Racing: Purple patch of form could cost Zahra a win in Melbourne Cup

Mark Zahra. Photo / Getty Images

Jockey Mark Zahra is in an awkward position riding against his Melbourne Cup mount Alcopop, who needs to win Saturday's group three The Lexus Stakes to get a start in next Tuesday's big race.

Zahra accepted the Lexus ride on the Peter Snowden-trained Purple before Alcopop's trainer Jake Stephens switched Cup lead-up races from the Mackinnon Stakes to the Lexus minutes before acceptance time yesterday.

Blake Shinn is the replacement rider on Alcopop in the Lexus but Zahra is the frontrunner to ride the 6-year-old in the Cup if he makes the field.

The Lexus winner is exempt from the ballot and Purple is the only one of the 14 runners not paid up for the Cup.

Zahra warned that Purple could be the blowout horse for all the Melbourne Cup contenders needing to win The Lexus. "If the track is going to be wet then she is in with a great chance," Zahra said.

"I think up to 2500m suits her. She is quite dour."

Zahra rode Purple last start when she looked beaten at the top of the straight and flashed home on heavy ground to finish second to Ginga Dude in the David Jones Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on October 16.

"It was a funny sort of run the other day," Zahra said.

"We wanted to go forward and she probably didn't have the speed we thought she did."

He said she was "gone" twice in the race and did not find her feet until the race was over. "Her last 50m was amazing."

Stephens said he made a late call to run Alcopop in the Lexus instead of the Mackinnon.

"I really wanted to run him over 2000m and not the 2500m, but looking at the Lexus it is an easier race and the field isn't as big as I thought it would be," Stephens said.

He said he had not ruled out scratching Alcopop from Derby Day if the track became badly affected.

"If it is too bad we may not run," Stephens said.

"We don't want to screw him up just for the sake of it. If he doesn't make the Cup, he doesn't make it."

- AAP