Racing Victoria (RV) Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, has today announced that he has issued a weight penalty to Chapada in the $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m).
The Mike Moroney trained five-year-old won his way into this Saturday’s Group 1 Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m) with victory in the Herbert Power Stakes at the same track and distance across the weekend.
Under the conditions of the $5.15 million Caulfield Cup, Chapada could not penalised for his Group 2 victory at Caulfield last Saturday and will carry just 50.5kg.
Chapada can be penalised in the Melbourne Cup though, where he has today been handed an additional 1.5kg. The penalty sees him rise to 52kg and to 45th in the order of entry for the famous Flemington feature on 3 November.
Carpenter said: “Chapada ran very well when second in the Group 3 Naturalism over 2000m and then, when stepping out to 2400m on Saturday, he was very strong at the end of the Herbert Power defeating Zebrowski and Platinum Invador who have 52kg and 53kg respectively in the Melbourne Cup.
“Saturday’s Group 2 victory further enhanced Chapada’s excellent record at 2400m and beyond, which includes placings in the 2018 VRC Derby and 2019 Sandown Classic.
“The 1.5kg penalty is the same given to Shewan in 2011 and Shahwardi in 2012, both of whom did not contest the Melbourne Cup, and to Alcopop who won the race in 2009 and went on to run sixth in the Melbourne Cup.”
The last Herbert Power winner to win the Melbourne Cup was Rogan Josh in 1999, whilst Master O’Reilly in 2007 was the last to complete the Herbert Power-Caulfield Cup double.
Whilst Chapada has been penalised, Carpenter and the RV handicapping team have elected not to penalise fellow Melbourne Cup nominee Future Score for his win in yesterday’s Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m).
Carpenter said: “While Future Score was a strong winner of the Cranbourne Cup, he did so on the limit weight and is yet to pass the first ballot clause for the Melbourne Cup.”
The Matt Cumani trained Irish import will likely need to contest the final ballot exemption race for the 2020 Melbourne Cup, the Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on 31 October, to win his way into the race.
Click here to view the Melbourne Cup order of entry as at 12 October 2020
Second acceptances for the Melbourne Cup close at 12 noon (AEDT) tomorrow - Tuesday, 13 October - with a further updated order of entry to be released that afternoon.
Final acceptances for the Caulfield Cup close at 3pm (AEDT) on Wednesday, 14 October following the running of the Group 3 Neds Coongy Cup (2000m) – the final ballot exemption race – at Caulfield at 2pm (AEDT). The two Caulfield Cup acceptors engaged in the Coongy Cup are Al Galayel and Django Freeman.