The imported stayer Nearco Frod is aiming for a fifth straight win and a ticket into the Melbourne Cup when he competes at Flemington.
Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s galloper is set to run in the Group 3 Archer Stakes (2500m) on Saturday, a race that offers a ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3.
Nearco Frod began his career in France and after three starts, which included two wins, he was brought to Australia by the McEvoys.
It was a slow start for Nearco Frod, but now fully acclimatised, the gelding has achieved four wins in succession from his 13 career starts.
The winning sequence began with a victory at Sandown on July 1, followed by another win at the same track two weeks later.
Nearco Frod then moved to Flemington to give Blake Shinn a winner on his first ride back from injury on August 1, before again being successful at Sandown on August 22.
Calvin McEvoy conceded that Nearco Frod had been a ‘real suprise’ to the stable.
“It just shows that you need to have some patience with these imports and to win five in a row is very difficult for any horse,” McEvoy said.
“He’s very fit and we keep him happy at home.
“He’s bouncing around and I can’t see any reason why he can’t put up another good performance and it would be very exciting for connections to win that Golden Ticket.”
There will be the expected comparisons to stablemate Half Yours, who last year progressed through the grades to win the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
McEvoy stated that it’s almost a requirement to keep European stayers racing.
“You have to keep these horses up,” McEvoy commented.
“I wouldn’t have thought he would get four in a row to be honest.
“He’s not an overly big horse, but he’s very fit, great lungs, which allows us to not overtax him in training.
“That is an asset in a stayer that will get them a long way and it prolong preparations, and if he happened to get a Golden Ticket, of course we would give him the opportunity.”
With the Melbourne Cup exemption on the line, punters might want to check out the latest racing odds available at top Australian betting sites.