Melbourne Cup: Fiorente, Verema Meet Strong Support of Call of the Card

 

Fiorente's hold on Melbourne Cup favouritism was secured after meeting with strong support at Monday's traditional call of the card.

One punter placed $50,000 on Fiorente at $7.50, and other bets on the Gai Waterhouse-trained runner saw him shorten into $7.

Waterhouse's son Tom tried to back the horse to win $1 million but he was knocked backed by bookmakers, while a separate attempt by a punter to win $400,000 was limited to $100,000.

Australian racing's first lady is also saddling up Tres Blue in the Cup, but there was limited interest for him at $21.

Two-time Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver says he couldn't be happier with his booking for Fiorente.

"He just does everything you ask of him and he has trained on well since the Cox Plate," Oliver told RSN Racing and Sport Radio.

"When you ask him to quicken he's got great acceleration and he relaxes well in his races, so he's just got the perfect attitude for a Melbourne Cup horse.

"It's got a lot of depth this field this year ... up to half the field have got strong winning chances, but I've got a lot of respect for the imported horses and for Lloyd Williams's horses as well."

Verema, meanwhile, also came in for solid support at the call of the card, including one $7,500 bet each way at $15.

There continues to be steady money for the French mare, whose trainer Alain de Royer Dupre rated her as good as his 2010 winner Americain.

She is drawn inside in barrier three, which poses a minor concern for de Royer Dupre.

"We are only careful because she is a filly with a very long action and if you have no pace there could a problem," he said.

"She is a similar horse to Americain, but I think the level of competition is going up every year and the competition is very tough."

There were moves at longer odds for Ibicenco, who was backed to win $500,000 at odds of $101, forcing his price into $61, and Ethiopia was supported at $91 to win more than $250,000.

One bet to win $100,000 was placed on Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner, while runner-up to him Dandino ($14), as well as Irish runner Simenon ($18), also had some support.

Mount Athos remains the second favourite at $11 despite drifting slightly since Saturday's barrier draw.

An unlucky fifth last year, Mount Athos had been supported into favouritism in some markets last week on the back of strong trackwork.

But drawing barrier 22 saw him attract measured interest at the call of the card, except one bet written for him to win $200,000.

There was a handful of smaller bets on Metropolitan winner Seville ($18), but punters seemed disinterested in the defeated Caulfield Cup favourite Hawkspur at $16.

The outsider for the Cup remains Sydney Cup winner Mourayan at $151.

The final call of the card prices were:

1. Dunaden $41
2. Green Moon $41
3. Red Cadeaux $81
4. Sea Moon $15
5. Brown Panther $19
6. Fiorente $7
7. Foreteller $31
8. Dandino $12
9. Ethiopia $91
10. Fawkner $17
11. Mourayan $151
12. Seville $18
13. Super Cool $61
14. Masked Marvel $36
15. Mount Athos $11
16. Royal Empire $21
17. Voleuse De Coeurs $17
18. Hawkspur $16
19. Simenon $18
20. Ibicenco $61
21. Verema $15
22. Dear Demi $21
23. Tres Blue $24
24. Ruscello $71

 

Glam Up For Cup - Metro Hotel Ipswich International Melbourne Cup Fashion Glipse

THE Metro Hotel Ipswich International might be two states away from Flemington Racecourse but that won't stop them dressing for the occasion.

As part of the Metro's annual Melbourne Cup celebrations, the hotel will be running a fashion parade with clothes from Ipswich store House of Amy.

The event, which is already sold out, will be raising money for the Ipswich Hospital Foundation.

Metro Hotel guest relations manager Fran Edney said the hotel's Melbourne Cup lunch was becoming a tradition for some locals.

"This is the third year we've held it and the second we've sold out, but this time we've sold out much earlier than before," she said.

"People just love it though.

"It always gets a really good rap."

While this year's event won't have the popular guinea pig races of last year, Ms Edney promised some other entertainment that was still under wraps.

"We'll have some great entertainment, not everything has been decided yet but there are some big plans."

Even though fashion parades have always been part of the Metro's Melbourne Cup festivities, this is the first year they've showed off the clothes of House of Amy.

"I went in there and just fell in love with everything," Ms Edney said.

House of Amy owner Amy Winks is an award-winning designer and studied in Paris on a scholarship from the Australian Student Awards.

The parade will be showing some of the store's latest fashions, including '60s-inspired skirts, tassels and the many hats and fascinators stocked.

The festivities will kick off at noon and run until 3pm on Tuesday November 1.

The Metro Hotel Ipswich International is far from the only venue hosting an event, with celebrations occurring throughout Ipswich.

The Ipswich RSL Services Club will be hosting a smorgasbord along with food and entertainment, while Brothers Leagues Club will be hosting a luncheon with prizes and entertainment as will the Ipswich Golf Club.

