Handicapping penalties for Maher pair following weekend wins

The Ciaron Maher trained duo Mr Monaco and Juja Kibo have both received weight penalties in upcoming Spring Racing Carnival features in Victoria following their weekend wins.
 

Flemington’s Group 3 The Lexus Bart Cummings (2520m) winner Mr Monaco has received a 1.5kg penalty for the $10.2 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) on Tuesday, 3 November.

The win saw Mr Monaco claim the fourth ballot exemption among first acceptors for the Lexus Melbourne Cup alongside stablemate Shockletz (Lexus Archer Stakes), Joseph O’Brien’s Defiantly (Prix Kergorlay) and Grahame Begg’s Zakouma (Lexus Andrew Ramsden).

The imported gelding was too strong for his competitors in tough conditions on Saturday and outstayed a number of his Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Lexus Melbourne Cup rivals for a decisive victory – his fourth from 10 starts in Australia

That performance necessitated reassessment by Racing Victoria’s (RV) Head of Handicapping, David Hegan, who today handed Mr Monaco a 1.5kg Lexus Melbourne Cup penalty. 

Hegan explained that while the six-year-old is not penalised in the $6.55 million Sportsbet Caulfield Cup, his increased rating does improve his position up the ballot order.

“Mr Monaco does not receive a weight penalty in the Caulfield Cup but progresses up 1.5kg versus the weight for age scale, from an effective true weight of 49.5kg to the true weighted minimum of 51kg, thus moving up from 49th to 33rd in the current order,” Hegan said.
 

“Accordingly, in the higher weighted scale of the Melbourne Cup, he also progresses 1.5kg up the ballot from the true minimum of 51kg to 52.5kg and importantly secures a guaranteed a run in the famous 3200m event. 

“Mr Monaco was previously weighted in the Melbourne Cup at 1.5kg below fellow competitor Valiant King who ran third in the Bart Cummings, but now meets him on level terms with that 1.5kg increase.”

The Lexus Bart Cummings runner-up Litzdeel has now passed the first elimination clause for the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup and climbs 10 places to 44th in the order of entry. Having already passed the first elimination clause for the Lexus Melbourne Cup, she is 48th in that order of entry.

There are four remaining golden ticket races left to secure a start in the Melbourne Cup – the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup on Saturday, 17 October, Ladbrokes Geelong Cup (2400m) on Wednesday, 21 October and Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) and Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) on Saturday, 24 October at Flemington.

Maher’s other feature staying contest winner from the weekend, Juja Kibo, has been penalised in both Cups following his comprehensive win in the Group 2 Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick.

That performance was against multiple potential Sportsbet Caulfield Cup and Lexus Melbourne Cup rivals and having previously boosted his rating when runner-up the start prior in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m), he carried 56.5kg under handicap conditions on Saturday to win with relative ease.

“Juja Kibo’s Metropolitan performance was worthy of a handicap reconsideration after strongly defeating several key Cups rivals in impressive fashion and thus he advances 2kg in both races against both the weight for age scale and a number of runners from Saturday,” Hegan said.

“Due to the different weight scales in the Cups, he takes a 1kg penalty in the Caulfield Cup and a 2kg penalty in the Melbourne Cup.

“In the Caulfield Cup, he moves from a true weight of 50kg to 52kg, which is an actual weight penalty of 1kg above the minimum, and he will now carry 52kg. In the Melbourne Cup he rises from 51.5kg to 53.5kg which puts him 0.5kg below The Euphrates, who conceded him 2.5kg on Saturday when finishing third. 

“Juja Kibo progresses significantly in the order of entry for both races, climbing 11 places to 30th in the Caulfield Cup and 12 places to 34th in the Melbourne Cup.”

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained The Euphrates has now also passed the Lexus Melbourne Cup first elimination clause and moves up 29 spots to 32nd. in the order of entry.

Wedged between Juja Kibo and The Euphrates in the Metropolitan was Aethelwulf and Hegan noted that his chances of running in the Lexus Melbourne Cup were not advanced with his second placing.

“Aethelwulf has already satisfied the first elimination clause for the Melbourne Cup and I can’t reconsider his weight unless he wins again. He’s currently on the minimum of 51kg where he is the highest placed of those horses 9.5kg below weight for age at 54th in the order of entry.

“To gain a start, he will likely have to win either the Geelong Cup or Moonee Valley Cup and secure a ballot exemption, which he is capable of doing with decent luck based on his form this season.” 

To view the updated Sportsbet Caulfield Cup order of entry, please click here.

To view the updated Lexus Melbourne Cup order of entry, please click here.