| Racing
administators in Melbourne were left a little puzzled at noon today when yesterday's
Goodwood Cup winner Jardine's Lookout was not among the 266 entries for November's
Melbourne Cup. Racing Victoria's General Manager of
Commercialism Mark Player said he would be actively chasing the horse to contest the race.
"Late entries for the race close next Friday so we're
hoping to be able to have him entered then," Player told Cyberhorse this afternoon.
Jardine's Lookout, who beat a handy field in the Goodwood
Cup including Persian Punch, was expected to be in today's entries according to press
reports overnight in Europe.
The gelding's trainer Alan Jarvis told Racing Post
that he was setting the horse now for the Melbourne Cup on November 5.
"He has plenty of petrol in the tank and he will be
entered for the Melbourne Cup. I’ve never been to Australia, the nearest I’ve
been is Bali but it would nice to go there," Jarvis said after the win.
Some 32 international entries were received for this year's
Melbourne Cup, one more than last year.
Among those entered are last year's runner-up Give the
Slip, the Mark Johnston trained Yavana's Pace and Give Notice, the runner-up (by a length
and a half) in the Goodwood Cup.
The mighty Godolphin operation have nominated seven horses
for the Melbourne Cup. As well as Give the Slip they have entered the Queen Elizabeth
Stakes winner Hatha Anna and stablemates Alunissage, Beekeeper, Marienbard, Narrative and
Sydenham.
Mark Johnston has entered three stayers for the Cup, while
Dermot Weld, of Vintage Crop fame, has five entered including boom stayer Vinnie Roe.
Other leading international trainers to pay up for runners
today include Michael Jarvis, Sir Michael Stoute, John Dunlop, Amanda Perrett, John
Jenkins and James Fanshawe of England, Maurice Zilber of France, Hiroki Sakiyama and
Yoshiyuki Goto of Japan, Laurie Laxon of Singapore, David Hayes from Hong Kong, Andreas
Schutz of Germany and John Oxx of Ireland. |
