Under the conditions of the Herbert Power Stakes, Delphi – who has been assigned 52.5kg in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) – could not be issued with a weight penalty for next Saturday’s $5 million feature, in which he is now guaranteed a start following his one-length defeat of The Chosen One. However, he will now be asked to carry 53.5kg – up from 52.5kg – should Anthony and Sam Freedman set their talented import for the 161st edition of the Lexus Melbourne Cup, which will be run at Flemington on Tuesday, 2 November.
Were he to win the Lexus Melbourne Cup, Delphi would become the first horse since Rogan Josh in 1999 to follow up victory in the Herbert Power Stakes with success in ‘the race that stops a nation’. Rogan Josh won with 50kg on his back at Flemington 22 years ago – having carried 53kg to victory in the Herbert Power Stakes, he did not receive a Lexus Melbourne Cup penalty.
The final exempt berth for the Caulfield Cup is up for grabs at Caulfield this Wednesday (13 October) in the Group 3 Coongy Cup (2000m), where the winner cannot be issued with a weight penalty for the world’s richest turf handicap over 2400m.
Caulfield Cup contenders Floating Artist and Constantinople, trained respectively by Ciaron Maher Racing and Aaron Purcell, are both eligible for the exemption should they win the Coongy Cup. Edward Cummings’ Queensland Oaks (2200m) heroine Duais is also in the Coongy Cup field, but at ninth place in the current Order of Entry she is already guaranteed a start in the Caulfield Cup.
Final acceptances for the Caulfield Cup will close at 3pm on Wednesday. To view an updated Order of Entry for the Caulfield Cup, please click here.
South Australian stayer Hasta La War, who is trained by Sue Murphy, has now passed the ballot for the Lexus Melbourne Cup and is up to 58th in the Order of Entry after finishing third in the Herbert Power Stakes.
Third acceptances for the Lexus Melbourne Cup close at 12pm (AEDT) tomorrow (Tuesday, 12 October), with an updated Order of Entry published shortly thereafter.
Image: Delphi has received a penalty in the Lexus Melbourne Cup (Credit: Racing Photos)
