Juja Kibo has achieved more than anticipated this preparation, yet trainer Ciaron Maher believes the imported six-year-old isn’t finished yet.
He is scheduled to compete in this Saturday’s $750,000 Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Sandown.
The Belardo gelding takes on the Zipping Classic after contributing to Maher’s landmark Melbourne Cup trifecta, where he narrowly missed second place to Zahrann, finishing 3-3/4 lengths behind the dominant winner Point Of Law.
This followed victories in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) and The Metropolitan (2400m) at Group 2 level. Although many Melbourne Cup runners have been sent for a spell, Maher sees no reason to halt Juja Kibo’s campaign.
“He bounced through it really well,” Maher said regarding his Melbourne Cup recovery.
“He just keeps raising the bar, he gets a bit better each time he steps out and he’s been on a bit of a whirlwind this prep.”
Juja Kibo’s initial two races before The Metropolitan this season resulted in a third in the Rowley Mile (1600m) and a second in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).
He is the first Melbourne Cup placegetter to advance to the Zipping Classic since Spanish Mission, who was unplaced as the $1.40 favourite in the 2021 Zipping Classic after a third-place finish in the Melbourne Cup.
A notable statistic reveals that twelve of the last twenty-five Zipping Classic winners have emerged from the Melbourne Cup, and Juja Kibo is not the only competitor from this year’s Cup field heading to Sandown.
Knight’s Choice, the winner of the 2024 Melbourne Cup, is also heading to Sandown following his 12th-place finish, along with Strictly Business (18th), Vauban (last), and Juja Kibo’s stablemate Middle Earth, who finished 10th in the Melbourne Cup.
Maher mentioned that Middle Earth, who finished third in the Melbourne Cup a year prior to Juja Kibo’s effort, was hindered by the race’s tempo and still possesses reserves of energy.
“He came out of it really well,” he stated.
“He overdid it. (Royal) Supremacy went a nice tempo, but the rest of the field didn’t and that didn’t really suit him, so he didn’t have much of a run.”
Mark Zahra, Middle Earth’s rider in the Melbourne Cup, will shift his focus to partner the strong favourite Small Fry in the Zipping Classic. This move allows Ethan Brown to be reunited with Middle Earth, a horse he rode in the previous year’s Melbourne Cup.
Middle Earth will start from barrier five, with Juja Kibo, who will again be ridden by Sam Clipperton, to jump from the inside alley.
Consider checking the latest racing odds for the Zipping Classic with Australian betting sites.
