Racing: Kiwi-breds rate highly in this year's quiet Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup will be played out to a crowd of next to no one next Tuesday. The club will innovate to engage the absent audiences. There is one New Zealand-trained horse and as many as six New Zealander-bred horses in the field. The Chosen One, by Savabeel, is the only New Kiwi- trained runner in this year's field and is prepared by the Cambridge partnership of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman. Verry Elleegant is training the Zed mare and she is looking to become the first horse to win the Caulfield-Melbourne Cups double in same year since New York-based Ethereal did it in 2001.

Rosie Myers is recovering from a fall at the Foxton trials on October 6. She had to undergo facial surgery and is now in rehabilitation in Porirua. She was knocked unconscious when she was dislodged from her mount soon after passing the winning post.

Probabeel finished seventh in the Group 1 Cox Plate in Melbourne last Saturday. The mare will be coming home to take a rest. Probabeels trainer Jamie Richards will prepare her for an autumn campaign in Sydney.

Lisa Allpress had a full right hip replacement in August. She was back in action at Trentham on Sunday. Her five rides included a win aboard the Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard-trained Crowning Star. Rosie Myers was not in the jockeys' room.  

Need I Say More is the favourite for the New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton next Saturday. He won the Group 2 Sarten Memorial Stakes at Te Rapa last Saturday and is now a $3.00 favourite. Aegon is on the second line of betting at $4.000 and Bourbonaire is $7.50. Need I say more has won four of his five starts and $145,800 in stakemoney.