Three-year-olds are set to make a return to a Group 1 weight-for-age on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
The Mackinnon Stakes, renamed this year as the Champion Stakes (2000m) and which forms a part of a “Champions” series of races to conclude the Carnival, will see Elliptical and Mr Maestro line-up at Flemington on Saturday.
It will be the first time in four years that the race will have three-year-old representation.
Transferred from the opening day of the Flemington four-day carnival to the final day in 2016, five three-year-olds have competed in the race.
Seaburge (2016) and Extra Brut (2018) both finished third which has been the best finishing position to date.
Elliptical, trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, is coming off a last start second in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 22 while Mr Maestro is backing up after finishing fourth to Manzoice in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) last Saturday.
Sam Freedman said Elliptical was “flying” and would relish his light weight of 51kg on Saturday with Craig Williams aboard having elected to bypass the Derby.
Elliptical will be tackling open company for the first time and is meeting the Cox Plate quinella pairing of Anamoe and I’m Thunderstruck.
“He’s a good horse, he needs to be,” Freedman said
“I don’t think he would have loved a mile-and-a-half of the Derby. That might have come a bit soon for him, so we were happy to wait a week for a smaller field.
“I know he’s racing the best, but it’s worth having a throw at the stumps.
“He’s got a big weight advantage on them, and we’ve got Willo booked, so we’ll see how he goes.”
Elliptical is a $15 chance with TAB in early betting that sees Anamoe ($2) head the market ahead of I’m Thunderstruck ($4).
