Upon his arrival in Australia for his initial racing campaign, Middle Earth immediately made his presence felt.
His debut outing saw him victorious in the Australian Cup Prelude (2000m) at Flemington, followed by a fifth-place performance in the Australian Cup.
The subsequent occasion Middle Earth registered a placing was in the JRA Cup at Moonee Valley last October, acting as a precursor to his third-place finish in the Melbourne Cup.
It is a common observation that European stayers tend to perform strongly in the early stages of their Australian campaigns, with their form often improving as they become more accustomed to the local conditions.
This is the outcome the Ciaron Maher stable is anticipating as they progress towards the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup with Middle Earth, who is taking a significant step in that direction by competing in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Middle Earth spent his winter acclimatising in Queensland’s warm weather and achieved a win at Doomben in May. He then made a pleasing return to racing with an eighth-place finish in the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield on August 29.
Jack Turnbull, National Assistant Trainer for Ciaron Maher Racing, indicated that Middle Earth has made good progress in his preparation for the Cups races, carrying 55kg in the Caulfield Cup and 56.5kg in the Melbourne Cup, which is a 2kg increase on his weight when he finished third last year.
“He’s great,” Turnbull said.
“I think he’s sharpened up off the break and last preparation. We won a Group 3 at 2000 metres up in Queensland.
“He gets winkers back on and it’s all part of the process to get him up in trip.
“We feel he is sharper and better (than last year) and he’ll be on to the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, and he is one of our better chances.”
With Melbourne forecast to enjoy sunshine on Friday and a warm day on Saturday, Turnbull suggested that the ideal track surface for Middle Earth would be a Good 4 to Soft 5 rating, comparable to favourable European racing conditions.
Turnbull noted that a strong performance would be a positive sign for the stable, as Middle Earth is slated to compete in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3, en route to the Caulfield Cup.
“If you’re running well in an Underwood, it generally carries through to races a bit later on,” Turnbull remarked.
Consider placing your bets with online bookmakers on this intriguing contest.