Trainer Darren Weir’s high quality Group 1 winners Humidor and Tosen Stardom will head the stable’s attack on the Group 1 $1.5m Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington during the 2018 Melbourne Autumn Carnival.
Tosen Stardom, above, will be aimed towards the 2018 Australian Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Humidor was the winner of last year’s Australian Cup while Japanese import Tosen Stardom was a winner over the same course and distance when he stormed home to win the Group 1 $2m Emirates Stakes on the last day of the four day 2017 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Tosen Stardom was then spelled and Weir is aiming to kick off his Autumn campaign in the Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 10.
“He’s in as good an order as he’s ever been,” Weir told The Daily Telegraph.
Humidor also claimed a Group 1 trophy early in the 2017 Spring Carnival with a win in the $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington and pushed Chris Waller’s super mare Winx to the limit when second in the Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 28.
Weir gave Humidor one more Spring Carnival run but the Teofilo five year old had come to the end of his preparation with a nineteenth to Rekindling in the Group 1 $6.25m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
The premiership winning trainer said that Humidor definitely needed a good break but is back in work now with the Australian Cup on his agenda.
“He’s back in work,” Weir said.
“I’m happy with him but he went out a bit tired and spent more time in the paddock to get over it.”
“He’ll probably have a run in Melbourne in February and maybe I can get him to the Australian Cup, but we’ll see.”
Providing both Humidor and Tosen Stardom get through their Melourne Autumn Carnival assignments unscathed, Weir will then target the rich Sydney Autumn Carnival with the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 14, the second day of The Championships, the logical objective.
Early betting for the 2018 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.40 Winx, $11 Humidor, $17 Johannes Vermeer, $21 Tosen Stardom, $26 Gailo Chop, Happy Clapper, Hartnell, Royal Symphony, $34 Aloisia, It’s Somewhat, Tom Melbourne, $41 Sense Of Occasion, Villermont, $51 Ace High, Cliff’s Edge, Egg Tart, Pinot.