All The Good Penalised 2kg For Melbourne Cup
Monday, 20 October 2008: Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter said after Saturday's Caulfield Cup win by All The Good that he was unlikely to give the import more than 2kg extra.
He stuck to his word today when he announced the penalty, taking All The Good's Melbourne Cup weight to 55kg which is still 4.5kg under weight-for-age.
All The Good carried 54.5kg in the Caulfield Cup after weights were raised 1.5kg at final declarations to meet the required minimum topweight of 57kg.
All The Good will attempt to become the first internationally trained horse to complete the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double in the same year, a feat achieved by 11 Australasian horses.
“All The Good has emerged as a stayer of the highest quality in his last two runs by winning the Newburgh Handicap in England and now the Group 1 Caulfield Cup," carpenter said.
"Although there was only 2.5 lengths between the first seven runners home on Saturday and a number of his rivals produced outstanding Melbourne Cup trials, All The Good was impressive in victory and should be further suited over the longer distance at Flemington.
“In determining the penalty I was mindful that the Melbourne Cup represents a new challenge with the two best stayers in the world, Septimus and Efficient, set to run along with a number of other quality entrants who did not contest the Caulfield Cup."
Carpenter also announced that Baughurst, an easy winner of the Group 3 David Jones Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday, has been penalsied 0.5kg, taking his Melbourne Cup weight to 51kg/
The penalty lifts the Bill Wilde-trained seven-year-old from 42nd to 36th in the elimination order.
”Baughurst has won twice since weights were released as well as being placed in the Naturalism Stakes and The Bart Cummings," Carpenter said
"He was a dominant winner last Saturday in recording his first victory at Group level.”
Third declarations for the Melbourne Cup close at 12 noon Monday October 27.
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