We enter yet another important week of horse racing, one that culminates in one horse sealing their spot in the 2022 Melbourne Cup field.
Interpretation is the early favourite for the 2510-metre contest at Flemington. The race looks like being a particularly competitive renewal however.
The winner of the Bart Cummings gets an automatic spot in the Melbourne Cup on November 1. That accounts for the race being so hot, with the form of this event in recent times being a good pointer towards the Cup.
Star Names Head the Betting
Interpretation is an overseas buy, a top import bought with the Cup in mind. The former Aidan O’Brien colt is a $6 shot, along with Daqiansweet Junior.
Third in are High Emocean and Spanish Mission, the latter having finished third in last year’s Melbourne Cup and who is already assured of a place in this year’s field. Each runner is an early $8.00 chance.
Bart Cummings All In
The All In odds for the Bart Cummings at Flemington are:
$6.00 Interpretation, Daqiansweet Junior, $8.00 High Omocean, Spanish Mission, $10.00 Desert Icon, Durston, Point Nepean, Smokin Romans. Others $15.00+.
Who Is Really in Pole Position?
The Bart Cummings is a terrific race in its own right, but that spot in the Melbourne Cup adds a certain spectre to the event. The odds are one pointer, but the race is wide open (see Melbourne Cup odds). So, who really is the most likely to grab a ballot exemption for the Cup?
Spanish Mission is already assured of a Melbourne Cup start. That doesn’t stop his team going for this valuable Group 3 quality handicap.
Peter Moody’s horse can still improve, though he’ll need to in order to beat his third in last year’s Cup. He will be trained to peak then and not now, so may be vulnerable in the Bart Cummings.
Interpretation may prefer the 3200 metres of the Melbourne Cup more than the Bart Cummings distance, but it’s easy to see why he’s so fancied.
Fourth on debut in late 2020, the son of Galileo has done little but improve since. Three successive wins in Ireland led him to the St Leger in England last September. Fourth there, he has since moved to the yard of Ciaran Maher and David Eustace and is in the right hands.
Daqiansweet Junior has a rather in-and-out record, but all at a high level to be fair. The Adelaide Cup winner will relish race conditions on Saturday and must have a huge chance.
The ‘win and you’re in’ element of the Bart Cummings remains of huge importance. After this race, only the Caulfield Cup (October 15), the Cox Plate (October 22) and the Lexus Stakes (October 29) remain with ballot exemption for November 1.
Read more news about the Melbourne Cup.
