Caulfield’s Rick Hore-Lacy has welcomed back into work one of his stable favourites Chase The Rainbow this month ahead of the grey stallion’s home cup campaign targeting the 2013 Caulfield Cup this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Injury-prone stayer Chase The Rainbow could target the 2013 Caulfield Cup this spring. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.
Dash For Cash four-year-old Chase The Rainbow hasn’t raced since resuming off an 11 month spell to score an emphatic three and a half length victory over the 1400m at Caulfield last September.
All looks back on track after that prep was cut short with Hore-Lacy eyeing one of the upcoming season’s most prestigious staying features, the $2.5 million Group 1 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19.
The lightly-raced galloper has had just seven starts leading into this latest campaign, four of which they have won.
Their biggest success so far was the Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley back in September of 2011 which was won run before their disappointing seventh behind Helmet when they defeated just one other runner in that year’s Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
Despite injury and setbacks plaguing their career, Hore-Lacy believes Chase The Rainbow has overcome all of their niggling grievances and that this is the season for them to show exactly what they’re made of.
“He’s sound and injury free and I’m very happy with him at the moment,” Hore-Lacy said.
While Hore-Lacy will enter and at this stage prepare them for the 2013 Caulfield Cup, whether or not the horse will develop into a genuine 2400 metre horse is of some concern to their trainer.
“I’m going to enter him for the Caulfield Cup,” he said.
“I don’t know whether he’ll run a mile-and-a-half (2400m) one way or the other, but he certainly ran the mile (1600m) out strongly at Moonee Valley as a three-year-old and he doesn’t pull; which are both good signs for a stayer.”
Caulfield Cup nominations for 2013 will be taken in the first week of August and published right here at Races.com.au.
You don’t have to wait until then however to get in on the elite Caulfield Cup betting action thanks to bookmaker.com.au who already have juicy futures markets open on the classic.
Current pre-nomination Caulfield Cup odds are led by Murray Baker’s four time Group 1 winning colt It’s A Dundeel ($7) and early Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune ($9).
Chase The Rainbow meanwhile is yet to be added to the markets at bookmaker.com.au but when they are make sure you’re ready to back them by opening your account with Australia’s leading online bookie today!
