Hands off our Cup horse

Cranbourne’s Melbourne Cup hope Count

By Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE racehorse trainer Steve Theodore has dismissed suggestions that the Victoria Racing Club could use its descretionary powers to omit his stayer Count Ricardo from a the field in next week’s Melbourne Cup.
Count Ricardo is currently number 25 out of 52 in order on entry to the 24-horse field, but the young trainer said he expected his horse to move up to gain a start.
He is safely assuming the withdrawal of several higher-rated runners before the final field is decided after Saturday’s Victoria Derby meeting at Flemington.
“The horse has been set for the race from day one, he is fully qualified and I’m expecting him to start,” said Theodore.
“It was suggested that if the VRC was to use its discretionary powers that we would be the first horse in its sights, but that’s against the VRC’s own rules, so why would they do that?”
Theodore agreed that Geelong Cup winner Mandela, rated one position below his horse at 26, deserved a start in the Melbourne Cup, but said no other lower placed nomination could replace Count Ricardo in the field without breaking the rules.
“They write the rules and we (trainers) follow the rules,” he said. “Why have rules at all if they are going to break them?”
Theodore said that the gelding’s recent form was not a problem because he had been running in unsuitable races over shorter distances than suitable in preparation for the Melbourne Cup.
“I can’t get the horse any better and he has been trained to run two miles (3200 metres),” the trainer explained.
“He is too dour for the 2000 metre, set weight and penalty races he has been running in the lead up but we drop to 51 kilograms for the cup and he will peak in his preparation on Tuesday,” Theodore said.
“This is our grand final and Cranbourne deserves to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup.”