He admits retirement is near for veteran Fiumicino but the gelding’s owner Nick Moraitis was heartened enough by the gelding’s last-start fourth at Randwick to keep him on the track for now.
The nine-year-old is among the acceptors for Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup (2400m) which also features two horses, Excluded and Spechenka, still in the Melbourne Cup mix.
Winner of the 2007 AJC Australian Derby and 2009 BMW, Fiumicino has had just 37 starts with a two-year gap in his career due to a tendon injury.
Moraitis has been critical of the high weights Fiumicino has been asked to carry as a dual Group One winner since his return earlier this year.
The horse showed he still had some zip when he was on the limit weight of 54kg in the Listed City Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) at Randwick earlier this month finishing less than half a length behind the winner Crafty Irna.
“He’ll keep going after that performance,” Moraitis said.
Fiumicino is also entered in Saturday’s Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington where the winner can earn automatic entry to the Melbourne Cup.
While the Cup is not on Fiumicino’s agenda, Excluded and Spechenka remain in the entries with second acceptances taken on Monday.
But a win would not guarantee either a start with Spechenka on just 50.5kg for the Melbourne Cup and Excluded 50kg.
However, horses who are among the Melbourne Cup declaration but miss a start, are eligible for a $100,000 bonus if they can win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the final day of the Cup carnival.
