Trainers Anthony Freedman and Bart Cummings are looking optimistically towards next year’s Melbourne Cup after mixed performances from their imported German stayers.
Freedman was excited about five-year-old Lucas Cranach who finished third to French stayer Dunaden and English raider Red Cadeaux on Tuesday.
“He is the horse you would want next year for sure,” Freedman said.
“You just wonder how it would have worked out this year had it been all trouble-free.
“He didn’t miss any work but there was a lot of work done on him, playing around with the horse all the time.
“He didn’t get a lot of peace.”
Lucas Cranach, who also finished fifth in the Caulfield Cup, was bought with the Melbourne Cup in mind and became a personal project for Lee Freedman who went to England to oversee the early part of his Cup program after handing the reins of the stable to his brother three months ago.
Like Anthony, Lee can’t wait for next year to roll around.
“He (Lucas Cranach) is going to make his mark,” Freedman said.
“It took two pretty good horses, pretty well in at the weights, to beat him.
“He’s a top-class stayer and he’s only had 11 starts so he will be a much better-seasoned horse a year from now.
“We look expectantly forward.
“He didn’t win today but he ran terrific.”
Meanwhile, Cummings was bemused by the lack of pace in the Melbourne Cup which left him with the two pacemakers in the race.
Much to Cummings’ dismay, Illo (19th) and Precedence (11th) revived memories of Aidan O’Brien’s 2008 Cup pacemakers Septimus, Honolulu and Alexandra Volta – and suffered a similar fate.
“I thought there would be more pace but it wasn’t to be,” Cummings said.
“Precedence didn’t settle because they were walking.”
Cummings said he expected German import Illo to be prominent but not in front with a lap to go which came about after on-pacers Tullamore and Glass Harmonium were slow to begin.
Cummings predicted that Illo would be back for next year’s Cup and would be better prepared as he had only been in Australia six weeks.
“An extra month or two he would have been better, but he did a good job,” Cummings said.
“He had one run 10 days ago in the Moonee Valley Cup and that that was his first run in 3-1/2 months.
“He will be all right and I would say he will be back next year.”
AAP TURF
