Golden Jubilee Stakes winner Society Rock and the Godolphin-owned Delegator have both been nominated for the Group One $1 million Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington on November 5.
If the two top international sprinters do make the trip they will be taking on unbeaten superstar Black Caviar who is defending the title she won by four lengths last November in the 1200m weight-for-age feature.
The Patinack Farm Classic is the eighth leg of the 2011 Global Sprint Challenge.
The lure of success is big for the James Fanshawe-trained Society Rock who, as the winner of the fifth leg of the Challenge, is eligible for a $600,000 bonus if he wins the Classic.
In a major coup, the recently-crowned champion griffin (two-year-old) of Hong Kong, Bear Hero, has been officially nominated for the $1 million Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on October 29.
In what shapes as a salivating showdown on Victoria Derby Day, the unbeaten David Ferraris-trained Bear Hero will square off with Australia’s headline three-year-old Sepoy in the Group One sprint.
Racing Victoria’s (RV) international recruiting officer Leigh Jordon said it had been a priority over the past 12 months to foster interest in races outside of the Melbourne Cup.
“It has been a focus of Racing Victoria and the VRC (Victoria Racing Club) to further promote the Spring Racing Carnival abroad and thus we are delighted to receive entries from these three international sprinters,” Jordon said.
“Society Rock is a class act having won the famous Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June after finishing runner-up to Starspangledbanner in the same race 12 months prior.
“Godolphin has committed to this year’s Melbourne Cup and we would be delighted if they saw fit to bring Delegator along to compete in the Patinack Farm Classic at the same time.
“Delegator is a very smart horse when on song. He’s a multiple Group One placegetter and he’s effective up to a mile (1600m) so he’d be suited by a strong 1200-metres up the Flemington straight.
“I’m particularly excited about the entry from Bear Hero, who is an Australian-bred colt that is unbeaten in three starts and who has run some blistering times in his victories at Sha Tin.”
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