Snow Sky will carry the top weight in the 2015 Melbourne Cup and trainer Sir Michael Stoute admits that he is unsure whether the talented stayer will be good enough to carry that weight to victory in the Group 1 event at Flemington on Saturday.
Snow Sky has been friendless in 2015 Melbourne Cup betting markets. Photo by: Steve Hart
Snow Sky has been competitive at the highest level of racing since he made his racing debut in August of 2013 and he first stamped himself as a potential Melbourne Cup contender when he finished a lucky third behind Kingston Hill in the Group 1 Ladbrokes St Leger Stakes (2937m) at Doncaster on September 13.
The Nayef entire started the 2015 racing season with an impressive win in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup (2816m) at York on May 156 and he recorded a dominant win in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes (2414m) at Royal Ascot on June 20, but he failed to fire in the Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2414m) at Ascot on July 25.
Snow Sky was extremely well-backed in the lead-up to the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and he did not have a great deal of luck in running, but he was still able to battle to home to finish fifth behind Mongolian Khan.
Stoute believes that Snow Sky will be better suited in the Melbourne Cup than he was in the Caulfield Cup, but he is still unsure whether the Hardwicke Stakes winner will be good enough to take out the $6 million race.
“The race has been getting tougher, but I think that he is a very suitable horse,” Stoute said.
“He has top-weight, but he is entitled to have that.
“My horse is a 122 rated horse in England and he probably isn’t going to be good enough.
“I’m not sure if he has come on since the Caulfield Cup, he will tell us that on Tuesday.
“We had him pretty fit there, but this will suit him better.
“This horse won the Yorkshire Cup and he was third in a St Leger, but should have been second and this trip is better for him.”
Snow Sky was allocated the original top weight of 58 kilograms along with last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist when weights were released in September and no original top weight has been successful in the Melbourne Cup since Comic Court took out the 1950 edition with a young Bart Cummings as his strapper.
Snow Sky is currently available at 2015 Melbourne Cup odds of $41 with Ladbrokes, while Fame Game ($4) remains a clear favourite from Trip To Paris ($9), Preferment ($10), Criterion ($14) and Max Dynamite ($14).
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