Though many were watching Monday’s Adelaide Cup with The Map and Amade in mind, it’s another horse which has come away from the race with renewed Melbourne Cup ambitions.
Excelleration, a short-head winner in the 3200m Morphettville event, is now being aimed at the big one on November 5. Richard Cully’s seven-year-old gelding is now one to watch.
The Map Narrowly Beaten
The Excelleration camp can now look forward to planning a Melbourne Cup campaign this year.
Richard Cully’s gelding stayed on best of all at the distance for a thrilling, narrow victory in the Adelaide Cup. The son of Excelebration just about pipped The Map in the Group 2 race.
The Map has been a feature horse of ours of late. Going off at $3.80, she was well fancied too. Ultimately however it was $4.40 chance Excelleration who prevailed.
Harry Coffey was on board, using all his strength in the final 200 metres to better his rival. It was this determination in the finish from both horse and jockey which has set tongues wagging about a trip to Flemington in eight months’ time.
Excelleration a Bargain Buy
The winner of the Adelaide Cup was bought for a mere $6000 back in 2018. A Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale purchase, Excelleration went on to grab a first racecourse win in 2020 and has improved since.
Excelleration has had his problems in the intervening years. Despite this, trainer Cully is now in confident mood regarding his staying ability and his chances in the Melbourne Cup.
To achieve a spot, he may now be heading for the Andrew Ramsden Stakes at Flemington. The May 18 Listed race offers a precious ballot exemption for the big one. It also carries a prize fund of $500,000 which remains tempting for all involved.
If he were to win the Andrew Ramsden, a great story would gather further momentum. Being bought for $6000 and winning an Adelaide Cup is a story in itself. Scoring again in a half million-dollar race further enhances his tale, with a guaranteed spot in the Melbourne Cup the crowning glory.
Adelaide Finally a Melbourne Pointer?
In winning the Adelaide Cup, Excelleration enters calculations but there were other performances of note. Both The Map and Amade were expected to shake up the Melbourne Cup betting. We can’t say they did that, but both performed well.
There was the narrowest of margins between Exelleration and The Map at the line. The five-year-old mare ran about as well as could be expected and she too will be aimed at a Golden Ticket race.
Skelm ran home in third some 2¾ lengths further back, just ahead of Phillip Stokes’ Amade. The ten-year-old had to carry more weight on Monday and did well in the circumstances. Michael Poy’s mount may still aim for a ballot exemption too.
