Walter Cup tip and Foxstar may back up

Foxstar & Vintedge

Foxstar (left) narrowly defeats Vintedge (right) in race 2 at Flemington

Jockey Hugh Bowman scored a minor consolation for losing his Melbourne Cup ride when piloting Sydney galloper Foxstarto victory in the TAB Sportsbet (1700m) at Flemington today.

Bowman had wasted all weekend to ride Mourayan at 53.5kg in today’s Melbourne Cup only to have the horse scratched this morning with a leg worry.

Though Bowman will take no part, he may have set the pattern for the 151st Melbourne Cup.

Foxstar defeated Vintedge narrowly with Influential Miss running on for third and all the horse same down the centre of the track.

It was a similar case in the first race won by Applegate which if correct will see horses track wide in the home straight in the Melbourne Cup, very much in favour of the swoopers,

Bowman settled Foxstar mid-field but couldn’t get into the running line and was posted three wide.

He moved up to put Damien Oliver aboard Vintedge in a pocket at the home turn but his horse resented the bumping and Melbourne way of going.

Vintedge got clear and hit the front but the bigger Foxstar wasn’t having any of it.

In a tight finish, the Guy Walter trained mare stuck her head out to win.

Walter said he may back Foxstar up in the Matriarch Stakes (GROUP 2) 2000m $300,000 at Flemington on Saturday.

“I thought we got beaten,” Walter said.

“She is potentially a nice mare. That was her sixth win in 18 starts.

“I will talk it over with Hughie but we may race her on Saturday again in the Matriarch.”

Asked what Walter likes in the Cup he stuck with Americain.

Finish No. Horse Jockey Trainer Weight Margin
1st 5 FOXSTAR(13) Hugh Bowman Guy Walter 54.5 1-43.11
2nd 3 VINTEDGE(6) Damien Oliver Chris Waller 56.5 0.1L
3rd 6 INFLUENTIAL MISS(3) Steven King Pat Carey 53.5 2.1L
4th 1 FEMINA FASHION(16) Brenton Avdulla Trevor Whittington 58.5 2.4L
5th 11 COLD STEEL REIN(5) Stephen Baster Leon Corstens 53.0 2.5L
6th 7 MANILA JEWEL(2) Danny Nikolic David Hayes 53.5 3.5L
7th 8 APENNINE(4) Luke Nolen Mark Jackson 53.0 3.9L
8th 15 TANTRUM(1) Michael Walker Nigel Blackiston 53.0 4.9L
9th 2 SMOULDER(9) Craig Newitt Graeme & Mark Sanders 57.0 5.4L
10th 14 FINE CALIBRE(15) Dean Yendall Aaron Purcell 53.0 7.2L
11th 16 YASEY SAN(7) James Winks John Pascoe 53.5 7.3L
12th 12 YOU I FIND(14) Kathy O’Hara Lee & Shannon Hope 53.0 9.0L
13th 9 GAIL(12) Nicholas Hall Robbie Griffiths 53.5 9.1L
14th 10 PARIS MEMORY(10) Glyn Schofield Tony McEvoy 53.5 10.1L
15th 17 WHO’S READY(8) Corey Brown Alan Scorse 53.0 11.1L
16th 13 EXCHANGES(11) Kerrin McEvoy Anthony Freedman 53.0 11.3L
Src 4 ROYAL COMMANDS Dwayne Dunn Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra
Src 18 CABASSO Dean Holland Russell Cameron
Src 19 ORIENTAL RUBY Gerard Moloney
Src 20 KIM HEAVEN Bart Cummings

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