We have a new favourite for the Melbourne Cup after a stunning Flemington performance. Goldman’s win wasn’t the only impressive one either as Broome swooped late to collar Siskany in the Dubai Gold Cup.
The runner-up’s trainer Charlie Appleby may be heading back to Melbourne in the spring, while former big Cup favourite and runner-up Incentivise has now been retired.
Goldman Impressive in Roy Higgins
Out of nowhere, Goldman burst onto the Melbourne Cup scene with a huge performance in the Roy Higgins. The Listed 2600-metre event at Flemington provides Cup qualification for the former Kiwi runner.
Ballot exemption was important for the winner, but the performance was stunning. Former lone favourite White Marlin is still to attempt to qualify. He will do so in the Andrew Ramsden Stakes over 2800 metres back at Flemington on May 13.
New trainer Gai Waterhouse acknowledged that Goldman has grown and progressed since arriving in Australia and it’s likely he will continue to do so. That makes him exciting, given he is likely to get in off a light weight.
He is now a general $13 joint-favourite with White Marlin in the Melbourne Cup odds.
Broome Collars Siskany in Dubai
It’s all change among the Melbourne Cup contenders now. As well as Goldman winning impressively, the weekend saw Broome swoop late to catch Dubai Gold Cup favourite Siskany on the line during World Cup night at Meydan.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien will now send the stayer straight to the Ascot Gold Cup in June. From there, he will plot a course to Flemington for the Melbourne Cup on November 7.
After stepping up in distance, Broome’s form reached a new level on Saturday. Charlie Appleby’s Siskany loomed into contention and did nothing wrong, with an expert ride from Ryan Moore winning the day.
Appleby himself is now thinking of heading to Melbourne in the spring.
Appleby to Return?
Godolphin’s much venerated trainer Charlie Appleby has been put off coming to Melbourne for a while now. As we’ve reported before, VRC’s vet scans are a major factor.
Chris Waller is to pre-scan his horses in order to stop scratches. That may help the quality of the Spring Carnival fields out, while Appleby too is looking at making a big return.
Both the Melbourne Cup and the Cox Plate could be on the cards for the Newmarket man. He won the former with Cross Counter of course, but in the likes of Nations Pride he will have some viable Cox Plate contenders too.
The handler intends to see how the European season plays out before making final decisions.
Incentivise Retired
Three-time Group 1 winner and Melbourne Cup runner-up Incentivise has been retired.
The six-year-old galloper was injured when finishing behind Verry Elleegant in 2021. He was on a long-term comeback trail, filled with mishaps. Finally, one more problem has seen his connections finally pull stumps. His career was short, but thoroughly worthwhile.
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