A ticket into the Caulfield Cup, a 30 year anniversary fairy tale and a shot at $20,000 for 13 charities is on the cards tomorrow in the seventh annual Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Race Day.
The Group 1 Neds Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) is anyone’s race, with last-start Memsie Stakes (1400m) winner Behemoth at the top of Neds’ market at $4.60. David Jolly’s galloper has been lumped 60kg in his pursuit of back-to-back Group 1’s and will aim to become just the sixth horse in the history of the race to carry topweight to victory.
Defending champion Begood Toya Mother returns to defend his crown, while fellow track-and-trip specialist Streets Of Avalon also takes his place. Grant and Alana Williams have pinned their hopes to The All-Star Mile runner-up Superstorm after losing ante-post favourite Showmanship to injury this week. The presence of Blue Diamond Stakes champion Tagaloa adds a further layer of intrigue, the colt aiming to join a select group of champion three-year-olds in winning the Rupert Clarke on his way to the Neds Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 10.
The race also marks 30 years since Damien Oliver’s first career Group 1 win on Centro in 1990, a true fairy tale should he be able to bring it home again on James Cummings trained Cascadian.
The Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Cup (2000m) also looks wide open, Danny O’Brien’s Orderofthegarter Neds’ market leader at $4.60. Four of the first five across the line from the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) three weeks ago- In Good Health, Game Keeper, Think We’re Due and Dr Drill- all take their place, with a golden ticket into the $5 million Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m) on offer to Saturday’s victor.
Each charity partner has been randomly assigned a runner in Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Cup, with a monetary prize for 1st ($20,000) 2nd ($10,000) and 3rd ($5,000) placegetters set to be donated to three lucky charity partners on the day, as generously donated by ANZ, Sportsbet, Beteasy and Catanach’s Jewellers. The winning horse of the race will also gain automatic entry into the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup on Saturday 17 October.
A strong field has been assembled for the Neds How Now Stakes (1200m), while the Aquis Jim Moloney Stakes for Pinchapoo (1400m) will provide a good guide for the Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) on Saturday 10 October.
As Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Race Day will be run without spectators, the usual trackside celebration and charity drives have been reimagined, with the MRC Foundation raising much needed funds for charity partners through the MRC Foundation Raffle, the T’Gallant Super Box and splitting donations made to the MRC Foundation evenly to all charities.
The 13 charities have been randomly allocated a horse in the G3 Catanach’s Jewellers MRC Foundation Cup (Naturalism Stakes).
| Horse | Charity |
| Mirage Dancer | Ronald McDonald house Charities Victoria & Tasmania |
| Cape of Good Hope | MRC Foundation |
| Dr Drill | Pinchapoo |
| Haky | Pancare |
| Steel Prince | Australian Prostate Centre |
| Mahamedeis | Mirabel |
| Gallic Chieftain | MRC Foundation |
| Orderofthegarter | Down Syndrome Victoria |
| In Good Health | The Father Bob Maguire Foundation |
| Chapada | National Jockeys Trust |
| Dabiyr | Challenge |
| Polly Grey | Living Legends |
| Game Keeper | Camp Quality |
| Think We’re Due | Equine Pathways Australia Limited |
| The King | MRC Foundation |
| Kinane | Riding for the Disabled Association of Victoria |
| Super Girl (EMG 3) | MRC Foundation |
| Shandy (EMG 4) | MRC Foundation |
