John O’Shea’s classy Zabeel gelding Zabrasive is set to resume racing on August 28 in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield on way to a run in the 2010 Melbourne Cup.
The four-year-old winner of last year’s Group 1 Rosehill Guineas, Zabrasive is currently a $21 chance through [sportsbet] to win the 150th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday November 2 at Flemington.
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O’Shea has scheduled the $200,000 Group 2 Memsie Stakes (1400m) as Zabrasive’s first-up spring run on Saturday fortnight, where the star Sydney stayer will come face to face with the 2010 Cox Plate favourite Shoot Out.
The John Wallace-trained Shoot Out is shaping up as the champion galloper of the carnival, having already won his two season starts claiming victory in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) and the Group 2 JJ Liston Stakes (1400m).
The stunning season start for the boom Queenslander has seen Shoot Out shorten into the clear $5 favourite at [sportsbet] to win this year’s $3 million Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 23.
To date Zabrasive has won three of his seven career starts for $436,050 in prizemoney, and has a long rivalry with Shoot Out following their three clashes during the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
While Zabrasive took the honours in the Rosehill Guineas, Shoot Out was able to get the upper hand in both the Randwick Guineas and the AJC Derby.
O’Shea is also targeting the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 16 with Zabrasive, with the gelding currently sitting as a $17 chance in the [sportsbet] Caulfield Cup betting markets.
Randwick-based trainer O’Shea also has Jessicabeel and Smokin’ Gun nominated for the $6 million Melbourne Cup.
Sydney Cup winning mare and half-sister to Zabrasive, Jessicabeel is already one of the early Melbourne Cup favourites at [sportsbet] paying $17 while High Chaparral gelding Smokin’ Gun is an outside chance to make the 24-horse Melbourne Cup final field at $201 odds to win the Flemington feature.
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