Promising Adelaide-based galloper Rebel Raider is still being prepared to make the final field in this year’s 150^th Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 2, despite the tragic loss of a stablemate last week.

A rising five-year-old son of Reset, Rebel Raider is trained at Morphettville by Leon MacDonald and Andrew Gluyas who lost one of their emerging three-year-olds in a road accident last week.

The unnamed young horse had to be put down after they were hit by a taxi outside the Morphettville racetrack last week, but the loss has just increased the enthusiasm MacDonald is putting into Rebel Raider’s 2010 Melbourne Cup campaign.

Set to resume racing next month following their recent spell, Rebel Raider placed fifth in the Listed Colin Hayes Memorial Cup (1600m) at Morphettville last start, but the talented galloper has won over 2,500m previously.

In just five wins and four placings from their 18 career starts, Rebel Raider has won over $1.3 million in prizemoney, with connections looking to add to this with the record $6 million in prizemoney plus trophies on offer for the 2010 Melbourne Cup.

The dual Derby winner was one of the early favourites for last year’s Melbourne Cup, but he was scratched just days after the weights were announced after he injured his leg at trackwork.

His first-up start this season will be in the Penny Edition (1400m) at Morphettville on August 21, following which he will be sent to Melbourne to contest the weight-for-age events leading up to the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 16.

Features Rebel Raider will be nominated for include the Group 2 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 4, the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on September 18, and the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 2.

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Rebel Raider will use these runs and the Caulfield Cup to gain entry into this year’s Melbourne Cup field.

In other Melbourne Cup news Australians are now unlikely to see Hong Kong-based stayer Carthage, one of the early pre-nomination favourites for the 150^th Melbourne Cup, travel down under for the world’s richest handicap event.

One of the most important ways to pick the Melbourne Cup winner is to study the runners’ form and come nomination time in August we will be the first to publish the form of the Melbourne Cup nominees so don’t forget to bookmark this page!

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