The Melbourne Spring Carnival and Sydney Spring Carnival’s are set to kick off in August, with the opening Group 1 races to be held on August 24 and August 31, respectively. In this week’s edition of The Follow Files, we have found three runners that are worth following into each of the spring carnivals. You can add these horses to your blackbook with your chosen bookmaker and receive notifications when they run next.
Top horses to follow during the 2024 spring carnivals
Horse to follow: Berkshire Breeze
Berkshire Breeze won his last three starts, with the winning hat-trick concluding in the Banjo Patterson Series Final over 2600m at Flemington, where he won by 4.75 lengths. Since joining the Ciaron Maher stable in November last year, the lightly raced five-year-old gelding has been to the races five times for three wins and one placing, with four of his five starts being over 2000m-plus. This son of Mastercraftsman has gone through his grades nicely during the winter, and he will seek to gain a golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup later in the spring through The Bart Cummings.
Potential spring target: The Melbourne Cup appears to be the main target for Berkshire Breeze this spring; however, if he doesn’t win The Bart Cummings, he could try and plot a path to the Caulfield Cup a few weeks later. Berkshire Breeze is marked as a $15 chance for the Melbourne Cup & Caulfield Cup with Neds
Berkshire Breeze with another impressive win!
He’s one to follow this Spring…
@cmaherracing @Brown_ethan8 pic.twitter.com/XL6xRjWyPu
— 7HorseRacing
(@7horseracing) July 6, 2024
Horse to follow: Veight
After impressing trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy in the autumn during his two-year-old season, Veight returned with a big win before the autumn carnival kicked off as a three-year-old, winning the Group 2 Australia Stakes. The son of Grunt then finished fourth behind two subsequent Group 1 winners, Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni, in the C.F. Orr Stakes before finishing second behind Southport Tycoon in the Group 1 Australian Guineas. The McEvoy team sent him to Rosehill to run in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes, where he tackled 1500m for the first time. He saluted by a small margin over Lady Laguna to finish his autumn off with a victory.
Potential spring target: Now that Veight enters the spring as a four-year-old entire, the $10 million Golden Eagle stands out as a clear target for him. With the Golden Eagle being raced over 1500m, expect the McEvoy team to kick off his preparation over 1200m and 1400m in readiness for his main target on November 2 at Rosehill. Veight is marked as an $8 chance with Playup to win the Golden Eagle.
A ripping edition of The Agency George Ryder Stakes
Veight for @mcevoymitchell @LaneDamian hold off the fast-finishing Lady Laguna to capture the Group 1 at Rosehill Gardens!#ExpectItAll #TABGoldenSlipper pic.twitter.com/mhCJbl2kgG
— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) March 23, 2024
Horse to follow: Tower Of London
For those that don’t know much about Tower Of London, he is a four-year-old entire who is trained by Aidan O’Brien in Ireland, and he has won six of his 12 starts for the master trainer. The son of Galileo has won multiple Group races, including the Group 2 Curragh Cup (2830m) and Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup (3200m). His most recent start was in the Curragh Cup, where Ryan Moore settled near last for most of the journey before peeling wide to unleash with a devastating turn of foot. Tower Of London bridged a near-25-length gap over the final 800m to run down his stablemate Grosevenor Square and win by 1.25 lengths. Tower Of London has the perfect racing style to perform well and win races under Australian conditions.
Potential spring target: Although it hasn’t been confirmed if O’Brien will bring Tower Of London down to Australia to race in the Melbourne Cup, he has said that he believes the 3200m race would suit his galloper. Online bookmakers rate him as an equal-second favourite for the race that stops the nation, and many expect him to make the trip down under in the coming months.
Timed to perfection!
Tower of London and Ryan Moore get there late in the Group 2 Comer Group International Curragh Cup as the pair flash home to deny trailblazing stablemate Grosvenor Square for trainer Aidan O’Brien pic.twitter.com/vBiZw4pge9
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) July 20, 2024
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