Racing Victoria (RV) Executive General Manager - Racing & Participant Wellbeing, Greg Carpenter, has today announced that the Lindsay Park-trained Ventura Storm has escaped a weight penalty for the $7.3 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Ventura Storm will remain on his original weight of 54kg in next Tuesday's Flemington feature after his win in the Group 2 McCafe Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) on Saturday.
Carpenter said: “Ventura Storm went into the Gold Cup having not won a race for more than two years and therefore was well treated under the set weight and penalties conditions of the Moonee Valley Gold Cup.
“The six-year-old gelding ran 21st in last year's Melbourne Cup behind Rekindling with 54kg. He carried the same weight when 10th in last week's Caulfield Cup and when 13th in last year's Caulfield Cup.
“The weight conditions of the Moonee Valley Gold Cup favoured Ventura Storm given he did not carry a penalty, being winless for 740 days, and as a result he has not been penalised for the Melbourne Cup.”
The last two winners of the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, Who Shot Thebarman (2017) and Grand Marshal (2016), both escaped penalty for the Melbourne Cup that same year. Who Shot Thebarman went on to be scratched from the race while Grand Marshal finished in 11th position.
The last Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner to win the Melbourne Cup was Kingston Rule in 1990.
Following second declarations taken this morning at 10am, Ventura Storm has now moved to 19th position in the order of entry.
Click here to view the updated Lexus Melbourne Cup Order of Entry.