Defending Melbourne Cup champion Americain

The 2010 Melbourne Cup winning connections of Americainwon’t know which horse to watch in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

Gerry Ryan, Kevin and Colleen Bamford will this year have two horses trying to win Australia’s greatest race.

The friends will have double the fun after purchasing 50% of UK galloper Jukebox Jury after it defeated Americain and Dunaden in the Prix Kergolay (3000m) at Deauville in August.

The horse went on and deadheated for first in the Irish St Leger recouping some of the purchase price.

Now the six-year-old grey trained by Mark Johnston will take on Americian the defending champion as well as 22 other rivals.

Today trainer Alain de Rouyer-Dupre arrived in Australia to put the final touches on Americain for $6m Cup only to find out that the horse was already – “perfect”

Colleen Bamford said the concern about Americain, if there is one, is not the opposition but the 58kg.

“The weight is scaring me because over the 2 miles 58 kg is a very big weight,” she said.

“He is a big strong horse, I’m sure he will be okay but it is a big weight.”

She then explained the Jukebox  Jury purchase.

“We already had him on the radar as a possible horse to buy and when he won the Prix Kergolay our horse agent Robert Roulston said we should take it a step further and see if we can buy a share in the horse.”

Jukebox Jury is a noted front runner and has drawn perfectly in barrier six.

“He is doing everything right, he is working well,” Bamford said.