Russian Camelot’s next assignment on the track is likely to be the Group One Caulfield Cup, a month prior to a possible shot at the Melbourne Cup.
Danny O’Brien’s runner has only had two appearances so far in his career, however, he has shown enough to suggest he could have success in some of the biggest races on the Australian calendar.
The three-year-old colt made his debut at Flemington back in March where he could only finish fourth after going off as the 13/5 favourite.
The son of the Epsom Derby winner Camelot was much better on his second outing on the track as he scored at Morphettville in the Group One South Australian Derby. Under the hands of John Allen, the pair prevailed by two lengths, justifying strong market support beforehand.
His victory in Adelaide helps establish him as one of the best colts of his age group. It also reinforces what connections think about their horse, opening up a number of options later this year.
Russian Camelot is 10/1 in the horse racing betting for the Caulfield Cup. He is the joint-favourite for that race, which has an open feel to it at this stage.
O’Brien’s horse recently had a racecourse gallop at Flemington in the latest piece of work in the build-up to a return to action. If he continues to improve on his next appearance, he could also be set to feature in ‘the race which stops a nation’, the Melbourne Cup.
South Australian Derby Winner Set to Take on Open Age Stars
Russian Camelot’s run in the Caulfield Cup will be his first against the older generation in the Group One division.
The opposition to the three-year-old is likely to include Master Of Wine. The former UK-based horse is a winner of four races so far in his career.
Now with Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes, the five-year-old is in good form. He has been successful twice this year, with his biggest victory coming in the Group Three Sky High Stakes at Rosehill.
Unlike Russian Camelot, Master Of Wine does not have a Group One win. He did run well at the top level on his last appearance though, as he finished fourth of 12 in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes which was won by the impressive Addeybb.
Master Of Wine is 10/1 in the betting for the Caulfield Cup. If he builds upon his last performance, connections will be confident he can have a big say on the result in Melbourne.
Japanese Flag Set to Be Carried By King Of Koji
The leading Japanese contender for the Caulfield Cup in 2020 looks to be with King Of Koji, who is available to be backed at 12/1.
Trained by Shogo Yasuda, King Of Koji won the Group Two Meguro Kinen at Tokyo on his last start. That race featured 18 runners so it was an impressive performance for the four-year-old to beat the large field with Norihiro Yokoyama on his back.
Overseas runners always make the Caulfield Cup a fascinating race to watch so it will be interesting to see how King Of Koji fares against his Australian opponents in the race.
This year’s Caulfield Cup is scheduled for the 17th October as part of the three-day festival.
