Trish Dunell
Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman will have two leading Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) chances while a start for another member of their team next Saturday is in the balance.
Bonneval and Jon Snow further boosted their prospects for the A$3 million feature with strong showings in the Gr.1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) at the weekend, but whether Lizzie L’Amour joins them is yet to be decided.
The Zabeel mare turned in a below-par performance when unplaced in Sunday’s Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m).
“She got a long way back and never got into the race,” Baker said. “She hasn’t had a lot of luck in her three runs over here.
“She pulled up well so I’ll speak to the owners about whether we pay up for the Cup. There are a lot of other options to discuss for her.”
Lizzie L’Amour was a first-up seventh in the Gr.2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) where she suffered an atrial fibrillation, then ran sixth in the Gr.2 Stocks Stakes (1600m).
By contrast, her stablemates Bonneval and Jon Snow have both been in excellent carnival form with the former winning both the Dato Tan Chin Nam and the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) before running sixth in the Caulfield Stakes.
“I’m very happy with her. She was last at the 800m and got baulked a couple of times in the straight,” Baker said.
Jon Snow followed up his Gr.3 JRA Cup (2040m) win with a solid third placing in the Caulfield Stakes behind the frontrunner Gailo Chop.
“He had to run a fast first 600m to get a position and he did very well,” Baker said. “Both horses are right on target.” – NZ Racing Desk.