners Nashville and Ransomed.
Nashville lands this week for Saturday's G1 Emirates Stakes while Ransomed, who beat Nashville narrowly in the G1 Spring Classic at Hastings in September, runs at Ellerslie on Tuesday as his lead-up to a start in the G2 Zipping Classic at Caulfield on November 16.
• PERTH star Mr Moet will head home and stay in work for the G1 Railway Stakes at the Ascot carnival after his luckless Melbourne campaign that ended with a fifth in the Mackinnon Stakes on Saturday.
• A new venue will be found for the Melbourne Cup barrier draw after the new owners and trainers room at Flemington on Saturday proved inadequate.
The venue was too small and the size of the crowd and media throng made the whole process of the draw uncomfortable for the connections of the horses.
The barrier draw had previously been held in the VRC committee room for years. VRC chairman Michael Burn suggested the mounting yard could be used for the draw next year.
