English stayer Gatewood has moved a step closer to a Caulfield Cup start with the scratching of Southern Speed and doubts over Americain.
First emergency Sabrage now gains a start in Saturday’s $2.5 million feature and second emergency Gatewood needs one more runner to drop out.
An unlucky runner in last week’s Herbert Power Stakes won by Shahwardi, Gatewood is on the fourth line of betting with a decision on 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain to be made on race morning with connections concerned the track may be too hard.
Gatewood races in the colours of Terry Henderson and Simon O’Donnell’s OTI Racing syndicate and they already have a live chance in the race in My Quest For Peace.
My Quest For Peace, who has won his past two starts in England, is prepared by Luca Cumani who has been a regular visitor to Australia in recent years trying to win the big spring Cups.
My Quest For Peace has had his supporters since drawing barrier two, and jockey Corey Brown believes he’s a genuine hope after partnering him in trackwork.
Brown went within a nose of winning the Melbourne Cup for the connections of Bauer two years ago and would love to go one better at Caulfield.
“He’s right on target,” Brown said.
“I’ve only had one little bit of work on him but what I felt and what Charlie (Henson), Luca’s foreman had told me about the horse, he feels right on track.
“He feels like he’s in really good form.”
Brown expects My Quest For Peace, who has firmed from $17 to $10 with TAB fixed odds since the barrier draw, to have enough sharpness to put himself in a prominent position to give himself every chance of victory.
“They did say to me that the horse can be a little bit relaxed and take a bit of winding up to make him go,” Brown said.
“I don’t know whether it’s because we ride a bit different, like a shorter rein or what it might be, but from his trackwork I rode him in (on Wednesday) I’ve got no doubt he’ll put himself in the first half a dozen.
“The feel he gave me was that he was quite sharp on his feet.”
Americain’s jockey Gerald Mosse and the horse’s handler Stephanie Nigge walked the Caulfield track on Friday to assess the surface.
The track was rated a dead (4) after 1.4 millimetres of rain on Friday morning and another 3mm of irrigation was to be applied in the afternoon.
A dead (4) is expected on race morning with an upgrade likely during the day.
Southern Speed’s trainer Leon Macdonald said barrier 14 was a major concern with last year’s winner.
“She would have had to be as good as Rising Fast to win it and she would have had to carry the most weight for a (winning) mare for 20 years,” he said.
“She will be scratched in the morning and we’ll wait for the Cox Plate.”
Rising Fast won back-to-back Caulfield Cups in 1954/55 while Mannerism in 1992 carried 54.5kg to win, the same weight Southern Speed had in the Cup.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained former English stayer Glencadam Gold is the race favourite.
