Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir has ordered a significant gear change for Humidor in an attempt to keep the top weight running straight in the Group 1 $3.15m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Humidor, above in green colours, will wear a tongue tie in the Caulfield Cup. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Humidor has a bad trait of hanging in when under pressure and the bad habit resurfaced over the concluding stages last start when third behind Winx and Ventura Storm in the Group 1 $500,000 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 7.
The $8.50 third favourite will have the tongue tie back on in addition to a bubble cheeker being added to his near side for the first time.
Weir said that he was happy with Humidor’s effort in the Turnbull Stakes except for the fact that he laid in the run to the line.
“I was still happy with the (Turnbull) run,” Weir told RSN’s Racing Pulse.
“I thought his last 600m was good, he ran through the line well.
“The only disappointing part from our point-of-view is that he wanted to lay in.
“We tried a few things, and we came up with the tongue tie and the bubble cheeker.”
“There is nothing wrong with the horse, he is perfectly sound.”
Humidor is yet to win at Caulfield from five attempts but Weir doesn’t see this as a problem and expects him to get every chance stepping up to the 2400m of the Caulfield Cup.
“The races that he has run in (at Caulfield) haven’t been suitable and the step up to the mile and a half it will be a completely different race but if the race was at Flemington you would say he would have a better chance looking at his record,” Weir said.
“But I am not worried about Caulfield at all.”
Humidor has drawn nicely at barrier seven and Weir will be instructing Damian Lane to try and find a spot in the first half of the field in the run to the first turn out of the straight.
“We have finally drawn a barrier that he could be ridden in the first half instead of the back half so that will be the instructions to be in the first half,” Weir said.
“I am happy with the order of the horse and happy with the gear that we have on him.”
Weir will also saddle up $7.50 second favourite Amelie’s Star who is coming off a last start win in the Group 3 $300,000 The Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington on October 7.
Craig Williams has the tough job of finding a nice midfield spot for Amelie’s Star who will jump from barrier thirteen in the seventeen horse field.
“The barrier is the problem for sure,” Weir said.
“The barrier is very tricky for us Saturday. I am not keen to go back. It is the grand final.”
“I don’t want to be charging forward either.”
“I think my horses are in great shape. I think we have two really nice horses in really good shape in the right form going towards the race.”
The Aidan O’Brien trained Irish stayer Johannes Vermeer with Ben Melham to ride drew barrier two and is currently the $4.40 favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Caulfield Cup following his eye catching second to Gailo Chop in the Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield last Saturday.
