Horse Racing

Classy Cranbourne galloper Sea Galleon will look to add a fourth straight win to their name at Caulfield on Saturday when they wear the No. 1 saddlecloth in the 2012 Mornington Cup Prelude, known this year as the Reaan Plate.

Christmas Cup winner Sea Galleon shoots for their fourth straight win at Caulfield on Saturday

Running as the fourth and final stakes race at the meeting, the $100,000 Reaan Plate (2000m) has drawn a final field of 10 stayers.

The race is the official prelude to the $200,000 Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) which runs this year at Mornignton on February 15.

The only horse allocated above the 57kg minimum in the handicap clash is the Colin & Cindy Alderson-trained Sea Galleon who will carry 58kg with Ben Melham to ride the from barrier two.

The smart stayer won back-to-back races in Melbourne last November before winning their Sydney debut with a one length victory over Nextanix in the Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) at Rosehill on December 10.

They race for the first time since on Saturday and are likely to open at the top of the Luxbet markets despite the 2000m being a little short of their preferred distance.

Another galloper in the Mornington Cup Prelude field looking to extend a winning streak is the Dean Howard-trained Royal Mail.

Drawn ideally in gate four with Danny Nikolic booked for the ride, the Bianconi five-year-old won their last two starts over 2000m at Caulfield and Flemington respectively in the past month, the most recent on January 21 when they beat Viking Hero home by one and three quarter lengths.

“The 2000 metres certainly seems to be his distance at the moment,” Howard said.

“There is probably a question mark whether he will get the mile and a half (2400m) at Mornington (for the Cup) but I don’t think he will have too much trouble with that.

“He is pretty adaptable.

“Obviously he has got to run a nice race on Saturday to warrant running in the Mornington Cup but he has been coming through his races very, very well.”

An added incentive for gallopers racing towards the Mornignton Cup is the Caulfield Cup 2012 ballot exemption granted to the winner.

Other notable Reaan Plate acceptors include Matt Laurie’s consistent gelding The Big Steel to be ridden by champion jockey Craig Williams, Stephen Brown’s last-start Flemington winning Zabeel five-year-old Bolton and Clinton McDonald’s locally-trained Snitzel four-year-old Apres.

Stay tuned to Races.com.au for all the upcoming summer and autumn racing previews.

In the meantime, we suggest you take advantage of the exclusive $400 bonus bet offer available at Luxbet to all first time depositing customers that quote the promotional code BONUSBET!

2012 Reaan Plate / Mornington Cup Prelude Field & Barriers

Caulfield Race 7 – 04/02/2012