Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise's Spring preparation begins

The 2023 Melbourne Cup has been run and won with Mark Zahra steering Without A Fight to a famous victory. The winning jockey said Without A Fight gave a dream run and credited the entire team for the historic win. "Unbelievable. If I could've thought I'd have that run from (barrier) 16 I'd have said he was unbeatable," Zahra said. "To the trainer's…

Keen to back the 2023 Melbourne Cup winner and claim bragging rights over your friends, workmates, and family? Racenet has compiled some critical form indicators for this year's big race. Racing and Sports Wakeful Stakes Punters have many theories during the Melbourne Cup Carnival and some look to land a roughie or two during the massive four-day…

Trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman have high hopes for Gates and are prepared to test the colt at Stakes level at Caulfield. A son of Frankel, Gates runs in the Group 3 Caulfield Classic (2000m) on Saturday as a lead-up to a potential start in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on November 4. Gates will be lining up for only…

Spanish Mission's name will not be there when Caulfield Cup final acceptances are taken on Wednesday, but that's no reflection of the stable's satisfaction with the way he is going. The imported entire will instead head to Wednesday week's Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m), where he will be on trial for a start in the $8m Melbourne Cup (3200m). The…

The weather forecast will have a bearing on whether Gold Trip attempts to avenge his defeat last year's Caulfield Cup. Fine weather is forecast for the remainder of the week which is playing on the minds of trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace ahead of acceptances for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Saturday. Maher said the weather was one…

Trainer Grahame Begg was delighted with how his two Cups contenders came through there trials at Cranbourne in preparation for their spring returns. Lunar Flare and Nonconformist both trialled over 1000m on Monday, on a track that was rated slow. With a berth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup already assured courtesy of her win in the Listed Andrew…

In years past, Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight would be one of the most talked about runners in the Melbourne Cup. But with Irish raider Vauban in town grabbing all the headlines after a gallop at Flemington last week, Without A Fight has slipped under the radar. That is the just way his trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman like it as the stayer…

When Brett Prebble's phone rang early on Golden Slipper morning, he feared the worst. The caller was Adrian Bott, trainer of Prebble's Slipper mount, Red Resistance. This could only be bad news. "I had been at trackwork that morning and I had seen Adrian Bott there,'' Prebble said. "But after riding a few gallops, I went home then the call from…

A leg knock is expected to delay the autumn return of Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise. Trainer Peter Moody said Incentivise had been progressing well in his bid to resume racing having not raced since finishing second to Verry Elleegant in the 2021 Melbourne Cup where it was later discovered the gelding had damage to both suspensory ligaments and…

Don't be surprised to see Golden Eagle winner I Wish I Win in a big sprint down the Flemington straight in coming preparations. I Wish I Win went to the spelling paddock after earning $5m for connections when winning the Golden Eagle (1500m) in Sydney last October but is back preparing for an autumn campaign. The Peter Moody-trained galloper won…

Incentivise has suffered a slight setback in his comeback from a long-term injury. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images. Punters will need to wait a bit longer to see the return of 2021 Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise. Incentivise has not raced since his gallant second to champion mare Verry Elleegant in that year's Melbourne Cup as the gelding…

The Vow And Declare camp has ominously declared their horse of a lifetime is now racing just as well - if not better - than when he famously won the 2019 Melbourne Cup. The star stayer has had a chequered few years, which have included setbacks with tendon and back injuries, but he is now back with a bang. Danny O'Brien's poster stayer has had…

There's a Cox Plate to die for, a Caulfield Stakes looking almost as good, a Melbourne Cup promising a boost in European talent, a handful of fortunes and stud careers to be made or lost, and a hundred other plotlines. As the Sydney Swans and a Parramatta would say, thank God the footy's done and we can focus on racing and the spring carnival. For…

Foujita San will run in the Caulfield Guineas on Saturday. Picture Getty Images The powerful Hawkes training operation will closely monitor weather patterns in Melbourne and Sydney over the next 24 hours before making final decisions regarding its runners at Caulfield and Randwick on Saturday. Caulfield was rated a good 3 while Randwick had a heavy…

Godolphin trainer James Cummings can't fault Anamoe ahead of the Group 1 $1m George Main Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday. Anamoe won the Winx Stakes impressively a month ago and Cummings said his stable superstar has trained on "beautifully" for the race. The Godolphin stable's confidence would have soared even further late on Friday…

Trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman have a clear plan of attack for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. The pair have two clear hopes in Melbourne's big spring handicaps with Delphi the stable's top seed in the Caulfield Cup while Realm Of Flowers will carry their expectations in the Melbourne Cup. Both have changed significantly since punters last saw…

It wasn't until Phar Lap stepped out over nine furlongs (1800 metres) that he started to show his connections a glimpse of his athleticism, and Incentivise has followed that mould in delivering his potential over the longer trips. Since Incentivise's maiden victory over a mile on the Sunshine Coast on April 11, the bay gelding has won a further…

Melbourne Cup second favourite Spanish Mission during trackwork at Werribee. Picture: Getty Images It seems extraordinary in a 24-horse Melbourne Cup, but punters have already declared the big race a two-horse war with overseas invader Spanish Mission the only threat to raging favourite Incentivise. With several injured contenders falling by the…

Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise has been given a 1.5 kg Melbourne Cup penalty for his dominant win on Saturday, seeing his handicap rise to 57 kg for the iconic two-mile race at Flemington. Incentivise will now carry the same weight as Verry Elleegant, Spanish Mission and Gold Trip, while 2020 winner Twilight Payment is the top weight with 58…

Trainer Ciaron Maher told Channel Seven that it had been a routine gallop for Sir Dragonet, who "hadn't got into work" in the session and "whether he put his foot down funny", the stallion sustained a "catastrophic injury to his near foreleg". The son of Camelot was imported into Australia by Kheir last year, when, after Jack Newnes slotted a…

Australia's greatest race could easily be Incentivise's to lose after the most exciting and improved racehorse in the country romped home in the Caulfield Cup. Capping a meteoric rise, Incentivise trounced his rivals in the $5 million spring handicap to take a stranglehold on betting for the Melbourne Cup. In spite of covering more ground than any…

Both horses are expected to benefit from Saturday's race, with their campaigns set on the 3200-metre classic on the first Tuesday of November. But Maher said they were arguably better Caulfield Cup chances than the market suggested. Explosive Jack ($14) and Persan ($27) are considered rough chances by Sportsbet. "I'm very positive. Both horses…

Sydney trainer David Payne has high hopes of landing one of Australia's "big four" races with his star stayer Montefilia - but he is waiting to see whether her Caulfield Cup chances will be badly dampened by a hefty penalty. Last year's Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jye McNeil will take the ride, having beaten off a number of other candidates for…

Metropolitan Handicap winner Montefilia will ramp up her carnival preparations with an exhibition gallop between races at Rosehill. The mare is scheduled to resume in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on February 26 and trainer David Payne is keen for her to have a day out to whet her appetite. Jason Collett will partner her in…