The Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) will headline a massive day of racing at Caulfield Racecourse, with a stacked 10-race program scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
A full field of 18 runners is expected to do battle over 2400m, with horses, trainers and jockeys from all over the world making their way to Melbourne for the $5 million feature race.
Chris Waller has two of the key chances in the 2024 Caulfield Cup, represented by Buckaroo ($4.20) and Land Legend ($9), while Valiant King ($81) will also carry his hopes, albeit less than the top two in the market.
Following his dominant win in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes and runner-up finish in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes, Buckaroo has opened as the $4.20 favourite with horse racing bookmakers, and he will jump from barrier eight.
Land Legend will gain the services of superstar jockey Zac Purton, who is one of four riders that will fly in from Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon.
The son of Galileo is coming off a narrow win in the Group 1 Metropolitan, and after drawing barrier one, Purton will have plenty of options.
Eliyass ($6) will be Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s only runner in the Cup, and even though he has drawn barrier 21 of 21, the lightly raced six-year-old gelding has enough speed to overcome the draw and settle on speed.
Last Saturday’s Group 1 Might And Power Stakes winner, Deny Knowledge ($6), will be making her way to the front out wide with Eliyass, due to the Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained mare drawing barrier 17 on Tuesday afternoon.
The lone runner from the Godolphin operation will be The Metropolitan runner-up, Zardozi ($8), who will be ridden by another Hong Kong-based hoop, Andrea Atzeni.
After failing in a protest bid last start, the daughter of Kingman is expected to relish any rain that is predicted to fall in the lead-up, and from barrier 12, she will receive an economical run.
Warp Speed ($26) and Sayedaty Sadaty ($14) are the only two overseas runners in the Cup, and after gaining a run at the 11th hour, the latter has drawn perfectly in barrier three, while Warp Speed will jump from 19.
2024 Caulfield Cup final field
1. Kalapour (4)
- T: Kris Lees
- J: Ben Melham
- W: 55kg
- F: 684×3
- Age: 8YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: War Command (USA)
- Dam: Kaladena (IRE)
+4000
2. Buckaroo (8)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Joao Moreira
- W: 54.5kg
- F: 2118x
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Fastnet Rock
- Dam: Roheryn (IRE)
-125
3. Circle Of Fire (13)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: John Allen
- W: 54.5kg
- F: 98×11
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Fiery Sunset (GB)
+1100
4. Warp Speed (19)
- T: Noboru Takagi
- J: Akira Sugawara
- W: 54.5kg
- F: x523x
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Drefong (USA)
- Dam: Deep Love (JPN)
+550
5. Huetor (7)
- T: Peter Snowden
- J: Luke Currie
- W: 54kg
- F: 02×04
- Age: 8YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Archipenko (USA)
- Dam: Briviesca (GB)
+1300
6. Warmonger (16)
- T: Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)
- J: Michael Dee
- W: 53.5kg
- F: 04×12
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: War Decree (USA)
- Dam: Princess Sapphire (NZ)
+300
7. Eliyass (21)
- T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrain Bott
- J: Tim Clark
- W: 53kg
- F: 311×1
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Le Havre (IRE)
- Dam: Edilisa (IRE)
+125
8. Land Legend (1)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Zac Purton
- W: 53kg
- F: 160×1
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Landikusic (IRE)
+190
9. Young Werther (10)
- T: Danny O’Brien
- J: Jye McNeil
- W: 52.5kg
- F: 51×26
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Tavistock (NZ)
- Dam: Romantic Time (NZ)
+500
10. Duke De Sessa (6)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: Harry Coffey
- W: 52kg
- F: 44255
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Lope de Vega (IRE)
- Dam: Dark Crusader (IRE)
+550
11. Knight’s Choice (14)
- T: John Symons & Sheila Laxon
- J: Robbie Dolan
- W: 51.5kg
- F: 09×43
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Extreme Choice
- Dam: Midnight Pearl
+5000
12. Muramasa (5)
- T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
- J: Daniel Moor
- W: 51kg
- F: 32×48
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Deep Impact (JPN)
- Dam: Omei Sword (JPN)
+700
13. Zardozi (12)
- T: James Cummings
- J: Andrea Atzeni
- W: 51kg
- F: 2566x
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Kingman (GB)
- Dam: Chanderi (GB)
+170
14. Coco Sun (20)
- T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy
- J: Karis Teetan
- W: 50.5kg
- F: 567×1
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: The Autumn Sun
- Dam: Miss Hufflepuff
+850
15. Deny Knowledge (17)
- T: Anthony & Sam Freedman
- J: Craig Newitt
- W: 50.5kg
- F: 15×12
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Pride of Dubai
- Dam: The Paris Shrug (GB)
+125
16. Valiant King (18)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Tei Nugent
- W: 50.5kg
- F: 00×65
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Grey
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Roaring Lion (USA)
- Dam: Assembly (USA)
+1800
17. Positivity (9)
- T: Andrew Forsman
- J: Winona Costin
- W: 50kg
- F: 712×1
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Pussy O’Reilly (NZ)
+850
18. Sayedaty Sadaty (2)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: Ben Thompson
- W: 50kg
- F: x3522
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Anodin (IRE)
- Dam: Bell Su River (GB)
+300
19. Fancy Man (1E) (3)
- T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald
- J: TBC
- W: 50kg
- F: 35×01
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Pride of Dubai
- Dam: Fancy (IRE)
+1800
20. Berkshire Breeze (2E) (15)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: TBC
- W: 50kg
- F: 43211
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Grey
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Mastercraftsman (IRE)
- Dam: Bright And Shining (IRE)
+2500
21. Francesco Guardi (3E) (11)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: TBC
- W: 52kg
- F: 7970x
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Frankel (GB)
- Dam: Trophee (FR)
+2500
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