Racing: Busuttin keen to receive some good news

Melbourne handicapper Greg Carpenter and Cambridge trainer Paddy Busuttin have different views on Six O'Clock News.

The New Zealand stayer currently sits at No 45 in order of entry for the A$5.5 million Melbourne Cup on November 3 and Carpenter keeps telling Busuttin not to worry, the horse will make the final field.

"I wish I was as confident of that as Greg is," said Busuttin yesterday as he prepared Six O'Clock News for today's A$215,000 Geelong Cup, in which a win will catapult the horse straight into the Melbourne Cup field.

Carpenter is basing his opinion on the trend in recent years where the Melbourne Cup attrition rate in the final five or six days is fierce.

"Greg said right from the start when weights came out and there were 120 in the field that we'd get into the Melbourne Cup but would struggle to find a place in the Caulfield Cup."

Busuttin and his syndicate owners struck disaster when heavy rain turned the Randwick track heavy for the Metropolitan, a win in which would also have seen Six O'Clock News safely in the Melbourne Cup.

But Busuttin and rider Noel Harris were well satisfied with that mid-field placing, given Six O'Clock News' total dislike for wet ground.

"Noel said he was trying to get him to move forward from the 1400m, but the horse just couldn't get going in the ground."

Even though struggling with the footing, Six O'Clock News managed to take ground off several runners in the final 150m.

"That was a tough run so I decided to delay his trip from Sydney to Melbourne from the Sunday night to the Tuesday night, but he did so well he could have gone Sunday.

"He absolutely flew through the race and is really thriving here in Melbourne."

Busuttin is looking forward to getting Six O'Clock News on to a good surface today.

"He's struck bad tracks in his last three starts."

The wide barrier looks unattractive, but Busuttin said he's not too concerned. "You always squirm when you see gate 18, but with his style of racing [getting back] it's probably not as important."

The Cambridge trainer says if things do not go well today there is the SAAB Quality on Derby Day at Flemington as a last-ditch bid for a Cup place.

"I don't want to run him in that, but if it came down to having to I will."

Six O'Clock News will be ridden again by Noel Harris and was yesterday at $14 in Melbourne.

He faces the two European favourites Basaltico and Crime Scene and fellow New Zealanders: Gallions Reach, Spin Around, Young Centaur and Hoorang.

Overnight markets for the two feature events at Geelong were: Geelong Classic: $4.80 Keep Control, $5.50 Rockferry, $6 Well Rounded, $7.50 Our Heir Apparent, $9 Commonage Close, $10 Gangland, $11 Southern Skye, $15 Mahsam, Prinsom; $16 Lethal Arrow, Purple Zone; $26 Alpha Tango Sierra, Bamboo Harvester, Unbendable; $51 Cheerful Jury.

Geelong Cup: $6.50 Basaltico, $8.50 Crime Scene, $9 Guyno, Sterling Prince; $10 Dandaad, Leica Ding; $11 Stormhill, $12 Hoorang, Young Centaur; $14 Arapaho Miss, Six O'Clock News; $16 Think Money, Zacroona; $21 Completion, $26 Maestro Of Murano, $35.00 Spin Around. $51 Cats Fun, Gallions Reach, Golden Charmer; $101 Doubly Sure.