Who Shot Thebarman To Caulfield Cup after Bart Cummings Win

Classy kiwi import Who Shot Thebarman has stamped his claims as a serious Melbourne Cup contender at Flemington this afternoon, completing a perfectly-timed run to comfortably win The Bart Cummings (2520m).

Who Shot Thebarman has completed a strong run to comfortably win The Bart Cummings

Who Shot Thebarman has completed a strong run to comfortably win The Bart Cummings. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia

Jumping from the gates well, jockey Glen Boss immediately settled Who Shot Thebarman off the pace of early leaders Master’s Degree, Waltzing To Win and Marksmanship, who set only a fair tempo rounding the first bend and over the back straight.

Stalking the lead pack alongside classy rival Sea Moon rounding the onto the final straight, the Yamanin Vital gelding pulled wide and slowly spooled up, gradually reaching leader Marksmanship and charging clear to find the line three lengths in the green; Anudjawun running on for third.

Boss was thrilled with the feel Who Shot Thebarman offered in the 2014 Bart Cummings and was quick to lay the praise on his classy partner.

“I wanted to roll forward and I was either going to do a little bit too much work or it wasn’t going to work out for me, so there was a spot just back inside me so I reverse parked and just put him there,” Boss said

“Once I did that, that was good; he relaxed very well, he gave me a lovely ride and from the half-mile I just basically popped out three wide just to give him clean air, see where I could go whenever I wanted to.

“He’s a real stayer, this bloke. He takes a bit of staking up but I love his furlong, he sort of looks like he’s in trouble at the 400 and a little bit at the 300 but then you get to the furlong and he’s actually starting to really get into his gear and gets strong through the line.

“He’s pulled up really well this horse, you wouldn’t even know he went around so he’s obviously got a great set of lungs on him and he can really stay. He’s a young horse going places.”

Stable representative for Chris Waller, Justine Hales was pleased with Who Shot Thebarman’s performance in The Bart Cummings and confirmed the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) is likely to figure as the next point of call.

“I think he’s got a bit more weight in the Melbourne Cup than he does in the Caulfield Cup so hopefully we can bump the weight off a bit and get there,” Hales said.

“He appreciates the long straight here; he takes a little while to wind up but he’s got such a long stride but once he gets going he’s very economical and does it easy.

“I think Chris is planning on the Caulfield Cup to the Melbourne Cup.”

Winner of this year’s edition of the Group 1 Auckland Cup (3200m) on March 5th, Who Shot Thebarman has found exceptional form over his last two starts and figures as a legitimate chance of success in the 2014 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

About The Author

Jared Timms

Jared graduated with a journalism degree in 2011. He is a keen sports fan and has enjoyed many accolades for his lively writing style and comprehensive coverage of major sporting events and horse racing. Today, you can find Jared cheering on his beloved Manchester City with a beer in hand.