Last year's Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck tops weights for Melbourne Cup
Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck has been named top weight for this year's Melbourne Cup after being allocated 58.5kg (9st 3lb).
That means that for the fourth time in the past five years Aidan O'Brien has supplied the original top weight for the famous Group 1 handicap.
The weights were announced on Tuesday with Racing Victoria's chief handicapper Greg Carpenter describing O'Brien's nominations as being "standouts" at the top of the weights for both the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups.
O’Brien’s runners are also at the top of the weights for the Caulfield Cup with stablemate Japan joining Anthony Van Dyck at 58.5kg (9st 3lb), ahead of stablemate Magical (58kg/9st 2lb).
Last year Kew Gardens (58kg/9st 2lb) was the original top weight, as was Order Of St George in 2017 and 2016. Neither ended up making the trip to Melbourne.
It is understood O’Brien has up to five spaces booked on the flight to Melbourne in about three weeks, with the trainer set to make a final decision on his contenders following the St Leger in Britain and Ireland this weekend.
Carpenter said: "Aidan’s O’Brien’s entries are the standouts on performances over the past 18 months and have been handicapped accordingly at the top of the weights for this year’s Stella Artois Caulfield Cup and Lexus Melbourne Cup.
“The joint Caulfield Cup topweights Anthony Van Dyck and Japan were both Group 1 winners over 2,400 metres in 2019 and have been placed behind the world’s highest-rated horse Ghaiyyath this year.
“The outstanding Magical, who is a six-time Group 1 winner and nominated for the Caulfield Cup only, has 58kg and will need to set a weight carrying record for a mare with Tranquil Star claiming that mark when winning the 1942 Caulfield Cup with 56kg."
O’Brien’s 2019 Irish Derby winner Sovereign is among a trio of horses allotted 57kg (9st) in both races, making them the equal second-highest weighted horses in the Melbourne Cup.
The other two are defending Melbourne Cup champion Vow And Declare (Danny O’Brien) and Godolphin’s three-time Group 1 winner Avilius (James Cummings).
Meanwhile, the twice-placed Prince Of Arran has been allocated 54.5kg (8st 8lb) in his bid to make it third time lucky. His weight is half a kilogram more than he carried when promoted to second last year.
Prince Of Arran was handed second after Master Of Reality was demoted to fourth, and that horse has also been risen half a kilogram to 56kg (8st 12lb) – the same weight the Joseph O’Brien-trained stayer has in the Caulfield Cup.
In addition to Master Of Reality, O'Brien could also be represented by Twilight Payment (55.5kg/8st 10lb) and Buckhurst (55kg/8st 9lb).
The Willie Mullins-trained duo of recent Lonsdale Cup runner-up Stratum and last year’s VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner True Self have been handicapped on 55kg (8st 9lb) and 52kg (8st 3lb) respectively.
Russian Camelot, the pre-weights Caulfield Cup favourite, has been allotted 53.5kg (8st 6lb), making him the highest-weighted northern hemisphere three-year-old in both races alongside Aidan O’Brien’s 2020 Irish Derby winner Santiago.
Surprise Baby (Paul Preusker), the pre-weights Melbourne Cup favourite, has been handed 54.5kg (8st 8lb) in both races – 1kg more than the 2019 Adelaide Cup winner carried when fifth in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
Sir Dragonet, formerly trained by Aidan O'Brien, has been allotted 55.5kg (8st 10lb) for both cups.
Carpenter further added that the prospects of international stables participating in this year’s Cups is looking favourable but will ultimately be determined by events over the next week.
International stables granted government exemptions for a limited number of staff to travel to Australia to care for their horses have booked flights between September 11 and 16, and are now waiting to see if they will be honoured. Those stable staff will be required to undertake mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine upon arrival in Australia.
First acceptances for the Caulfield Cup will be taken on Tuesday, September 22, and a week later for the Melbourne Cup.
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Published on 8 September 2020inInternational
Last updated 11:28, 8 September 2020
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