Godolphin’s English trainer Charlie Appleby is hoping Jungle Cat can claw his way into the last slot for The Everest with a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield today.
Home Of The Brave, above, is the favourite for the 2018 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Steve Hart.
Jungle Cat is resuming from a spell and is the winner of his last three starts at Meydan in Dubai which includes a last start win in the Group 1 US$1m Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) on March 31.
Appleby said that they would definitely chase the final slot for the $13m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 13 if Jungle Cat was to win the Group 1 sprint at Caulfield today.
“If he was to win for sure it (The Everest) is going to be put on the radar,” Appleby told Racenet.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m sitting on the fence but there is a couple of these horses, they could go either way.”
Top English jockey James Doyle will continue his association with Jungle Cat who will jump from barrier five in the capacity fifteen horse Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes field.
Jungle Cat is marked at $11 with Ladbrokes.com.au while the other two Godolphin sprinters under the care of Australian trained James Cummings, Home Of The Brave at $3.70 and Osborne Bulls at $6.50 are the top two in the betting.
Appleby agrees with the bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au that Home Of The Brave is the one to the beat and the English import also has a 1kg advantage over Jungle Cat who has to carry the topweight of 58kg.
“I think on paper Home Of The Brave is the one to beat,” Appleby said.
“He has beaten us once before at Newmarket and we are lumping a bit more of a penalty around there tomorrow.”
Home Of The Brave will jump from barrier eight with Melbourne jockey Mark Zahra taking over the reins from Sydney based Glyn Schofield who steered the seven year old to an all the way win in the Group 2 $200,000 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill a fortnight ago.
Craig Williams will stick with Osborne Bulls (barrier 6) after the pair combined for a last start win in the Listed $120,000 Lister Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 18.
Jungle Cat is included in the betting for The Everest at Ladbrokes.com.au as a $41 chance.
The Caulfield track has been rated a Good 4 on Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Race Day with the rail out 9m for the entire course.
