Back in work ahead of their spring carnival return targeting Australasia’s weight-for-age championship, connections of four-time Group 1 winning Kiwi It’s A Dundeel have confirmed the Memsie Stakes 2013 as the horse’s most likely first-up run.
It's A Dundeel is Cox Plate-bound this spring. Photo: Steve Hart.
Murray Baker’s rising High Chaparral four-year-old has been in the winners’ stall eight times over their 12 start career so far, four of those being for a Group 1 triumph down under.
Their first elite level trophy came in the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick last October.
They didn’t win again until March this year when blowing away Proisir third-up at Warwick Farm in the Randwick Guineas.
Completing the Randwick – Rosehill Guineas double next start the superstar would then bags the Sydney Autumn 3YO’s Triple Crown in mid-April with their ATC Derby success over 2400m.
It’s A Dundeel was last seen running second to the Chris Waller-trained import Reliable Man in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as the beaten favourite in the Sydney Cup Day showdown.
Now they are gearing up for a spring return with It’s A Dundeel the early favourite for the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.
In the current Cox Plate odds the galloper is at $4.20.
The punters are taking no chances with this talent either with It’s A Dundeel also installed at the top of the bookmaker.com.au markets paying $7 to win the $2.5 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) earlier in the carnival on October 19.
Murray meanwhile has confirmed we’ll get our first official look at how they’ve come back when they resume in one of two recently upgraded Victorian features.
Connections are considering both the $350,000 Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday August 31 as well as the $350,000 Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington the following week – both running as Group 1’s for the first time in 2013.
A win in either would boost It’s A Dundeel’s value at stud, especially the Memsie which Baker won back in 1990 with The Phantom.
“He’ll resume in either the Memsie or the Makybe Diva and then he’ll go to the Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield, the Yalumba Stakes (2000m) and the Cox Plate,” Baker said.
“With the Memsie now a Group 1 it certainly influenced our decision, being a colt if he could win a Group 1 over 1400 it would be great for his future prospects at stud.
“I won the Memsie in 1990 with The Phantom and it would be great to win it again, especially now that it’s a Group 1.”
To get behind It’s A Dundeel now at their juicy futures prices for the upcoming Group 1’s head over to bookmaker.com.au and enjoy betting with the country’s premier online betting agency!
