Fingers crossed, but Ed Dunlop has given the green light for RED CADEAUX to head Down Under for Australia's most prestigious thoroughbred race, the Melbourne Cup - "the race that stops a nation" - at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.
The boss said:"Red Cadeaux produced a career-best performance when finishing third in last Saturday's Irish St Leger, causing the official handicapper to put him up another 4lb to a mark of 114. This time last year he was finishing second in the Cesarewitch Trial at Newmarket off 98, so he has improved 16lb and deserves to take his chance."
"It was Red Cadeaux's first time in a Group 1, and he looks the ideal type for the Melbourne Cup as he is not your archetypal European stayer in that he gets two miles but also has a telling turn of foot."
"The Aussies have allotted us 53.5kg (8st 6lb), which looks a great racing weight. The owner (Ronald Arculli) is keen to run and so am I, so let's hope that the ground is on the soft side. Quarantine starts on September 28, and the last flight out to Oz is October 13, so provided he is still at the top of his game in two weeks time we shall start the ball rolling. We will probably be looking for a local jockey, but I am sure that we won't be short of volunteers."