Geelong Cup draws strong field of stayers

First Immortal will line up in Wednesday’s Group 3 Geelong Cup. (Photo: George Sal/Racing Photos)

Wednesday’s Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) has attracted a strong field of 17 stayers vying for the $500,000 on offer in what shapes as one of the final Melbourne Cup (3200m) auditions.

The Geelong Cup has often been used as a final run for horses heading towards the Melbourne Cup a fortnight later, with international runners holding a strong record in the race.

Media Puzzle won the Geelong Cup on his way to claiming the 2002 Melbourne Cup, as did Americain in 2010 and Dunaden in 2021.

Several runners in the 2023 edition of the Geelong Cup need to win it in order to make their way up the 2023 Melbourne Cup order of entry.

One of those is Geelong Cup favourite First Immortal, who missed out on qualifying automatically for the Melbourne Cup when finishing second behind Future History in The Bart Cummings (2500m) on October 7.

The four-year-old gelding sits 49th in the Melbourne Cup order of entry, and a win on Wednesday would push him well up the list.

His chances were dealt a blow on Monday, with First Immortal – set to be ridden by Jamie Kah – drawing barrier 15 in the 17-horse field.

Having finished third in the 2021 Melbourne Cup, Spanish Mission will use the Geelong feature as his final run heading into the first Tuesday in November.

The Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman-trained stayer is already comfortably in the Melbourne Cup field and looks like he is building nicely to peak in the Melbourne Cup fourth-up.

Blake Shinn will partner Spanish Mission from barrier 11 on Wednesday.

Chris Waller will send five of his runners to the Geelong Cup, while the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace barn, along with Annabel Neasham, will have two representatives in the Cup.

The 2023 Geelong Cup is race seven on a stacked nine-race program on Wednesday afternoon and is set to jump at 4pm AEDT.


Geelong Cup 2023 field

No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
1 Silks
Spanish Mission
Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman
Blake Shinn
11
60kg
2 Silks
Ashrun
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
Mark Zahra
1
56.5kg
3 Silks
King Frankel
Annabel Neasham
Jamie Mott
3
56kg
4 Silks
Sheraz
Chris Waller
TBC
12
56kg
5 Silks
Magical Lagoon
Chris Waller
TBC
5
55kg
6 Silks
More Felons
Chris Waller
TBC
10
55kg
7 Silks
Virtuous Circle
Liam Howley
Damien Lane
4
55kg
8 Silks
Fancy Man
Annabel Neasham
John Allen
17
54.5kg
9 Silks
High Emocean
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
Harry Coffey
16
54kg
10 Silks
Sir Lucan
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Linda Meech
2
54kg
11 Silks
Amade
Phillip Stokes
Zac Spain
13
54kg
12 Silks
Mount Popa
Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes
Jye McNeil
14
54kg
13 Silks
First Immortal
Mark & Levi Kavanagh
Jamie Kah
15
54kg
14 Silks
Timour
Chris Waller
TBC
9
54kg
15 Silks
Ferago
Patrick F Ryan Jnr
Harry Grace
6
54kg
16 Silks
Mr Waterville
Chris Waller
TBC
7
54kg
17 Silks
The Map
Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray
Ben Price
8
54kg

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