A Melbourne Cup ballot exemption is up for grabs at Flemington on Saturday in the 2020 The Bart Cummings where the Chris Waller-trained Shared Ambition is tipped to salute.

Shared Ambition is tipped to win the Melbourne Cup ballot exemption in Saturday’s 2020 The Bart Cummings. Photo: Steve Hart.
Master Sydney horseman Waller withdrew his progressive Born To Sea five-year-old Shared Ambition from the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) in Sydney on Epsom Day in favour of a run at HQ on the Turnbull Stakes Day card.
Shared Ambition is one of a capacity line-up of stayers chasing the ballot free ride into the Group 1 $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) back at the track on the first Tuesday of November via a win in Saturday’s Group 3 $500,000 The Bart Cummings (2510m).
Won last year by Surprise Baby, The Bart Cummings is shaping-up as a highly competitive staying showdown.
Sitting top of the markets at $4.80 and firming through Ladbrokes.com.au, Shared Ambition jumps from a midfield gate with last year’s Melbourne Cup winning jockey Craig Williams aboard on 58.5kg.
A winner of six of his 13 starts to date, the imported galloper chases his first victory since a Black-Type at Randwick back in March.
He presents fit third-up this weekend on the back of a second to Taikomochi in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) in Sydney and races in Melbourne for the first time since a Melbourne Cup Day victory last November.
Occupying the second line of The Bart Cummings betting at Ladbrokes.com.au at $5.50 in an open market is the Robert Hickmott-trained Schabau to be ridden by Perth’s premier hoop William Pike.
The German-bred son of Pastorius has an excellent Flemington record with three wins and a third from five previous starts at the iconic track including his victory in last year’s Listed Roy Higgins Quality (2600m).
This prep Schabau comes off back-to-back thirds, the latest only a length off Lord Belvedere over the same track and distance as The Bart Cummings when carrying two kilos more than his 55kg allocation for this weekend.
In a tight market the other best fancied following closely in The Bart Cummings odds are the Schabau’s last-start conqueror Lord Belvedere ($6) and the Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained Steel Prince ($6.50) drawn the second outside alley.
Seven-year-old Lord Belvedere is a Flemington specialist undefeated with a flawless four-from-four record at the track ahead of Saturday.
He also has outstanding form at the distance (4:3-1-0) and comes back from 59kg to 57.5kg as he looks for a fourth consecutive win having also gone out a back-to-back winner at Flemington in the winter.
Dour stayer Steel Prince also has a solid Flemington strike-rate (4:2-1-0) and gets back to the track for the first time since crossing only two lengths back ninth to Vow And Declare in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
He is third-up and fit this weekend following an improved third only three-quarters of a length beaten by Orderofthegarter in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on September 19.
Other notable hopes on the Melbourne Cup path include the rails-drawn Persan ($11) coming off a string of top two runs for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace and the Matthew Cumani-trained Creedence ($12) chasing a third straight victory.
Click here for the latest The Bart Cummings 2020 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2020 The Bart Cummings Field
No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6x19x17x78 | YOUNG RASCAL (FR) | Archie Alexander | John Allen | 5 | 60.5kg | 107 | |
2 | 1x3103x092 | SHARED AMBITION (IRE) | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 9 | 58.5kg | 103 | |
3 | 386x051x90 | HAKY (IRE) | Archie Alexander | Declan Bates | 6 | 58kg | 102 | |
4 | 11x4679x03 | STEEL PRINCE (IRE) | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Mark Zahra | 20 | 58kg | 102 | |
5 | 141x7811x1 | LORD BELVEDERE (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Ben Melham | 2 | 57.5kg | 101 | |
6 | 005x532x52 | SOUND (GER) | Michael Moroney | Jamie Kah | 3 | 57.5kg | 101 | |
7 | 2x0352x678 | CARIF | Peter & Paul Snowden | 18 | 57kg | 100 | ||
8 | 0218×01611 | CREEDENCE | Matt Cumani | Michael Poy (a) | 7 | 56kg | 98 | |
9 | 1123×00114 | PATHS OF GLORY (GB) | Richard & Michael Freedman | Craig Newitt | 13 | 55.5kg | 97 | |
10 | 10x38x3114 | IN GOOD HEALTH | Peter G Moody | Luke Nolen | 14 | 55kg | 98 | |
11 | 21x214x7x6 | ADMIRE ROBSON (JPN) | Paul Preusker | Brett Prebble | 4 | 55kg | 95 | |
12 | 1x111x7x33 | SCHABAU (GER) | Robert Hickmott | William Pike | 10 | 55kg | 94 | |
13 | 615129×337 | DABIYR (IRE) | Chris Waller | Michael Walker | 11 | 55kg | 93 | |
14 | 6x1111x336 | GAME KEEPER | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | Luke Currie | 17 | 55kg | 93 | |
15 | x312111212 | PERSAN | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Jye McNeil | 1 | 55kg | 93 | |
16 | 652×025245 | POLLY GREY (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 15 | 55kg | 93 | |
17e | xF1216x936 | SOUTH PACIFIC (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Michael Dee | 8 | 55kg | 92 | |
18e | 2x2113x500 | KINANE (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damien Oliver | 19 | 55kg | 85 | |
19e | 7712432×06 | GOOD IDEA | Phillip Stokes | 16 | 55kg | 82 | ||
20e | 1x4143x150 | SUPER GIRL | Josh Julius | 21 | 55kg | 80 | ||
21e | x409213919 | ROLAND GARROS | Adrian Corboy | 12 | 55kg | 72 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.