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Mark Kavanagh believes Shocking is as sharp as he has had him going into Saturday’s $1 million Australian Cup at Flemington.

The 2009 Melbourne Cup winner can be expected to be a big improver in the Group One 2000m feature after two lead-up runs at Caulfield including a seventh to Australian Cup favourite Heart Of Dreams in the St George Stakes (1800m) last month.

“He’s worked well and it’s probably the sharpest I’ve had him,” Kavanagh, who gave the horse a solid workout with another stable star Whobegotyou on the course proper at Flemington on Tuesday, said.

Shocking loves his home track where he has won four of his seven starts, from the 1600m of the 2010 Makybe Diva Stakes in which he beat Heart Of Dreams by a half-length on a heavy track, to the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup.

“He’s got an excellent record at Flemington, especially when he gets to 2000 metres or better,” Kavanagh, who was hoping for softish ground which he believes would enhance Shocking’s chances, said.

The five-year-old Street Cry entire will be Kavanagh’s first Australian Cup runner despite having having had the favourite for the feature four times in the past three years.

Maldivian had to be scratched due to injury in 2008 and 2009 while Shocking missed the race twice last year.

A hoof abscess forced him to be scratched on race morning of the original running, and when it was put back a week due to a massive hailstorm and the field reinstated for the following week’s rescheduled event, he again succumbed to the same problem and was withdrawn.

Shocking’s Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Corey Brown will be having his third Australian Cup ride having finished fifth on Diatribe in 2001 and sixth aboard Fiumicino in 2008.

Meanwhile, Peter Moody will try to pull off one of the best training performances of his career with Mr Charlie who goes into the Australian Cup first-up.

The Golan five-year-old came to Moody from New Zealand as the winner of three of 11 starts including the Listed New Zealand St Leger Stakes (2500m) at Trentham in March last year.

The gelding made a winning debut for Moody over 1700m at Flemington on September 4 but was unplaced in four subsequent runs including a sixth in the Group One The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick before being spelled.

“He won very well first-up in the spring. He’s in very good shape,” Moody said.

“I know it’s unorthodox going first-up in the Australian Cup but he was super first-up in the spring and that’s the reason I’ve gone first-up with him into the Cup this time round.”

Heart Of Dreams retains favouritism at $4.60 with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Moudre, who has firmed from $9 to $6, Precedence ($7), Linton ($7.50) and Shocking at $8.50 with Group One Kingston Town Stakes-winning colt Playing God at $9.

Mr Charlie is the outsider of the field at $81 with Mourayan.

AAP TURF

 
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