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The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable have decided to give two of their runners a chance to familiarise themselves with the Caulfield racecourse ahead of a possible Melbourne Cup entry. Duke De Sessa, and Steinem will proudly represent the stable in the highly anticipated Memsie Stakes, marking the beginning of their spring campaigns.
Prior to his Australian debut, Duke De Sessa had participated in 11 races in Ireland and France, achieving remarkable success with four wins, three of them in stakes company.
Maher stated that Duke De Sessa had previously performed impressively on good surfaces, but he believes that the horse will excel even more with some moisture in the ground.
"He's very straight-forward and he came out here in great order," Maher said. "He raced well but didn't get a lot of luck in the Doncaster and he's worked well for this.
"He is an interesting horse. He's got a lot of ability but does like a bit of give in the tracks."
Duke De Sessa: A Contender for Gr.1 Melbourne Cup?
Duke De Sessa has shown impressive versatility by winning races ranging from 1600m up to 2400m and even placing at 3000m. Despite this, Maher has stated that the horse's upcoming schedule will depend on track conditions. It's worth noting that Maher has not dismissed the possibility of Duke De Sessa competing in the prestigious Gr.1 Melbourne Cup. Nominations for this highly anticipated race close next Tuesday, so the decision will have to be made soon.
"He has got out in trip, so he could be a Melbourne Cup horse, but we'll just see how he gets through his first run and what the tracks are like and work it out," Maher said. "He's certainly got the ability. He relaxes, he's clean-winded and is the right type of horse."
Duke De Sessa has shown impressive versatility by winning races ranging from 1600m up to 2400m and even placing at 3000m. Despite this, Maher has stated that the horse's upcoming schedule will depend on track conditions. It's worth noting that Maher has not dismissed the possibility of Duke De Sessa competing in the prestigious Gr.1 Melbourne Cup. Nominations for this highly anticipated race close next Tuesday, so the decision will have to be made soon.
According to Maher, Steinem and Duke De Sessa may struggle with the 1400m distance in their first race. Steinem hasn't raced since finishing tenth in the Australian Cup (2000m) in March, but she did win a trial at Cranbourne on August 7 before experiencing a minor setback.
"I was hoping to kick her off a couple of weeks ago, but she had a little set-back, but she's over that now," Maher said. "She trialled up well at Cranbourne, but she had a bit of a bump, so we'll kick her off on Saturday."
Maher has arranged for Ethan Brown to ride Duke De Sessa, while Steinem will be ridden by John Allen.