The Ipswich Turf Club will host a gourmet buffet with big screens to watch the race, while Jets Leagues Club will host a burlesque show along with a multi-course meal.

Glory of the Cup

- With a prize packet of $6 million, the Melbourne Cup is one of the richest horse races in the world.
- Last year Americain became the first French-trained horse to win the Cup in the race's 150th year.
- Despite an influx of foreign trained horses, Australian trained horses have won five of the past 10 Cups, with Makybe Diva winning three straight.

Metro Hotel Ipswich International the place to be on Melbourne Cup Day - Metro Hotels

It’s time to dust off the stilettos, brush off your best frocks and suits and spruce up your favourite hat because the race that stops a nation is not far away and Metro Hotel Ipswich International is the perfect place to try your luck on race day.

Celebrating 170 years of races, the 2011 Melbourne Cup runners will bound out of their starting gates at 3pm on Tuesday 1 November – the moment when every true blue Aussie will be fixed to a screen watching as some of the world’s finest horse flesh competes to win the country’s most coveted racing title. And you can be part of the action, watching it all on a super-sized screen along with a host of other party-goers at Metro Hotel Ipswich International.

Once again, the hotel is hosting Ipswich’s most memorable race day function, with the celebrations kicking off at midday and continuing until the conclusion of the race, shortly after 3pm. In the lead-up to the race, you will enjoy a superb buffet lunch, a selection of beverages (including beer, house wine and soft drink), Sweepstakes, raffles, lucky door prizes and, of course, prizes for the best hat and best dressed guest.

Priced at just $65 per person, the event will be held in support of the Ipswich Hospital Foundation (Sunshine Circle Appeal).

Hotel General Manager Alex van Kersen said the Melbourne Cup provides a wonderful opportunity to organise a group of friends or work colleagues, to dress up and to celebrate a fabulous occasion, while also helping to raise money for a worthy local cause.

“The great thing about the Melbourne Cup is you don’t have to know a thing about horseracing to enjoy yourself,” Alex said. “It’s just a great excuse to have some fun with friends, to maybe have a punt on which of the horses you think will win or take your luck with the Sweepstakes.

“Metro Hotel Ipswich International has become a popular venue for Melbourne Cup Day because we make sure everyone enjoys themselves, that they get great value for money, and that all our guests get into the true spirit of race day.”

Rated four and a half stars, Metro Hotel Ipswich International has 97 rooms and seven function rooms. The Melbourne Cup Luncheon is sure to be a celebration to remember, so put together a table and contact the hotel directly on (07) 3812 8077 or email eventsipswich@metrohg.com. Corporate and group bookings welcome.

Metro Hotels is the public face of Transmetro Corporation, an Australian owned public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The Group currently provides a national accommodation network of properties, with over 1000 rooms in key locations and major cities across Australia.

Metro Hotel Ipswich International the place to be on Melbourne Cup Day - Metro Hotels

I Admit it, I've Got a Melbourne Cup Addiction

IT feels like only yesterday that I came to my first Melbourne Cup and that was five years ago in 2006.

It has now become such a regular fixture of my year that I couldn't imagine not coming.

In fact it has become the highlight of my year.

Like a lot of Europeans, I had not realised quite what a huge event the Melbourne Cup was until I came the first time and, as you can tell, I have become a bit addicted, as has my whole family.

After two close seconds in the race with Purple Moon and Bauer, we have become more and more determined to win, and with a four-strong team this year, we are giving ourselves the best chance possible.

The evergreen Bauer is defying age and injury and is out to win a second Geelong Cup on Wednesday to secure a place in the Melbourne Cup.

Manighar and Drunken Sailor are going the Caulfield Cup route and Chilean newcomer Sahara Sun goes for the Bendigo Cup on Wednesday week after showing us in the Caulfield Stakes that he needs the 2400m and a galloping track.

With a record four internationals confirmed to run in Saturday's Caulfield Cup and 14 internationals entered in the Melbourne Cup, it seems we are not alone in our quest for the richest handicap prize in the world.

Of the main hopefuls for the Melbourne Cup, most are either international horses or locally trained imports such as Lucas Cranach, Midas Touch and December Draw.

The first two were top-class performers in Europe, but December Draw has been a revelation since he joined Mark Kavanagh's stable at Flemington.

Mark told me for a Herald Sun video interview I did with him yesterday that the horse was bought to win a Wagga Cup, not a Melbourne or Caulfield Cup.

Bauer is a case in point of how an international horse can come to Australia with moderate form and really improve. He went so close to winning a Melbourne Cup.

You look at Bauer and some of the others Aidan O'Brien has brought across and the results have been surprising, but your Cups are handicaps and some horses adjust better down here than others.

I had to laugh during yesterday's interview with Mark at his response when I asked what he thought had been the key to December Draw's improvement.

