The 2010 Melbourne Cup prize will be won at Flemington Racecourse in a little over two months, and this Saturday’s $200,000 Group Two Memsie Stakes (1400m) is lining up as a great pre-race guide.
One star of the final field will certainly be a favourite among horse racing enthusiasts – Shoot Out.
The John Wallace-trained gelding has been stunning since his return to the track, defeating champion fields in the Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) and the Group Two JJ Liston Stakes (1400m).
There are several 2010 Melbourne Cup entrants set to run in the Memsie Stakes, including the Bart Cummings prophecy So You Think. The four-year-old missed out on the Liston Stakes jump due to wet weather, and has not run since the 2009 Emirates Stakes where he finished second.
The Cups King is also set to release fellow Melbourne Cup final field hopefuls Faint Perfume and Dariana this Saturday.
This will be Faint Perfume’s maiden spring race in the mare’s lead up to the 150th Melbourne Cup, while Queensland Derby winner Dariana ran well over the winter in Queensland.
Shoot Out has had many horseracing fans and enthusiasts follow his runs this spring campaign, with some questioning Wallace’s decision to start the gelding so early in the spring.
The 2010 Melbourne Cup final field is set to jump on November 2, but Wallace denies it is too much for the four-year-old. He believes racing the High Chaparral gelding every couple of weeks and looking after him in between will keep him in good shape come spring features time.
Shoot Out is nominated for the 2010 Melbourne Cup, the Cox Plate, and the Caulfield Cup – but a decision as to whether the champion will race in all three will be made closer to the date.
So remember to head back to us here at Horseraces.com.au to catch up on the latest Melbourne Cup news, as we countdown to the race itself.
