A fast pace in Saturday‘s Caulfield Cup is what Mr Quickie needs if he is turn around his disappointing run in the Group 1 $500,000 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington a fortnight ago.
Mr Quickie, above, will appreciate a fast pace in the 2019 Caulfied Cup at Caulfield. Photo by Steve Hart.
Johnny Allen settled Mr Quickie at the tail of the field in a slowly run Turnbull Stakes and the Phillip Stokes trained stayer was left flatfooted when the field sprinted home the final 600m in 34.2 seconds.
The 2400m of the Group 1 $5.15m Stella Artois Caulfield Cup is more to Mr Quickie’s liking and there is certain to be plenty of pressure on up front.
Stokes is prepared to forgive and forget Mr Quickie’s dismal performance in the Turnbull Stakes and expects a more competitive effort this week.
“I’m still prepared to forget his second-up run (in the Turnbull Stakes) and I think he is back to his A-game so if he brings that I’m sure he will be competitive,” Stokes told RSN927’s Racing Pulse.
“There was a lot of little things (that didn’t go his way), maybe the way the track was playing, I still thought he was entitled to finish a couple lengths closer even with the bias on the day.
“He didn’t parade that great I thought he sweated up and carried on a bit.”
Mr Quickie showed his staying ability with a win in the Group 1 $600,000 Channel 7 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm during the 2019 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival and Stokes said he is going into the Caulfield Cup in the same shape.
“We worked him here on Tuesday and I thought his work was as good as I’ve seen, probably as good as it was when he went up to the Queensland Derby,” Stokes said.
“He is carrying on like he should be going into a Newmarket not a Caulfield Cup and that is probably when he runs at this best.”
Johnny Allen will ride Mr Quickie again at the light weight of 53kg and will be looking for a nice trail form barrier eight in the capacity eighteen horse Caulfield Cup field.
Mr Quickie is well in contention in Caulfield Cup betting at Ladbrokes.com.au and is challenging for the top spot at $8, just behind the joint $7.50 favourites Finche and Constantinople.
Betting for the 2019 Caulfield Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au: $7.50 Finche, Constantinople, $8 Mr Quickie, Mer De Glace, $8.50 Vow And Declare, $15 Mustajeer, The Chosen One, $18 Mirage Dancer, $20 Wolfe, $21 Hartnell, Prince Of Arran, Rostropovich, $26 Gold Mount, $31 Brimham Rocks, $41 Qafila, $51 Red Verdon, Big Duke, True Self, $61 Angel Of Truth, $81 Neufbosc, $101 Sound.
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