White Marlin, the current Melbourne Cup favourite, is set to have a change in his upcoming campaign as his trainers opt for a lead-up run at Flemington instead of the previously planned Mornington Cup.
The unbeaten grey recorded a stunning first-up win in the Group 3 Easter Cup at Sandown, leading many to anticipate his performance in the Mornington Cup. However, co-trainer Adrian Bott announced on Monday that White Marlin will instead run at Flemington before competing in the Andrew Ramsden in May.
Bott and co-trainer Gai Waterhouse believe that White Marlin is best suited to racing on the larger track at Flemington, where he recorded a remarkable 5.5-length win over 2800 metres last spring.
“We just wanted to keep him at Flemington where he is trained, and that race looks a good one for him on the way through,” Bott said.
The Mornington Cup has attracted 24 nominations, including 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare, Caulfield Cup runner-up Nonconformist, and recent Adelaide Cup winner Rebel Racer.
