#STARTERS ORDERS 6 BLINKERS HOW TO#

#STARTERS ORDERS 6 BLINKERS HOW TO#

He’s had a pretty long preparation, but the trainers know how to keep them up for it and the horse obviously has enough miles in his legs to be fit enough for this trip.

T: Ciaron Maher & Dave Eustace J: Kerrin McEvoy.

This horse could be a phenomenon and I think he’ll win. He’s experienced, at 44, has won a Melbourne Cup before (on Green Moon in 2012) and I know he handles pressure very well. There shouldn’t be any hard luck stories this year.īrett being on such a short favourite does add pressure, but it’s a good pressure to have. He’s a horse who just needs the race to be free-flowing, because that’s how he likes it not stop-start, a true staying test. This should favour a couple of backmarkers if they’re good enough, but it will also help Incentivise, even though he’ll be up the front. So they’ll push up, and that creates more tempo in the race still. And this year, the inside jockeys are going to look at Brett, and they’re going to say, “We’re not going to let you get across”. Horses just want to go a bit harder when there’s more horses around them. Very seldom do they walk in a Melbourne Cup anyway, because the bigger fields do tend to create a stronger tempo. I think there’s going to be some good speed on this year. If you’re drawn in and you miss the start, you don’t. Even if you’re a touch slow away, you’ve still got options. If something went wrong, like missing the start, Brett would have to ride his horse and the other 23 because he’s favourite, everyone would be out to pocket him and not give him room. I thought the only downfall for this horse would’ve been if he’d drawn an inside gate. Unlike the 2400-metre Caulfield Cup, he won’t want to sit three-deep this time over 3200m, but I see him in the first three or four. Brett will take his time and come across. The barrier might be wide but it’s perfect. The horse is very clean-winded, as in he doesn’t puff and pant after his races, which suggests a big set of lungs as well as a big heart. From the outside gate Brett just sat wide, cruised up, was three-deep nearly the whole trip, but then in the straight he just put ‘em to the sword. The penny dropped for me with his Caulfield Cup win. You feel how many different gears these good horses have. The difference between riding an average horse and a star – it’s like driving a Mini Minor all week and then you get into a Lexus on the weekend. It’s just something you can feel underneath you. But I’m good mates with Brett Prebble and he told me the horse was a superstar. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think he was that impressive in his first win in Melbourne, in the Makybe Diva over 1600 metres. This is the shortest favourite since Phar Lap, so he warrants some close analysis.

Starters orders 6 blinkers