Cup favourite Aeliana set for Memsie detour
The favourite for the $10 million Melbourne Cup is likely to campaign in Melbourne for the entire spring, with Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) now likely to run first-up in Saturday week’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
The three-time G1 star was amongst the acceptances for Saturday’s G1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, but trainer Chris Waller told SEN’s Giddyup With Gareth program on Thursday morning that the Memsie Stakes was a more likely first-up option for the five-year-old mare.
“Quite likely,” Waller told Gareth Hall when asked of a Memsie Stakes diversion.
“I don’t think we put a jockey down for Saturday and I don’t want to get a fine, so it tells you that we are not going to run but she’s there if we change our mind.
“You just never know. She is in the field so you might as well wait, but at this stage I would say she is unlikely and will go to the Memsie.”
Aeliana’s Memsie Stakes price has been slashed into $4 and she is set to run even shorter as the Winx-bound Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior) is still marked the $2.50 Memsie favourite.
Aeliana is the current $8 favourite for the Melbourne Cup ahead of last year’s champion Half Yours (St Jean) ($10) with Sir Delius (Frankel) next at $11.
Her potential withdrawal from the Winx will make the visiting mare Sheza Alibi’s task a little easier at Randwick this Saturday, but the Victorian star will still face the might of Waller’s stable star Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) as well as a number of other G1 performers from his stable.
Waller has won the Winx Stakes (formerly Warwick Stakes) nine times and said the race was a crucial one for his stable as far as their spring planning is concerned
“It’s actually a really important starting point for my horses because if you miss it, it is sort of hard to catch up – you can – but it’s hard,” Waller said.
“You’ve got a horse like Autumn Glow or Via Sistina or Winx or Verry Elleegant (NZ), they are expected to run well so you sort of have them pretty forward. But at the same time, you’ve got to be ready for that tough challenge and for them to bounce through the race.
“I am always the most apprehensive going into this day than any other. You’ve been in the grand final and you’ve had your break and you’ve come back through the prep-season and we’re into the first round.
“You are a bit apprehensive going in first-up until you see them run, It doesn’t matter how well you are training them or what the figures or the stats are. It comes down to the last 100 metres of the race.”