"A really nice carrot and some reindeer juice," he said.

He can afford to laugh because Mark has turned December Draw into a perfectly legitimate Caulfield Cup favourite.

• Francesca Cumani
• From: Herald Sun

This Year's Melbourne Cup - The International Influence

THIS year's Melbourne Cup will have an international influence like never before with more than half the 24-horse field likely to be overseastrained or raced horses.

Officials are predicting the international numbers for the $6.2 million race on November 1 are likely to be in "double digits". When factoring in the fully-qualified former overseas horses now trained in Australia and bought for the Cup, it seems certain there will be a record low number of local contenders.

At the release of weights last week, only seven Australian-bred stayers were estimated to be weighted high enough to make it into the field. While others can make it through qualifying races, only Absolutely (at five kilograms under the benchmark

weight), Dreamaway (5.5kg), Playing God (5.5kg), Once Were Wild (5.5kg), Alcopop (6kg) , linton (6kg) and Trusting (6.5kg) were the Austi'alianbreds with the right credentials.

As many as 16 hopefuls are in quarantine. The first plane-load has arrived last week while the second wave should arrive on October 15.

Highly rated hopefuls such as December Draw, Glass Harmonium, My Kingdom Of Fife, Hawk Island, and Lloyd WIlliams's team including Midas Touch and Mourayan, as well as the US horse Unusual Suspect, are recent arrivals to Australia after beginning their careers elsewhere.

The Godolphin stable will decide soon if Cavalryman (55kg) and Lost In The Moment (53kg) make the trip.

Her Majesty The Queen to attend the 2011 Melbourne Cup?

The latest royal news doing the rounds is that it is a distinct possibility that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II may attend the 2011 Melbourne Cup.

The Queen, a renowned lover of thoroughbred racing, was widely expected to be the guest of honour last year at the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup this year.

In 2011, the Queen is expected to be present at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth. CHOGM is a biennial forum for government leaders from Commonwealth nations.

The Queen is yet to miss a CHOGM since they were first held in 1971, and Defence Minister Steven Smith says that she is likely to be in attendance.

The summit is to be held in Perth from October 28-30.

The 2011 Melbourne Cup is to be held just two days later on November 1. The Queen is believed to be keen to visit the Melbourne Cup at least once. She is a keen follower of racing and is a prolific owner in England.

In 1997, her horse Arabian Story contested the Melbourne Cup – the grey finishing 6th to Might and Power.

While royal visits are not uncommon – Prince Charles and Princess Diana attended the 1985 Melbourne Cup, while the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was present in 1990 – a visit by the monarch would represent another chapter in the great history of the Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne Cup Accommodation Package @ Metro Apartments on Bank Place - Metro Hotels

Metro apartments on Bank place is offering this Melbourne Cup Accommodation Package for $210.00* per night including:

Bottle of Sparkling Wine on arrival
Daily breakfast
Bathrobes
Late check-out of 12 noon

Melbourne Cup Accommodation Package @ Metro Apartments on Bank Place - Metro Hotels

Melbourne Cup – the Race That Fills a City - Metro Hotels

They call it "the race that stops a nation" but for the hotel industry, it is also a race that fills a city!

The famed Melbourne Cup horse race held on the first Tuesday of November every year, is one sporting event that is proving to be a consistent winner with Melbourne hotels and accommodation providers.

"The Melbourne Cup never fails to see our Metro Apartments operate at 100 percent occupancy for up to four days over the race meet." explains Mr. George Bedwani, COO of Metro Hotels and an avid follower of horse racing.

According to Mr Bedwani, the Melbourne Cup has maintained its popularity with the sporting public year after year while other major annual events in Melbourne fluctuate in popularity and the impact they have on the city's hotels.

"We have found that the Australian Open Tennis is only very popular if there is an Australian who does really well or if the top seeds are playing it out in the final," he said. "This years final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic just didn't have the pulling power despite the quality of the two players."

The same applies for the AFL Grand Final, according to Mr Bedwani. "When there is one or two interstate teams involved in the Grand Final then our occupancies and demand for accommodation soar."

While the 2010 Grand Final (both of them) between Collingwood and St Kilda were great spectacles to watch, they didn't generate the same demand for accommodation from interstate or regional Victorian visitors coming to watch.

"And that's where the Melbourne Cup is different," says Mr Bedwani. "It is not just a sporting event but a complete day out - a real social occasion." he continues.

Metro Hotels manages a boutique serviced apartment, the Metro Apartments on Bank Place located in the "New York" precinct of Melbourne CBD.

The Metro Apartments on Bank Place offers 55 studio, one and two bedroom apartments along with a small number of hotel rooms. The location of the apartments make it the ideal base for both corporate and leisure travelers visiting Melbourne.

READ ON at Metro Hotels News:

Melbourne Cup – the Race That Fills a City - Metro Hotels