This Friday, December 16, the postponed 2011 Moe Cup is set to take place with nominations and weights for the feature now out.
Cut back from its traditional 2500 metres to just a mile, the $40,000 Moe Cup (1600m) has drawn 27 early entries.
Hefty 61kg topweight of the contenders is Jungle Ruler with 61kg, Peter White’s veteran Lion Hunter eight-year-old coming off a sixth in the Tony Beddison Cup (1600m) at Moonee Valley on November 19.
A known mudlark, Jungle Ruler recently won the Peninsula Cup over the Mornington mile on a Slow (7) track in October and also thrived when second to Doubtful Jack in a 1207 metre sprint at the same course in Heavy (9) conditions earlier that month.
Jungle Ruler is followed in the Moe Cup weights by Pat Carey’s American import Cannonball (59.5kg), Mortlake Cup- Ararat Gold Cup double winner Diamondsondinside (59.5kg) and the Peter Moody-trained Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes winner in Brisbane back in May Turnitup (59kg).
Other top Moe Cup entries include Tony Vasil’s perennial runner-up The Wingman to be ridden by Noel Callow, Anthony Freedman’s last-start Sandown winner Population and Heath Conners’ consistent Hussonet four-year-old Condahussler.
Meanwhile, the most notable absentee from the list of Moe Cup nominations was local four-year-old Our Skeeta who after winning at Sandown in a metro first for trainer Ian Jones, failed to impress at Flemington last Saturday.
While not holding black-type status, the Moe Cup is one of the many annual provincial cup clashes providing punters with an exciting betting opportunity.
Stay tuned to Races.com.au to view the Moe Cup field and barriers due out on Wednesday.
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2011 Moe Cup Nominations
| # | Horse | Trainer | Ballot | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JUNGLE RULER | Peter White | 1 | 61kg | 95 |
| 2 | CANNONBALL (USA) | Pat Carey | 2 | 59.5kg | 92 |
| 3 | DIAMONDSONDINSIDE | Luke Oliver | 3 | 59.5kg | 92 |
| 4 | TURNITUP | Peter G Moody | 4 | 59kg | 91 |
| 5 | THE WINGMAN (NZ) | Tony Vasil | 5 | 57kg | 87 |
| 6 | POPULATION | Anthony Freedman | 6 | 56kg | 85 |
| 7 | OVERTAKE | Luke Oliver | 7 | 55kg | 82 |
| 8 | ALGONA AVENUE (NZ) | Luke Oliver | 14 | 53kg | 70 |
| 9 | ARCH PEGASUS | Luke Oliver | 11 | 53kg | 72 |
| 10 | BON GENRE | Stephen Theodore | 21 | 53kg | 65 |
| 11 | BORDER EXPRESS | Cameron Templeton | 24 | 53kg | 62 |
| 12 | CHAMPAGNE LOVE | Melissa Wells | 13 | 53kg | 71 |
| 13 | CONDAHUSSLER | Heath Conners | 12 | 53kg | 71 |
| 14 | HIGH KINGCZAR | Michael Ryan | 26 | 53kg | 61 |
| 15 | I’M LEAVING | Maree Lewis | 22 | 53kg | 65 |
| 16 | IT’S LUMSDEN | Ken Keys | 17 | 53kg | 68 |
| 17 | JUSTE ASSEZ | Tara Cochrane | 27 | 53kg | 46 |
| 18 | KING USAIN (NZ) | Chris Hyland | 20 | 53kg | 65 |
| 19 | SCENIC FIND | Len Xuereb | 10 | 53kg | 74 |
| 20 | SCENIC SCENE | Luke Oliver | 16 | 53kg | 70 |
| 21 | SENDARI | Paul & Tracey Templeton | 23 | 53kg | 62 |
| 22 | SERENE TANIE | Robbie Laing | 8 | 53kg | 78 |
| 23 | SKYBEE | Cliff Murray | 25 | 53kg | 62 |
| 24 | TELLAN DAVE (NZ) | David Cave | 19 | 53kg | 67 |
| 25 | TUBE | Damien Williams | 18 | 53kg | 68 |
| 26 | WHY DO YOU ASK | Stephen Theodore | 9 | 53kg | 76 |
| 27 | YASEY SAN | John Pascoe | 15 | 53kg | 70 |
