 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Ciaron Maher has strengthened his hand on the A$5m Caulfield Cup with favourite Smokin' Romans to be joined by Gold Trip in Saturday's spring major. The pair will gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday, their final hitout before the 2400m Group One.
Smokin' Romans had been aimed at the Melbourne Cup initially, but winning the Gr.3 Foundation Cup, a Caulfield qualifier, prompted a minor change of plans.
Smokin' Romans will head to the Melbourne Cup after Saturday's Caulfield Cup, with Maher bullish about the stayer's continued improvement.
"His form was always going to be better at the mile and a half (2400m), possibly further," Maher said.
"I think when he won the Foundation Cup, you could say he had things to suit, lightweight, but then his Turnbull win, he makes his own luck, he can go forward, he's very adaptable and ran away from them. Now he drops again to that weight (51.5kg), I think it's no surprise he's favourite, I don't worry too much about the markets, my focus is on the horse and we couldn't be happier with him. He's in a really good routine and I think he's still coming on,” Maher added.
The Caulfield Cup field will be finalised on Wednesday after the running of the Gr.3 Coongy Cup and Barriers for the Caulfield Cup will be drawn after Wednesday's Group 1 Thousand Guineas meeting.
Success on Saturday would cap a meteoric rise for Smokin' Romans, who won the Pakenham Cup just 10 months ago. Maher, who won the 2016 Caulfield Cup with personal favourite Jameka, said Smokin' Romans's build-up has been similar.
"She hit the ground running (for us), this bloke, he's hopefully as good, just taken a little different path to get there," Maher said.
"Their build-ups have been very similar actually, Jameka won the Naturalism, got beaten in the Turnbull and then went into the Caulfield Cup. They're completely different horses but if he can win it, he's a Caulfield Cup winner (like her),” Maher opined.