Lexus Melbourne Cup penalty for Juja Kibo

Juja Kibo has received a 1.5kg weight penalty for the $10.2 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) after winning Saturday’s Group 2 Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) at Flemington in impressive fashion.

Previously placed at 28th in the Lexus Melbourne Cup order of entry, the six-year-old stayer on Saturday became the fourth horse from Ciaron Maher’s all-conquering stable to secure ballot exemption into Australia’s most famous race on Tuesday, 3 November.

Today’s penalty announced by Racing Victoria’s Head of Handicapping David Hegan sees Juja Kibo’s weight rise from 53.5kg to 55kg, having caught the eye of the handicapper for the second time in as many starts.

“Juja Kibo won the Moonee Valley Gold Cup in tremendous fashion and could not have been more impressive coming from the back of the field while carrying the equal topweight of 58kg,” Hegan said.

“It was his second commanding victory at Group 2 level in succession after his Metropolitan win for which he was penalised 2kg. After today’s further reassessment, he’s now risen 3.5kg since the release of weights and sits at -4.5kg below weight for age.

“This places him alongside other Melbourne Cup hopefuls in Saint George and Asterix, with the quantum of any penalty giving consideration to where it takes a horse in the weights order relative to those it may be competing against and those it has just beaten.”

As per the conditions of the Lexus Melbourne Cup, the winner of any non-handicap black type race beyond 2300m after the release of weights is eligible for a weight penalty.

Moonee Valley Gold Cup runner-up Kings Valley remains down the order of entry at 36th, given there is no capacity under the race’s conditions to re-handicap or reorder placegetters in any feature black type races after weights are released.

Following the closure of Lexus Melbourne Cup Third Acceptances this morning, Maher has an astonishing eight horses safely inside the top 24 in the order of entry. Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien has five horses inside the top 24, meaning that the two powerhouse stables could represent more than half the Lexus Melbourne Cup field.

With connections of horses outside the top 24 facing a nervous wait ahead of Final Acceptances closing at 4.30pm this Saturday, 31 October, Wednesday’s Group 3 Ladbrokes Bendigo Cup (2400m) presents the final opportunity for horses to improve their position in the Lexus Melbourne Cup order of entry.

Kings Valley has accepted for the $500,000 feature, with The Euphrates (25th), So You Are (28th) and Litzdeel (33rd) also among the final field. Soulcombe (39th) has also accepted and could pass the first elimination clause with a top three Bendigo Cup finish and vault into the top 24 with 55kg.

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