Racing: Kiwi hopefuls weigh in well

Envoy is New Zealand's top-weighted runner at 52.5kg and was seventh in last year's Cup. Picture / Duncan Brown

New Zealand horses are weighted to be a chance to take the A$5.1 ($6 million) Melbourne Cup this year.

Weight is the crucial factor in winning Australia's greatest horse race.

And in that respect, Pentane, Zarius, Zabeat and Envoy are in with a shout.

Handicapping a Melbourne Cup is a nightmare.

Eight of the top 10 weighted horses in this year's Cup are European-trained.

Few of them end up arriving in Australia, which makes the handicap look very different as the first week in November comes around.

The handicapper cannot frame a set of weights assuming most of the topweights will not appear.

As the group one winner of the Auckland Cup, Pentane looks comfortable on 52kg, as does the Wellington Cup winner and Sydney Cup runner-up Zabeat.

Envoy is New Zealand's unsung hero, finishing a close-up seventh in last year's Cup behind Makybe Diva, when forced into the worst of the dodgy footing along the inside.

Envoy is New Zealand's top-weighted runner at 52.5kg.

"He's bigger and stronger this time in," said Bev Kelso, wife of trainer Ken Kelso.

"He finished second at yesterday's [Tuesday's] trials at Te Teko and he'll run in the 2000m open race at Hastings in a couple of weeks.

"At least we know he'll run the 3200m at Flemington."

Donna Logan has kept Zabeat up to the mark since his Australian campaign.

"We were worried that at 52kg he might be in danger of missing the field, but I've talked to the handicapper and he's said he's above the ballots."

This is Victoria Racing Club handicapper Greg Carpenter's second Melbourne Cup set of weights.

He sees this year as totally different to 12 months ago.

Trainer Mark Walker is delighted that City of Auckland Cup winner Zarius is a stronger horse this preparation.

The interesting nomination is Sphenophyta.

He looked a real Caulfield/Melbourne Cup prospect in winning the Ipswich Cup in track record time at the Queensland carnival and is reported to be going extremely well in Lee Freedman's Melbourne stable.

Richard Otto and his New Zealand partner Mark Goodwin retained 40 per cent of the horse when he was purchased by the syndicate that raced ill-fated Caulfield Cup winner Mummify.

Otto said at the time of the sale that he would prefer to leave a crack at the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups until next year.

But he said he would leave that final decision to Freedman.

Sphenophyta has 50kg in the Melbourne Cup.

Viz Vitae, now with David Hayes, and Bling Bling, trained in Sydney, have 51kg and 49.5kg.


Cup weights

Above 50kg (Australian unless noted).-

59kg: Yeats (Ireland)

58: Better Talk Now (US), Eremein

57: Cherry Mix (France) 57.0

56.5: Phoenix Reach (Ireland)

56: Collier Hill (Britain), Delta Blues (Japan), Lad Of The Manor (NZ), Policy Maker (Ireland)

55.5: Imperial Stride (Britain), Railings, Reefscape (Britain)

55: Roman Arch

54.5 Falstaff (Ireland), Gonbarda (Germany), Our Smoking Joe

54: Above Deck, Geordieland (France), Headturner

53.5: Grand Zulu, Short Pause (Britain), Tungsten Strike (US)

53: Activation (NZ), Land 'n Stars (Britain), Mahtoum, Munsef (Britain), On A Jeune, Perfect Promise (South Africa), Pop Rock (Japan)

52.5: Balkan Knight (Britain), Carte Diamond (US), De Beers (NZ), Defining (Britain), Envoy (NZ), Major Rhythm (US), Quinquin The King (France), Natural Blitz, Serenade Rose, Tawqeet (US), Wunderwood (US)

52: Baddam (Britain), Dizelle, Guadalajara (Germany), Ice Chariot, Kerry O'Reilly (NZ), Pentane (NZ), Swift Current (Japan), Testafiable, Young Mick (Britain), Zabeat (NZ)

51.5: Art Success (NZ), Black Tom, Melrose Avenue (US), Stormhill, Zipping

51: Cats Fun, Count Ricardo, Demerger, Fooram (NZ), Glistening (Britain), Grey Song, Jagger (Britain), Pantani (NZ), Renewable (NZ), Viz Vitae (NZ)

50.5: Accumulate (NZ), Cefalu (Chile)

50: Exalted Time, High Action (US), King Johny (NZ), Men At Work (NZ), My Tusker (NZ), Run Rita Run, Soledad (Ireland), Soulacroix (Britain), True Courser, Umbula, Zarius (NZ), Art Eyes (US), Coalesce (NZ), Dante's Paradiso (NZ), Desert Master, Dolphin Jo, Dwango (US), Field Hunter, Gallic (NZ), Mandela (NZ), Maybe Better, Precise Timing, Sarrera, Sphenophyta (NZ), Vanquished, Waitoki Dream (NZ)