Melbourne Cup start up for grabs

The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained galloper heads to the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) on Saturday with the victor of the race earning a ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in November. 

Athabascan has only raced at Flemington twice previously and has not been seen at the track in the past 18 months. 

Both times the stayer was seen at Flemington he was chasing a ballot exemption into the 2023 Melbourne Cup. 

At his first attempt, Athabascan finished eighth in the Lexus Bart Cummings (2500m) in October 2023 and then two starts later finished second in the Lexus Archer Stakes (2500m), three days before the Melbourne Cup that was taken out by Without A Fight. 

Athabascan has not been seen in Melbourne since The Archer placing with all his racing restricted to Randwick and Rosehill. 

Since arriving in Sydney in 2022 and racing straight off the plane in the following month, Athabascan has three wins to his credit, twice at 2400m, and most recently in the ATC St Leger (2600m) at Randwick last October. 

Set for a tilt at the Sydney Cup in April, Athabascan finished fifth to Arapaho before being earmarked for the Andrew Ramsden and it's 'Golden Ticket'. 

Charlton said the team had deliberately kept Athapascan on the fresh side for a tilt at Saturday's contest but gave the stayer a gallop between races at Warwick Farm last week while he wound up his preparation with a gallop on the Kensington track at Randwick on Tuesday. 

"He hasn't done a lot since the Sydney Cup, so it was just a case of taking him to Warwick Farm for the day and giving him a hit-out," Charlton said. 

"The Sydney Cup was our aim with him and once we got through that we didn't want to give him an extended period in the paddock, so he just had a freshen up. 

"This was the most likely race with potential Melbourne Cup aspirations in the spring." 

Ben Melham, who has been taking part in the Tour d'Horse, a charity event to race money for the KIDS Foundation in the Hunter Valley, will ride Athabascan on Saturday.

2025 Golden Ticket Races

Find all the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup golden ticket race information here