Racing Victoria (RV) Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, has today announced that he has issued weight penalties to
Secret Blaze and
Entente in the $5 million Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup (2400m) after weekend triumphs.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Secret Blaze has also been re-handicapped in the $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), a race that the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Entente does not hold an entry for.
After his win in Friday night’s Group 3 JRA Cup (2040m) at The Valley, Secret Blaze has been penalised 1kg in both Cups lifting him from the limit weight to 51kg.
He moves to 44th in the Caulfield Cup Order of Entry but is yet to pass the qualification clause for the Melbourne Cup, and thus remains well down the order for it in equal 79th.
Entente, who captured the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) at Rosehill on Saturday, has also been penalised 1kg, rising to 51kg and 43rd position in the Caulfield Cup Order of Entry.
The Colin Stephen Quality minor placegetters,
Young Rascal (second) and
Fun Fact (third), were ineligible for penalties but have both improved their chances of Cup starts with their black type placing.
Young Rascal passed the ballot for the Caulfield Cup and moves to 49th, while Fun Fact passed the ballot for the Melbourne Cup and moves to 46th in the Order of Entry for the famous two-mile handicap to be run on Tuesday, 2 November at Flemington.
JRA Cup third placegetter, comeback galloper
Rostropovich, was another to satisfy the ballot clause for the Caulfield Cup where he’s has moved to 55th in the Order of Entry.
In terms of the weekend’s other black type staying contest, yesterday’s Listed R.M. Ansett Classic (2400m) at Mornington, impressive winner
Lunar Flare was an original nomination for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups but was withdrawn from both by her connections at the first acceptance stage.
Looking ahead, there are four ballot exemption races remaining for the Caulfield Cup on Saturday, 16 October, being the Group 1 TAB Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington this Saturday (2 October), the Group 1 Neds Might And Power (2000m) and Group 2 Neds Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield on Saturday, 9 October, and the Group 3 Neds Coongy Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Wednesday, 13 October.
There are also four more ballot exemption races to come for the Melbourne Cup, being the Group 3 The Lexus Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington this Saturday, the Caulfield Cup, the Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on Saturday, 23 October, and the Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday, 30 October.
Second acceptances for the Melbourne Cup will be taken at 12 noon (AET) tomorrow – Tuesday, 28 September – with an updated order of entry to be released tomorrow afternoon.
To view the updated Order of Entry for the Caulfield Cup, please click
here