The Big Guns Assemble In Melbourne

The news broken by the Sporting Post on Thursday  that South African owner Braam van Huyssteen may have a Melbourne Cup runner in the shape of Mustajeer and Raheen House has stimulated additional local interest.

The report that four international horses – including last year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup placegetter Prince of Arran – touched down in Melbourne on Friday and a further 14 arriving on Saturday, means that the annual overseas raid on Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival has officially begun.

Charlie Fellowes’ stayer Prince of Arran and three high-class horses from Saeed bin Suroor’s Godolphin stable, Royal Meeting, Dream Castle and Red Galileo, spent their first night in Racing Victoria’s Werribee International Horse Centre, where they will stay for the next two weeks completing their mandatory two-week post-arrival quarantine period.

They will soon be joined at Werribee by 14 fellow Europeans, who have just touched down on the tarmac at Tullamarine airport ahead of their assault on the $102 million (approximately £56 million) Spring Racing Carnival.

Eleven of the 18 have Australian interests in their ownership and five will be joining local stables, including Group winners Mirage Dancer, Constantinople, Cape Of Good Hope and Torcedor.

Torcedor, owned by the Australian Bloodstock syndicate, is joining Paul Preusker’s stable in Horsham; Mirage Dancer will be heading to Cranbourne to be prepared by Natalie Young and Trent Busuttin; and the Lindsay Park team of David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig have taken over the training duties of Constantinople and Cape Of Good Hope, both formerly under the care of Aidan O’Brien.

Ebor Handicap winner Mustajeer is bound for the stable of Australian trainer Kris Lees, who will set him on a path towards the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, 5 November.

Danceteria, trained in Newmarket by Frenchman David Menuisier, is the joint highest-rated raider on the plane alongside Mirage Dancer (formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute) and unbeaten colt Royal Meeting.

The last-start German Gr1 winner is being set for the Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) after connections accepted an international invitation from the Moonee Valley Racing Club to compete in Australasia’s weight-for-age championship on Saturday, 26 October.

Fellow passenger Raymond Tusk, who finished fourth behind Mustajeer in the Ebor Handicap, will represent Richard Hannon’s first visit to Australia.

Ian Williams’ emerging stayer Gold Mount holds entries for both the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Melbourne Cup, as does the Ed Dunlop-trained Red Verdon, who returns to Melbourne after running in the world’s richest turf handicap over 2400m last year.

Raheen House, trained in Newmarket by William Haggas, is another Australian Bloodstock acquisition seeking cups glory, and the list of passengers is completed by Haky (trained by John Hammond), True Self (Willie Mullins), Chief Ironside (Menuisier) and one-way traveller Aktau, who will join the stable of Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Mike Moroney.

Suzuka Devious (trained by Mitsura Hashida) arrived in Melbourne last Tuesday (24 September), and will be joined next Tuesday (1 October) by three more high-class Japanese performers, Caulfield Cup contender Mer De Glace (Hisashi Shimizu) and Cox Plate invitees Lys Gracieux (Yoshito Yahagi) and Kluger (Tomokazu Takano).

The second wave of European arrivals – who will primarily target the Melbourne Cup – entered quarantine facilities in the UK and Ireland on Thursday and are scheduled to land in Melbourne on Saturday, 12 October.

Sixteen horses will complete their post-export quarantine period on 12 October, allowing them to compete from that afternoon at Caulfield in races including the A$1 million Gr1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) and the A$400,000 Gr2 Ladbrokes Herbert Power Stakes (2400m).

European horses that will not be permitted to compete on that day are Caulfield Cup contenders Red Verdon, Raymond Tusk and Gold Mount, along with the Japanese trio of Mer De Glace, Lys Gracieux and Kluger, who will all be free to compete in races from Tuesday, 15 October onwards.

*denotes the horses joining Australian stables on a one-way ticket

• Pics – kind courtesy Racing Photos