The Willie Mullins-trained Thomas Hobson has been penalised 1kg after he took home the Group 2 Doncaster Cup (3600m) in the UK on Friday. (Photo credit - Steven Cargill Racing Fotos).
Racing Victoria (RV) Executive General Manager Racing & Participant Wellbeing, Greg Carpenter, has today announced that he has issued weight penalties in the Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) for the Aidan O’Brien-trained pair Kew Gardens and Flag Of Honour and the Willie Mullins-trained Thomas Hobson.
Kew Gardens has been penalised 1kg, rising to 54kg, after his win in the Group 1 English St Leger (2900m) at Doncaster (UK) on Saturday. As a result, the northern hemisphere three-year-old has moved to the top of the order of entry from third position for the $7.3 million Melbourne Cup to be run at Flemington on 6 November.
In what was a successful weekend for O’Brien, Flag Of Honour has been given a penalty of 1.5kg after leading all-the-way to record a comfortable victory in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2800m) at The Curragh (IRE). This takes the northern hemisphere three-year-old to 52.5kg and seventh position in the order of entry jumping from 25th spot.
The Willie Mullins-trained Thomas Hobson, who ran sixth in last year’s Melbourne Cup, has been penalised 1kg taking the gelding to 53kg and 54th position – up from 71st - in the order of entry after he took home the Group 2 Doncaster Cup (3600m) in the UK on Friday.
Carpenter advised that he has not issued a penalty to the O’Brien-trained Rostropovich following his win in the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes (2400m) at Leopardstown (IRE), however the northern hemisphere three-year-old colt moves from 19th to 20th position in the order of entry due to the adjustment for Flag Of Honour’s penalty.
Carpenter said: “The strength and quality of the Melbourne Cup nominations was again highlighted on the weekend, with the wins of Kew Gardens and Flag of Honour in the English and Irish St Legers respectively.
“Both won their Group One contests in impressive fashion against quality opposition, and were deserving of a review of their handicap marks in the Melbourne Cup.
“Thomas Hobson was brave in last year’s Melbourne Cup, finishing sixth with 52kg, and while the record of previous Doncaster Cup winners who have contested the Melbourne Cup is not noteworthy, the merit of his win deserved a 1kg progression in the weights to 53kg.
“Rostropovich, who ran second in the Irish Derby to Latrobe and was handicapped on 51kg when weights were released, beat lesser-rated horses in the Kilternan Stakes and therefore I did not consider a penalty was warranted.”
Carpenter further noted that local feature race winners Grunt (Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes) and Avilius (Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes) were not eligible to be penalised in the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup or Melbourne Cup owing to the conditions of the race.
Grunt has however won an exemption in the Caulfield Cup after Saturday’s 1600m win and moves to the head of the ballot alongside Best Solution and Kings Will Dream for the $5.15 million race to be run at Caulfield on 20 October.
Brimham Rocks, who ran second to Avilius in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, has now passed the ballot and moved from equal 118th to 92nd spot for the Caulfield Cup.
First acceptances for the Caulfield Cup close at 12 noon (AET) on Tuesday, 25 September, while the deadline for the Melbourne Cup first acceptances is 12 noon (AET) on Tuesday, 9 October.
The first ballot exempt race for the Melbourne Cup will be on Turnbull Stakes Day (Saturday, 6 October), with the winner of the Group 3 Bart Cummings (2500m) earning their place in the final Melbourne Cup field.
The next ballot exempt race for the Caulfield Cup is the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) held this Saturday, 22 September at Caulfield.
Click here to view the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup Order of Entry.
Click here to view the Lexus Melbourne Cup Order of Entry.