The lightly weighted Kings Will Dream and Youngstar are the joint favourites at Ladbrokes.com.au for the 2018 Group 1 $5m Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Kings Will Dream, above, is equal favourite for the 2018 Caulfield Cup at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
With the non-acceptance of the nominal favourite Yucatan, the Darren Weir trained Kings Will Dram and Chris Waller’s talented mare Youngstar share favouritism at $5.50 each for the Caulfield Cup when the final field of eighteen plus two emergencies was released this morning.
Yucatan was installed the new favourite for the Caulfield Cup following his stunning win last Saturday in the Group 2 $400,000 Ladbrokes Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield but part owner Nick Williams said this morning that the Aidan O’Brien trained Irish stayer would not back up this weekend and be saved for the Group 1 $7.3m Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 6.
“Yesterday morning Aidan and dad (Lloyd Williams) decided that he was a certain runner, but by the time Aidan had slept on it and had a day to think about it, they thought that it was not going to be the best thing for the horse,” Nick Williams told Sky Racing’s Racing HQ.
“I know he was impressive and won easily, but no matter which way you look at it, he had a very tough run on Saturday.”
“The track was very firm by the then and it takes a bit of a toll on the horses and you need to give then a proper period of time to recover.”
“He is not in the Cox Plate and I think he will go straight to the Melbourne Cup.”
Craig Williams will ride Kings Will Dream who will carry 53kg and the five year old has been racing consistently in his lead to the Caulfield Cup with placings at his last three starts in Group 1 company, his latest a third to Chris Waller’s champion mare Winx in the 500,000 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 6.
Kings Will Dream will be up against another Waller runner in Youngstar who split Winx and him when second in the Turnbull Stakes and only has to carry 51.5kg in the Caulfield Cup.
Kerrin McEvoy has been aboard Youngstar for her last six starts and will be on the High Chaparral mare’s back again in the Caulfield Cup.
The Aidan O’Brien trained Irish stayer The Cliffsofmoher is next in the betting at $7 with Hugh Bowman booked to ride.
The Cliffsofmoher made up ground from the back at his first Australian run when fourth to Benbatl in last Saturday’s Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield.
The top weight Best Solution with Pat Cosgrave to ride is marked as a $15 chance and is the winner of his last three starts, the last two at Group 1 level in Germany in the Group 1 €175,000 Grosser Preiss von Berlin (2414m) at Hoppegarten and in the €250,000 Grosser Preis Von Baden (2414m) at Baden Baden.
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