Darren Weir’s light weight chance Amelie’s Star’s Caulfield Cup odds have drifted despite her jockey Craig Williams giving her a glowing pre-race report.
Amelie’s Star, above, has drifted in the betting for the Caulfield Cup. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Amelie’s Star has drifted in the betting at Ladborkes.com.au from $6.50 early in the week to be marked at $11 this morning before firming into $10 for today’s Group 1 $3.15m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield
The in-form mare has drawn awkwardly at barrier thirteen in the seventeen horse field but Williams had nothing but positives to say about Amelie’s Star who only has to carry the light weight of 51kg.
Weir has gradually stepped Amelie’s Star up in distance during her Spring Carnival campaign and the Testa Rossa mare goes into the Caulfield Cup on the back of a win in the Group 3 $300,000 The Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington on October 7.
“Amelie’s Star form is excellent this whole preparation,” Williams said on the Desk Jockey twitter.
“She hasn’t run one bad race and she has raced a couple of times at Caulfield and she has handled that track really well and raced well which is great because Caulfield is an unusual track.”
“She is coming off a last start win, she is a mare in form. She also ran over 2500m and she comes back 100m so I know I have a fit horse.”
“I have a fit in-form horse and she beat the early favourite, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Almandin last time.”
“Her form is extremely strong coming into this year’s Caulfield Cup and she also has 51kg on her back, an extremely light weight.”
Weir will also saddle up the top weight Humidor who is also well in contention for the Caulfield Cup at $8.50 at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Humidor was an impressive winner two starts back in the Group 1 $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 16 before running third behind Winx and and Caulfield Cup rival Ventura Storm in the Group 1 $500,000 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 7.
Humidor has drawn barrier seven and his regular rider Damian Lane is giving him a great chance of winning the Caulfield Cup.
“The most exciting thing about riding Humidor on Saturday is that I think he has a great chance,” Lane said.
“He has had a great preparation heading into this. His track work since his last run has been really good.”
Weir has added a tongue tie and a bubble cheeker to Humidor’s race day gear in an attempt to rectify his bad trait of laying in under pressure and Lane said that he has worked nicely in the new gear this week.
“He worked in that gear on Monday and I was very happy with him and he certainly didn’t lay in like he did in the Turnbull Stakes,” Lane said.
The Aidan O’Brien trained Irish stayer Johannes Vermeer remains the favourite for the Caulfield Cup at $4.60 ahead the classy Kiwi mare Bonneval at $7.
