Glen Colless will be the new rider for Melito when she lines up for another round against Black Caviar at Doomben on Saturday.
Far from being scared off by the presence of the champion mare, connections of 15 others have nominated for the Group One BTC Cup (1200m) in front of what officials predict could be a crowd of around 20,000.
Melito was on the receiving of a couple of thrashings by Black Caviar in the spring after which trainer Gerald Ryan pulled the pin on her campaign.
The dual Group One winner has had mixed fortunes this autumn, due mainly to Sydney’s wet weather.
She has never won on anything worse than dead and her efforts to finish third to Aloha in the Coolmore Classic under 59.5kg on slow and fourth on heavy in the All-Aged Stakes won by Hay List pleased Ryan.
“She went to Brisbane last week and worked well on Saturday morning,” Ryan said.
“We have booked Glen Colless. Both Corey Brown and Hugh Bowman will be riding at the Scone meeting so we were pleased to get Glen.”
Melito finished the closest of seconds in the 2010 BTC Cup won by Albert The Fat who is also among this year’s entries.
Black Caviar dominates early betting for the BTC Cup at $1.20 with Hay List next at $5.50. Melito and Buffering are both at $16 with the rest headed by Military Rose at $26.
Ryan began the Brisbane carnival on a winning note courtesy of Hot Snitzel who put a 6-1/2 length gap on his nearest rival in Saturday’s Ken Russell Memorial at the Gold Coast.
He is looking for a similar performance from Saramenha who runs in the Listed Hardy Brothers Stakes (1200m) at Doomben.
“She has also done very well and Jim Byrne rides her on Saturday,” Ryan said.
“Saramenha and Hot Snitzel will be kept apart and race on alternate weeks until maybe the Sires’ Produce depending on how they go.”
The Group Two BRC Sires’ Produce (1400m) is at Eagle Farm on June 4, a week before the season’s final Group One race for two-year-olds, the TJ Smith (1600m).
For the unbeaten Black Caviar, the trip to Brisbane is her second away from her Melbourne home, the first yielding a dominant win in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick.
AAP TURF
