Without A Fight completes Cup double in Melbourne
BySports Desk November 06, 2023
Without A Fight stormed home to complete a big-race double in the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained runner won the Caulfield Cup on his previous run and followed up in style under Mark Zahra in the two-mile Group One.
Previously trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, Without A Fight finished 13th in the Melbourne Cup last year, but 12 months on, he was a clear-cut victor.
Constitution Hill’s return edges nearer as Fighting Fifth entries revealedConstitution Hill could face up to 12 rivals when he makes his seasonal comeback in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in December.
Nicky Henderson’s gelding is unbeaten under rules and is the undisputed star of the hurdling division, winning all seven starts and among them six Grade Ones.
He was last seen claiming back-to-back successes at the big spring festivals, winning the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and then the Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles before heading off on a summer break.
A graduation to chasing was discussed and ultimately vetoed, meaning the six-year-old will take a familiar route through the division by starting out in the Fighting Fifth – a race he won by 12 lengths last year.
“He’ll go straight to the Fighting Fifth, that’s December 2, hopefully we’re all ready for that,” Henderson told Racing TV.
There are 12 others engaged, amongst them is Jamie Snowden’s You Wear It Well, a Cheltenham Festival winner who made light work of her seasonal debut when winning Wetherby’s Listed bet365 Mares’ Hurdle by three lengths at the weekend.
There is a programme of valuable mares’ events throughout the term and that is the path the six-year-old is likely to follow, though the Fighting Fifth option remains open for now.
“She did really well, she was carrying a penalty first time out and it’s always nice to see them stepping up to the mark like that,” Snowden said of her Wetherby run.
“The mares’ route maps itself out, from Sandown to Warwick to Cheltenham in March. Sandown is in January, so the question is whether we think about getting a run into her before then.
“I have just put an entry for the Fighting Fifth this morning, I’m not sure we’d want to be taking on Constitution Hill necessarily, but it doesn’t hurt to put an entry in.”
Harry Fry’s Love Envoi is another mare entered, with Kerry Lee responsible for a duo of entrants in Black Poppy and Nemean Lion.
Sandy Thomson has put forward Benson and Phil Kirby has entered Jason The Militant, whereas Hughie Morrison could saddle the dual-purpose gelding Not So Sleepy, who dead-heated with Epatante in 2021.
Alan King’s Sceau Royal is another seasoned campaigner with an entry, alongside which Brian Ellison has entered Salsada, James Owen has Too Friendly and Iain Jardine has Voix Du Reve.
Mahler Mission given Coral Gold Cup aimJohn McConnell is excited about the chances of Mahler Mission in next month’s Coral Gold Cup at Newbury following his promising comeback run at Carlisle on Sunday.
The seven-year-old looked the likely winner of the National Hunt Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival before crashing out two fences from home and he made his first competitive appearance since in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase in Cumbria over the weekend.
Running over an inadequate trip of two and a half miles, Mahler Mission set out to make all the running before eventually being reeled in by the classy Thunder Rock, but was 10 lengths clear of the remainder in second and McConnell could not have been happier with the performance in defeat.
He said: “We were really happy, we obviously wanted to get a clear round in after what happened in Cheltenham and he ran a really nice race over a trip that was obviously a little bit on the short side.
“He was beaten by a proper horse of Olly’s (Murphy) and overall we couldn’t be happier with him.
“He kept going to the line and will come on for the run in terms of fitness as well. He jumped really well and we think he’s probably slightly better left-handed as well, so there’s lots of positives.”
With the cobwebs blown away, McConnell is looking forward to stepping him back up in trip for one of the season’s most prestigious handicaps at Newbury on December 2.
He added: “That (Coral Gold Cup) is the plan – left-handed, nice trip for him and at the minute he’s got a nice weight (10st 10lb).
“I would imagine the weights could go up a little bit, but anything under 11st would be a lovely racing weight and it looks an obvious target for him.
“I don’t want to think about it too much as I’d get too excited, but if I was looking from the outside in I would think he’d have a right chance.”
Mahler Mission is one of 41 horses still in contention for the Coral Gold Cup following the latest acceptance stage.
The weights are headed by Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor, who could look to bounce back from a disappointing reappearance in Saturday’s Charlie Hall Chase, but would have to carry 12 stone.
The Scottish handler has also left in her Grand National hero Corach Rambler (11st 4lb), who similarly failed to fire on his return to action at Kelso last month.
Dan Skelton’s Protektorat (11st 11lb) and the Venetia Williams-trained Royale Pagaille (11st 5lb) are both still in the mix, while the race sponsors make Jonjo O’Neill’s Monbeg Genius (10st 6lb) their 7-1 favourite despite the fact he was pulled up at Ascot over the weekend.
Coral’s David Stevens said: “Following his defeat at Ascot on Saturday, we eased Monbeg Genius to 10-1 from 6-1 for the Coral Gold Cup, but punters seem willing to overlook that run, and the Cheltenham Festival third has reclaimed his place at the head of the Newbury betting.”
- West already dreaming of Breeders’ Cup return
Adam West is already looking forward to a trip to next year’s Breeders’ Cup with Live In The Dream after his stable star rounded off a memorable campaign at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Following a narrow victory on the all-weather at Lingfield on his first start of 2023, few could have envisaged the meteoric rise the rapid chestnut would enjoy through the remainder of the year.
A shock Group One victory in the Nunthorpe at York left West and owners Steve and Jolene De’Lemos eyeing an American adventure – and having shaped well on his first start Stateside at Keeneland last month, he headed to the west coast as a major contender for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
It is testament to Live In The Dream’s eyewatering pace that even the American speedballs were unable to land a glove on him during the early stages of the five-furlong contest, but he paid for his early exertions late on and in the end was beaten just over a length into fourth place.
Both West and his pride and joy landed back on home soil on Monday evening – and while the trainer admitted to feeling the effects of the long journey home, he reports Live In The Dream to be none the worse for his experience.
“I got home late last night and so did the horse,” said the Epsom-based trainer. “He almost ran away with me this morning, so he’s obviously feeling good.
West feels the magnitude of the occasion in California may have contributed to Live In The Dream’s defeat, adding: “We put our best plan forward to give him every chance and I think we had him spot-on, but he just got a bit buzzy and ran a tiny bit free and that’s ultimately cost him.
“The day he won the Nunthorpe, there was a huge atmosphere, but Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup are even bigger. It’s a lot more intense at Santa Anita and I think that just saw him go a stride too quick into the bend and that was it really.
“As he matures next year, I think he’ll settle into those big events a bit better. He was taking on the best of the best and we look forward to working back from the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar next year.”
With a winter trip to Dubai ruled out, West will give his charge a well-earned break prior to preparing for major prizes in Europe in 2024, before ultimately heading back across the Atlantic in the autumn.
He said: “I’ve spoken to Steve about ambitions and he’ll get a nice, long holiday now and we’ll probably start off a bit later next year.
“Ultimately, the main aim will be to defend the Nunthorpe title, but we might take in some other options internationally as well.
“We’ve got this lovely horse and we want to take in as much as we can and get those experiences – and that he can provide us.”
