HOOP'S OMINOUS WARNING
Jockey Damien Oliver believes Russian Camelot should be almost at peak fitness for Saturday's Caulfield Stakes.
The Cox Plate favourite is also a hot $1.50 chance with Sportsbet for Saturday's Group 1 and Oliver couldn't be happier with how the horse has progressed this preparation.
He ran an eye-catcher first-up in the Makybe Diva Stakes and then was dominant winning the G1 Underwood Stakes last start.
Oliver said he expected the horse to have come on from that performance.
"I think so," Oliver said when asked if he'd be peaking third-up.
"He is third run up and he's had a good, sound base for him to build off. We have been pleased with the way he has progressed from the first to second-up run and I suggest he's probably going to improve again going into this third run."
The European import has been a revelation in Australia, claiming the G1 South Australian Derby in the autumn.
"He just seems to keep improving every time he goes to the races, which is a good, positive sign for a horse so early in his career," Oliver said.
"He's adapting well to different occasions as well. I think it's important to have that to his racing style as he progresses into stronger races.
"He seems to be answering the challenge every time we put it in front of him.
"He's still a bit untapped, to compete at such a high level only after seven starts is really exciting. We know he has a lot of expectation on him, but … it's not us that's put the hype on the horse, it's probably more from outside than inside.
"Inside we've always had a good opinion of him and it's good to see him doing it at such a high level so early in his career."
Danny O’Brien won’t have any Guineas runners at Caulfield this Saturday but the Flemington trainer can further his genuine claims of taking all three majors in Melbourne this spring thanks to his NH-bred three-year-old.
Russian Camelot is marked a $1,50 favourite with Sportsbet to win Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Stakes and if he does, as expected, will trim further in the Cox Plate market for which he is already the commanding $3 favourite.
Such is the expectation around the four-year-old, he is also the $9 second favourite for the Melbourne Cup behind Coolmore’s galloper Tiger Moth ($8.50) – a race for which he is well on target to reach.
O’Brien said on Monday morning that Russian Camelot had come through his Underwood Stakes triumph in the order he had hoped and was ready to show the benefit of his two spring runs to date.
“He’s great,” the Flemington trainer said. “He was super for us the other day. He’s third up and going to 2000 metres now so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.”
O’Brien’s Caulfield Cup third favourite Orderofthegarter, pictured right, would run over the Cup’s 2400-metre course this Saturday in the group 2 Herbert Power Stakes before backing up and doing it again sevens days later for $5 million.
Orderofthegarter is on the third line of Caulfield Cup betting at $10 behind Coolmore’s derby winner Anthony Van Dyck ($8) and last Saturday’s Turnbull Stakes winner Verry Elleegant ($8.50).
He will be joined in the race by O’Brien’s VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound.
O’Brien explained the stable’s Caulfield Guineas chance Flying Award will miss the race and now be aimed up at the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on October 31.
Flying Award finished last in the Caulfield Guineas prelude as a $4.60 chance and O’Brien explained he pulled up with a minor issue.
“He’s freshening up and going to run in the Coolmore instead,” he said. “He was a little sore in the stifle but he seems good now and its (Coolmore) not a bad option.”
The stable will not have a runner in the group 1 Thousand Guineas after deciding to send filly Starelle to the 2000-metre Ethereal Stakes the following Saturday at Caulfield following her gallant her Edward Manifold Stakes placing last Saturday.
Story by Andrew Eddy and Ryan Reynolds for Racing.com
Pic by Racing Photos