BENDIGO trainer Danny Curran will make an 11th hour decision on the Jayco Bendigo Cup plans for his staying mare Caves.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Caves is 25th and last in the order of entry for Wednesday’s $250,000 feature event, but with the field expected to drop away at acceptance time, Curran is contemplating running the five-year-old.
“I won’t make my mind up until the last minute,’’ Curran said on Sunday.
“If the field really drops away and there is only 10 horses in the field… I will run her.
“If the field has at least 12 runners then I probably won’t run her in the Cup and I’ll run her in the Benchmark 70 Handicap (2200m) instead.
“She’s probably a year away from being ready for the Cup, but she’s fit and in form so we might have a crack at it.”
Caves is coming off a strong win in a 2200m event at Seymour.
“My horse has good ability,’’ Curran said.
“She might not be quite up to a Bendigo Cup yet, but she is improving all the time.”
The Cup field will be announced on Monday morning.
Most of the horses at the top of the weights have been ruled out.
Green Moon, Sea Moon, Epingle, Caravan Rolls On, Black Tycoon and Marksmanship won’t be running in Bendigo.
The Lloyd Williams racing team also look like sending import Amralah to the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington on Saturday rather than Bendigo.
Moe Cup winner Count Of Limonade will be one of the horses to beat at Bendigo.
Trainer Mick Price has booked Glen Boss to ride the former Ireland-based stayer.
Count Of Limonade’s win in the Moe Cup was made to look stronger on Saturday when second placegetter Pride Of Penzance won the Moonee Valley Cup.
Leading jockey Luke Nolen will ride last start Caulfield winner Bring Something in the Bendigo Cup.
The Ken Keys-trained galloper was impressive in defeating Amaverde over 2400m on October 15.
Dwayne Dunn has been booked to ride French import Kourkam in the Cup.
Kourkam, trained by Tony McEvoy, won its first two starts this campaign in New South Wales before running fifth to potential Bendigo Cup rival Order Of The Sun at Randwick.
Order Of the Sun, trained by Gai Waterhouse, will either run in Bendigo or be saved for the Flemington carnival.