Parchment Party's owners declared an intention to head to Melbourne this spring
Parchment Party is poised to become the first horse trained out of America to run in the Melbourne Cup after winning the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga on Thursday morning, Australian time.
The four-year-old made it back-to-back wins following victory in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup, a race that carries a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption, and the son of Constitution’s owners declared after the win that they plan to head to Melbourne.
The Bill Mott-trained entire will head to England to quarantine before travelling out with a shipment of European horses bound for the 3200-metre Group 1, which is this year worth $10 million, at Flemington on November 4.
“It’s our plan, go to the Melbourne Cup,” Pin Oak Stud’s Dana Bernhard said when interviewed after the win.
“(We) quarantine in England, then go onto Australia for quarantine and see how we go.”
Parchment Party stretched his record to four wins from 11 starts with his off-the-canvas win the 2816-metre Birdstone Cup, which was run on dirt.
Under pressure before straightening, Parchment Party finished stoutly along the inside rail to score a one length win over Digital Ops.
“He’s a big horse and he’ll run through anything,” Jim Bernhard said.
While no horse trained in the United States has run in the Melbourne Cup, the Belmont Gold Cup honour roll contains names that are familiar to Australian racing fans.
Past winners Red Cardinal, Amade, Baron Samedi and Loft have all raced in Australia, while triple Melbourne Cup placegetter Prince Of Arran ran third in the 2018 edition prior to his first trip to Victoria.
