Lightweights sweating on Cup start

Quality stayer De Little Engine is borderline on gaining a start in this year's BMW Caulfield Cup.

Trainer Danny O'Brien confirmed that De Little Engine will run if he gains a start with Saturday's Group 3 Coongy Stakes (2000m) the back up option.

"He is racing in career best form - his run in the Turnbull was very good - and getting out in trip will be in his favour also," O'Brien said.

"Getting into the Melbourne Cup is the overall aim, which may have to be through the Lexus, but he is in excellent shape and will acquit himself well if he sneaks into the field."

While there might not be the usual crush to try and get a run in this year’s BMW Caulfield Cup, but there are still a few key decisions to be made in the coming days that will shape this year’s race.

With connections of the Lindsay Park-trained Almoonqith and Tony McEvoy’s Big Memory yet to finalise a decision on whether they run, Racing.com’s likely final field is listed below.

Should either not accept on Tuesday, it would pave the way for the Grant Kluske-trained JRA Cup fourth placegetter Go Dreaming and Danny O’Brien’s De Little Engine to gain a start.

Kluske is yet to finalise whether Go Dreaming would take his place if a position became available but did say Katelyn Mallyon would be the likely jockey if he runs.

Likely BMW Caulfield Cup field and jockeys (weights to be raised 0.5kg), field limit 18 plus emergencies:

1. Preferment (57kg) – Hugh Bowman

2. Our Ivanhowe (56.5kg) – Dwayne Dunn

3. Exospheric (55.5kg) – Damien Oliver

4. Scottish (55kg) – Kerrin McEvoy

5. Sir Isaac Newton (55kg) – Colm O’Donoghue

6. Tarzino (54.5kg) – Craig Newitt

7. Almoonqith (54kg) - ?

8. Sir John Hawkwood (53.5kg) – Blake Spriggs

9. Tally (53kg) – Brenton Avdulla

10. Articus (53kg) – Zac Purton

11. Jameka (52.5kg) – Nick Hall

12. Real Love (52.5kg) – Craig Williams

13. Set Square (52kg) – Michael Dee

14. Sacred Master (51.5kg) – Tommy Berry

15. Big Memory (51.5kg) - ?

16. Fanatic (50.5kg) - ?

17. Antonio Giuseppe (50.5kg) – Glen Boss

18. Pemberley (50.5kg) - ?

19. Go Dreaming (50.5kg) - Katelyn Mallyon

20. De Little Engine (50.5kg) - ?

Story by Ben Asgari & Brent Zarafa, to view full Racing.com story click here

Photo by Darryl Sherer