Lovett nominates Shraaoh as leading hope to dethrone Dubhe
Melbourne Cup-winning syndicator Jamie Lovett has nominated Shraaoh the pick of his Sydney Cup squadron, but concedes Godolphin's favourite Dubhe "probably just wins" the $2 million feature.
Lovett and Australian Bloodstock partner Luke Murrell have qualified four runners for the two-mile test, but face a major obstacle in the form of Charlie Appleby's fly-in stayer Dubhe, a last-start winner in Dubai.
Few other Australians are as immersed in the European and Middle East staying form as Lovett and Murrell, who boast Kris Lees' trio Red Cardinal, Big Duke and Doukhan to complement the Chris Waller-trained Shraaoh.
But they need to overcome easing favourite Dubhe, which drifted to $3.50 yesterday. Kerrin McEvoy, who rode Appleby's Cross Counter to victory in last year's Melbourne Cup to break the Godolphin duck, will partner Dubhe.
"If you look at the horses he beat in Dubai you’re saying they’re not up to the mark," Lovett said of Dubhe. "But you can only beat what’s there and he ran time, Kerrin’s riding him and Charlie’s training him. He’s drawn soft … he probably just wins. But he’s short enough."
It's some achievement for Australian Bloodstock to boast one-fifth of the Sydney Cup field in a race they covet alongside the Melbourne Cup, which they won in 2014 with Protectionist.
Red Cardinal and Big Duke were transferred to Lees' Newcastle base after Darren Weir was outed over the jigger investigation, but they haven't taken a backward step in their Sydney campaigns.
"We looked at it like a blank canvas," Lovett said. "They arrived and we tried things a little different, knowing they were going to be effective on soft tracks. It’s been terrific the fact they’ve settled in.
"But to be perfectly honest it’s going to be hard for both of them. They’ll be giving the favourite a bit of a start. If we’d drawn soft we could have been midfield, but now we’re going to be out the back. It’s going to be difficult.
"Maybe Shraaoh from the soft gate will be a little bit further forward and he’s probably the hope. The others are probably going to be spotting him 15 [lengths]."
Shraaoh was a $12 chance with BetEasy yesterday, the second pick of Australian Bloodstock's quartet behind Big Duke ($9.50), with Red Cardinal at $14 and Doukhan $41.
On Shraaoh, Lovett said: "He won Melbourne Cup day and this has always been his target. He’s racing very genuine, he’s been placed a couple of times and probably needs to step up. But I think he’s a genuine two-miler so he comes into it as well."
Appleby won the Sydney Cup two years ago with Polarisation, who was first past the post in an abandoned Sydney Cup before returning a fortnight later to claim it legitimately.
"We are very pleased with the way the horses have travelled to Sydney and the preparation has gone well to date," Appleby said. "Dubhe comes here off the back of a win at Meydan over the two miles where we saw a marked improvement for him stepping up in trip.
"He comes here off a nice weight but has to step up again to be competitive at this level. We are pleased to have Kerrin on board as he knows our horses well. Kerrin had a sit on the horse on Wednesday morning and was pleased with him and is looking forward to the ride.
"He’s a very straightforward horse to ride and as per normal I will leave Kerrin to make the decisions as the race pans out.
"We are delighted to have a runner in this prestigious race and having won it two years ago, it would be great for Godolphin to hopefully be competitive again."