Ballarat horseman Archie Alexander has named Sydney’s The BMW 2018 next March as a key autumn racing target for his Caulfield Cup fourth placed stayer Lord Fandango.

European import Lord Fandango is set to target Sydney’s The BMW 2018 this coming autumn. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The German-bred Lord Of England entire proved one of the revelations of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

After winning the Benalla Cup (2046m) in late September at just his fifth start down under, Alexander threw the five-year-old into the deep end at Caulfield on October 14 in the Group 2 $400,000 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m).

Relishing the step up to a mile-and-a-half, Lord Fandango scored a one length win earning him a shot at the Group 1 $3 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) over the same track and distance the following Saturday.

On the quick back-up the galloper more than held his own as a $19 roughie finishing under two lengths away fourth behind the David Hayes-trained and bred surprise winner Boom Time ($51).

The untapped Lord Fandango returned to Alexander’s stables after a five week stint in the paddock on Wednesday and will be aimed at a number of autumn Group 1s early next year.

“He’s had five weeks off and he’s done really well and, being a big, strong colt, he probably wouldn’t have wanted any longer,” Alexander told Racing Victoria.

“This preparation will be different to the spring – we know he’s got the ability this time whereas last campaign we were hoping that he would measure up.”

Lord Fandango is set to kick things off in Victoria with a Melbourne preparation aimed towards the weight-for-age Group 1 $1.5 million Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 10.

The most likely lead-up into the Australian Cup is the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) run at Caulfield in late February on Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes Day, a race that has produced five of the past seven Australian Cup winners including Humidor (2^nd in 2017) this autumn gone.

All going well and Lord Fandango will then travel to Sydney for the first time targeting Rosehill’s lucrative Group 1 $1.5 million The BMW (2400m) on March 31.

This year the 2016 Caulfield Cup winning mare Jameka improved on a lead-up second in the Australian Cup to salute as the short-priced favourite in The BMW results.

Twelve months earlier the Chris Waller-trained Preferment completed the Australian Cup – The BMW double that Lord Fandango is likely to chase in 2018.

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