Protectionist will try to emulate Viewed and Dunaden by claiming the Caulfield Cup in the racing season following their Melbourne Cup wins.
Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner has been allotted equal topweight of 58kg with UK galloper Snow Sky following the release of handicaps on Wednesday for the $3.15 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17.
Viewed (2009) and Dunaden (2012) returned to win the Caulfield Cup the year after their wins in the big Flemington race.
Dunaden and last year’s winner Admire Ratki also carried 58kg to victory.
Snow Sky is trained by Sir Michael Stoute and won the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting in June.
The highest-weighted local galloper is the David Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Criterion who has 57.5kg.
Fame Game will be out to give Japan and Hong Kong-based jockey Zac Purton back-to-back victories and will carry 57kg, the same weight as Godolphin galloper Contributer.
Hartnell, a stablemate of Contributer, and Hokko Brave, another Japanese galloper to be ridden by Craig Williams, each have 55.5kg.
Australian and New Zealand Derby winner Mongolian Khan is the highest weighted four-year-old with 55kg ahead of Kermadec who has 1kg less.
“Everyone talks about the poor record of Derby winners in the Caulfield Cup,” Racing Victoria handicapper Greg Carpenter said.
“If you go through the last five Australian Derby winners that have run in the Caulfield Cup, Sky Heights has won it, with four of the last five running in the top three.”
Oaks winners Set Square and Gust Of Wind are the highest weighted four-year-old mares with 51kg with Winx having 0.5kg less.
“If all this group of four-year-olds hold up going towards the race there will be a number there to contest it and I’m confident they will be a powerful force in the race,” Carpenter said.
Rising Romance, runner-up to Admire Ratki last year, has been allotted the same weight this year while Dandino, second with 56.5kg in 2013 behind Fawkner, when trained by Marco Botti, drops to 52.5kg this year for Darren Weir.
Banca Mo, winner of the ballot-free Mornington Cup in March, has been given 50.5kg and Dubday, also guaranteed a start through his victory in the Glorious Stakes at Goodwood last month, has 54kg.
Horses down in the weights which will need to win a ballot-free race to get into the Caulfield Cup include the James Cummings-trained Precedence (52kg) and Singing (51.5kg) prepared by last year’s Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Andreas Wohler.
