Constantinople heads the market for the 2019 Melbourne Cup The ex-Aidan O’Brien trained Constantinople has been confirmed as an intended runner in the 2019 Melbourne Cup in November. The horse has also been provisionally entered for the Caulfield Cup which takes place on Saturday 19th October. Constantinople will be handled by David Hayes, at the Lindsay Park stable. Hayes has a proud history of nurturing plenty of Group 1 winners in the southern hemisphere, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Constantinople has moved into favouritism at odds of 16/1 for the race. The 2019 Melbourne Cup is one of the most talked about future race meetings for those that like to punt on racing in the southern hemisphere. It’s Australia’s most famous race, dating back to 1861. The race is run over 3,200 metres (just shy of 2 miles). As one of the richest turf races on the planet, with a prize purse of AU$8 million, it’s unsurprising that Constantinople has been targeted at the “race that stops a nation”. Expectations of Constantinople being dampened by new trainer Despite the fanfare surrounding the potential of Constantinople, David Hayes, has sought to play down expectations, labelling the fast-developing stayer a “false favourite” for the Melbourne Cup. Hayes acknowledged the “hype” surrounding Constantinople but insisted he wanted to wait until he could “get his hands on him and see how he is” before making bold Melbourne Cup claims. Hayes has also taken Rostropovich into his stable with this year’s event in mind, but he insists that he is “more keen for the future” regarding both of these thoroughbreds. Hayes confirmed that neither Constantinople or Rostropovich would be given a hard work-out on the Werribee circuit. He stated that he would be training them both “very conservatively” although he was keen on “getting them out straight away” to acclimatise. It’s hard not to take notice of Rostropovich given that he is the son of Frankel, one of the most dominant flat racers in recent history. Other leading contenders for the 2019 Melbourne Cup It wasn’t long ago that the Melbourne Cup contained a high percentage of homegrown talent. Fast forward to the present day and it’s clear that more overseas stables are keen to try their luck with AU$8 million up for grabs. The Godolphin-owned Cross Counter remains one of the biggest challengers for this year’s Melbourne Cup. After winning confidently last year, Godolphin is keen for the reigning champ to return and bid to become a back-to-back winner. You have to go back well over a decade to find Makybe Diva who not only won back-to-back Melbourne Cups but a hat-trick of them between 2003 and 2005. It’s also worth mentioning Adian O’Brien who himself trains, Il Paradiso, who looks another solid contender for the Melbourne Cup. This three-year-old displayed plenty of potential on British and Irish tracks earlier this year, with a creditable third in York Racecourse’s Lonsdale Cup. Although he doesn’t have quite the raw attributes of former stablemate Constantinople, his stamina and pace could certainly put him in the mix. Another potential 2019 Melbourne Cup winner is Steel Prince, who has enjoyed significant development since moving to the Freedman stable. The stayer recently won a ballot exemption race, giving him direct entry to this year’s race. Steel Prince is likely to be entered into the Caulfield Cup too, which would provide a useful barometer in the days leading up to the Melbourne Cup. Meanwhile another ex-Aidan O’Brien trained horse Yucatan flattered to deceive in last year’s Melbourne Cup, particularly after blowing away the field in the Herbert Power Stakes, eventually finishing outside the top ten. Connections cited the wet weather and soft ground as the main reason behind Yucatan’s poor showing. If the weather conditions are somewhat more favourable on the first Tuesday in November we could see a totally different Yucatan at Flemington.
