Ebor winner Muntahaa charts course for Melbourne Cup

[Nergal]

 

MUNTAHAA, the winner of Europe’s richest staying event The Ebor at York on Saturday, will be aimed at the Melbourne Cup.

His trainer John Gosden said after his win that the Melbourne Cup was in his plans.

Racing Victoria’s international recruiter Paul Bloodworth said the Victoria Racing Club’s racing manager Leigh Jordon was at York and spoke to connections after the win.

“He’ll definitely be nominated. He was second top-weight in the Ebor and generally that race isn’t won by horses up in the weights,” Bloodworth said.

“He was a 112 rated horse going into that race so he’d well and truly get enough weight to get into the Melbourne Cup.”

The Ebor has been a great form race for the Melbourne Cup in recent years. Two years ago the Ebor winner Heartbreak City finished second to Almandin in the Melbourne Cup and last year’s winner Nakeeta finished fifth behind Rekindling.

Count Octave, a son of Frankel, is also likely to be aimed at the Melbourne Cup after he finished second to Stradivarius in the Lonsdale Cup.

His trainer Andrew Balding said that was the plan.

Count Octave is raced by Qatar Racing who owned and raced Dunaden when he won the 2011 Melbourne Cup

Third placegetter in the Lonsdale Cup, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Idaho is also likely to come to Australia.

The John Gosden trained Stradivarius, won a $1.75 million bonus for having successfully won four feature staying races on end.

Bloodworth said Stradivarius was unlikely to come to Australia as he would have too much weight.