Cosmic Crusader confirmed for Caulfield Cup

Turnbull Stakes hero Cosmic Crusader (NZ) (Maurice) will line up in the 150th edition of the Group 1 Caulfield Cup on Saturday week (October 17).

Following his brilliant victory at a rain-soaked Flemington last Saturday, the gelding’s owner, Bob Peters, had been contemplating whether to send the Andrea Leek-trained Cosmic Crusader to the Caulfield Cup, which is run over 2400 metres a distance the six-year-old has never been to.

Peters on Wednesday pushed the button, confirming his two-time Group 1 winner will tackle the race for which he is the pre-post favourite and will carry 56kg.

“Yes, we will run in the Caulfield Cup,” Peters told Racing.com.

A longtime successful breeder and owner, Peters is a wealth of knowledge regarding pedigrees.

Cosmic Crusader’s sire won Group 1s at 2000 metres and the horse’s dam, Cosmic Storm, won a Listed Belmont Oaks over the same trip.

“I’d say he will get the trip. It should all work out, I would think,” Peters said.

“He still had plenty of running after the line in the Turnbull and that showed us that hopefully he can do it.”

Regular rider William Pike will partner Cosmic Crusader in the Caulfield Cup.

Peters said a decision regarding Cosmic Crusader’s participation in the G1 Cox Plate (2040) at Flemington a week later will be determined by how the son of Maurice performs at Caulfield and subsequently pulls up.

Fellow Western Australian Northerly successfully completed the Caulfield Cup-Cox Plate double in 2002, becoming only the fourth horse in history to achieve the feat.

“We will wait until after the Caulfield Cup and then make a decision on that,” Peters said.

“I think if you look at the history, it’s only very, very good horses that win the double. I don’t think he’s in the class of some of those horses yet. If he did (do the double) he probably would be.”