Cups dreams come into focus at Flemington this Saturday, with three OTI runners engaged across two major races.
Mark Twain lines up in the Group 1 Australian Cup, while Paradise Storm and Sir Chartwell will contest the Listed Roy Higgins, a race that offers the winner a golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup.
Mark Twain – Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m)
Mark Twain returned in excellent fashion at his first run for Phillip Stokes, producing a strong closing effort to place in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes. That performance was a welcome return to form for his owners and supporters, offering a reminder of what he is capable of on his day.
Mark Twain finishes 3rd in Group 2 Blamey Stakes last start.
He has taken good improvement from that first-up run and followed up with a pleasing maintenance trial last week. Both Phillip Stokes and Lachie Neindorf have been particularly pleased with his work at home leading into Saturday.
This represents another rise in grade against a high-quality field featuring the likes of Birdman, Tom Kitten and Pride of Jenni, but we’re looking forward to seeing him step up to 2000m, particularly with a strong tempo expected.
Paradise Storm & Sir Chartwell – Listed Roy Higgins (2600m)
In the Roy Higgins, Paradise Storm will look to replicate his dominant Auckland Cup victory and press his claims for a Melbourne Cup berth.
That 6.4-length romp at Ellerslie stamped him as a genuine Cups prospect, and a repeat effort would see him extremely hard to beat on Saturday.
Paradise Storm wins Group 2 Auckland Cup last start.
Trainer Henry Dwyer has been delighted with his progression since returning from New Zealand. “He’s in terrific order, I couldn’t be more pleased with the way he’s come through the trip,” Dwyer said following Tuesday’s gallop.
Provided he performs well, the Sydney Cup shapes as an obvious next target in two weeks’ time.
Fellow French import Sir Chartwell will also line up in the Roy Higgins. While he’s yet to hit the mark in Australia, he looks to be steadily trending in the right direction and will certainly appreciate the step up to 2600m. We expect him to improve further once he gets out to two miles and beyond, where his stamina can come into play.
Best of luck to connections across all three runners this weekend.