Connections of So You Are are anticipating a more advantageous Melbourne Cup rehandicap following the horse’s recent win at Bendigo.
The stayer, under the training of Bjorn Baker, has received two half-kilogram penalties for the Melbourne Cup after securing two recent victories in Sydney. These wins were in the Colin Stephens Stakes (2400m) and the ATC St Leger Stakes (2600m), prior to the horse’s trip to Melbourne where it claimed the Group 3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) on Wednesday.
So You Are is currently situated outside the top 24 contenders for the Melbourne Cup (3200m), with the race scheduled for November 3. The horse requires an additional 1.5kg to be allocated, on top of the 1kg already received, to enter the Cup field.
Should So You Are be given a 1kg penalty, he would be ranked 25th. An extra 0.5kg penalty would place him at 26th, meaning he would need two horses from the top 24 to not accept their starting positions when final declarations are made on Saturday.
Racing Victoria’s head of handicapping, David Hegan, will be responsible for issuing any rehandicap decisions on Thursday.
Sent off as the $3.60 favourite with Rachel King aboard, So You Are triumphed by three-quarters of a length from Berkeley Square ($31). Litzdeel ($9.50) finished another half-length behind in third place.
Luke Hilton, Baker’s racing manager, commented that the 3200m distance of the Melbourne Cup would suit the stayer if he secures a start.
“He ran 26 (hundred metres) the other day and was pulling away,” Hilton said. “He doesn’t win by big margins, which probably counts against him in terms of getting a little bit more from the handicappers, but he just keeps doing it so you can’t knock winning form. He can’t do any more, it’s been a bit frustrating. He’s done everything he can, the horse, he deserved to be there and hopefully that’s enough to get him in. It’s been a great campaign, he’s just got better and better each time. He relaxed beautifully today. Gates are a big help, and he was able to get a good and Rach put him into the race when she was ready to go and he was tough.”
King mentioned that So You Are seemed to appreciate racing left-handed, a change from his previous performances in Victoria during the previous year’s Spring Carnival when he had not performed to his expected level.
“He had had a couple of runs in Melbourne and probably not run up to standard before, so it was good to see him get it done the other way around,” King stated. “He’s just a horse in really good form. He’s tough, he puts himself on speed, he makes life easy and he doesn’t want to let one get past him. Fingers crossed they’re nice to us now and let us in.”
Want to bet on the Melbourne Cup? Compare the top racing odds available at Australian betting sites and online bookmakers.