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Shared Ambition Horse Form (Photo: Steve Hart) | Races.com.au

Melbourne Cup Hopes Face Off In The Bart Cummings 2020 Field

Lucy Henderson October 2, 2020

Melbourne Cup Hopes Face Off In The Bart Cummings 2020 Field

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 Horse Form (Photo: Steve Hart) | Races.com.au

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. 

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Racing materials, including fields, form and results, is subject to copyright which is owned by RA and other parties working with it. Full copyright notice.

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