'He's very much on track' - St Leger flop Hoo Ya Mal still set for Melbourne Cup

Hoo Ya Mal looked a suspect stayer when disappointing in Sunday's St Leger, but his trainer George Boughey believes firmer ground and the different style of racing in Australia will help him in the Melbourne Cup.

The Group 3 March Stakes winner was a disappointing eighth out of nine – nine lengths behind winner Eldar Eldarov – in the final Classic of the season at Doncaster.

The Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November – over a furlong and a half further than the St Leger – has been his big end-of-season target since Australian owners bought him in June, and Boughey believes he will be better suited to the Australian test.

Boughey said: "He didn't seem to stay for me, he was the last one on the bridle, but it was very soft ground and I think at that level he just looked a bit weak in the finish. Both of my horses who ran on the day ran below par and the ground was probably just too soft for them.

"I don't think it changes anything moving forward, he's very much on track for the Melbourne Cup. It's a very different style of racing over there on firmer ground."

After posting a second-placed finish in the Derby to Desert Crown, Hoo Ya Mal was snapped up for an eyewatering £1.2 million by Gai Waterhouse, who has made no secret of her ambitions to find a Melbourne Cup horse in Britain. Her only previous Cup success came following the purchase of the British-based Fiorente for £700,000 in 2013.

Fiorente: triumphed for Gai Waterhouse in the Melbourne Cup in 2013Credit: Michael Dodge

Boughey confirmed Sunday was Hoo Ya Mal's final start under his care as his preparations continue for Australia's most prestigious contest.

He said: "He's come out of the race in good shape, he's put back on the weight that he lost, he's gone off for all his scans ahead of his quarantine, but overall we couldn't be happier with him."

Hoo Ya Mal details

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