Melbourne Cup favourite Middle Earth is likely to lose his tag after a disappointing run in the The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes where he finished 91 lengths off the winner Goliath.
Prior to the race Middle Earth shared the head of 2024 Melbourne Cup odds with stablemate Circle Of Fire but has since eased post race now and current sits at second favourite for the race with Ladbrokes.
Ciaron Maher purchased a stake in Qatar Bloodstock’s son of Roaring Lion before his triumphant seasonal debut in the Group 3 Aston Park Stakes at Newbury last month.
The four-year-old continued his strong form, securing a third-place finish behind Isle Of Jura and Goliath in the Hardwicke Stakes.
Middle Earth demonstrated staying power under Oisin Murphy, suggesting he might handle an increased distance of two miles at Flemington when he joins Maher later this year.
Commenting on Middle Earth’s performance in last Saturday’s Group 2, Maher noted, “He was a bit slow to find his stride, as they set a moderate pace, but he finished very strongly.”
Middle Earth, previously trained by John and Thady Gosden for his eight starts in Britain, placed seventh in last year’s St Leger before winning an Ascot Listed event over 1m6f on his final start as a three-year-old. Maher is familiar with converting European Group-race contenders into Melbourne Cup champions.
Gold Trip, another of Maher’s charges, had won a French Group 2, placed fourth in the 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe behind Sotsass, and finished third in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on his last start for Fabrice Chappet before clinching the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
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