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Gallic Chieftan is likely to be given a chance to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.
THERE was talk of the first Tuesday in November after Gallic Chieftain scored a tough win at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Gallic Chieftain, owned by Terry Henderson’s OTI Racing, produced a grinding effort to claim the Listed $ 125,000 Winter Cup (2400m). His win won’t have him elevated to anywhere near the top of Melbourne Cup betting but he is a genuine stayer open to considerable improvement.
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The Darren Weir-trained former French galloper passed an important qualifying clause for the Melbourne Cup with his Rosehill triumph and is now following the trail blazed by another imported stayer, Natski, nearly 30 years ago.
Natski won the Winter Cup in 1988 before training on to beat all but Empire Rose in the Melbourne Cup later that year.
Weir, the nation’s leading trainer of winners with more than 410 wins and counting for the season, wasn’t at Rosehill but stable representative Jarrod McLean hinted a Melbourne Cup campaign is likely for Gallic Chieftain.
“No doubt OTI have a race in November picked out for him,’’ McLean said. “There is a long way to go between now and then but he is an impressive horse with a lot of upside to him.
“We will aim high and see how far he gets.’’
Gallic Chieftain was well backed into $ 2.15 favouritism but jockey Dean Yendall had to work hard on the stayer to get past Montauk ($ 5) to win by three-quarters of a length with gallant topweight Destiny’s Kiss ($ 8) a half length away third.
Gallic Chieftan showed superior staying power in the Winter Cup. Picture: Simon BullardSource:News Corp Australia
“I would like to say it was painless but at least he kept coming,’’ McLean said.
“He is a lovely, sound horse and you can see the improvement in him. He will be even better next preparation. There is more improvement needed but he is on the right track.’’
Gallic Chieftain scored his fifth win from just 16 starts and Yendall maintains the chestnut four-year-old is still learning how to race.
“He is still ‘new’ and doesn’t know how to put them away yet,’’ Yendall said. “Over here, he is too much of a thinker, he does so much wrong. When he gets beside them, he wants to play with them but the one thing he can do is stay — he will stay all day.’’
Gallic Chieftan is likely to be given a chance to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.Source:AAP
Montauk was having his first attempt at 2400m and ran bravely to beat all but the favourite in what was a good trial for the Grafton Cup on July 13.
Destiny’s Kiss, the 2013 Winter Cup winner, had to shoulder 61kg and ran well for third. Jockey Brenton Avdulla felt it was the lack of early race tempo rather than the big weight which was the main contributor to the veteran stayer’s defeat.
Originally published as Chieftan stakes claim for Cup campaign
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