Get Down to the Track for the Caulfield Cup
Every country has their premier horse racing event, and in Australia it is the Caulfield Cup. Everyone in the country is gearing up for this amazing event that will take place at the Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday, the 20th of October 2007. It is a race that has been synonymous with the racing greats for years; creating legendary racehorses, successful trainers and famous jockeys. This year will be no different, as the tensions rise in anticipation of this $2.5 million international Thoroughbred race.
The Caulfield Cup is run over a distance of 2 400 meters. It was first held in 1879, and was won by a great racehorse named Newminster. Over the years, this horse racing event has become a respected race, and one that most trainers dream of winning. Its importance to the Australian horse racing industry has been so influential that not even the war could stop it from taking place. When the Caulfield Racecourse was taken over by the military to be used as a camp between the years 1941 to 1943, they simply moved the race to the Flemington Racecourse. It is also notorious for being one of the toughest races in Australia, but it is the race that leads up to the major Melbourne Cup, so no-one wants to miss the opportunity to be entered into the Caulfield Cup.
Many racehorses have written their names down in history here, including Hymettus that won in 1898 and 1901; Poseidon that took the victory consecutively in 1906 and 1907; Uncle Sam in 1912 and 1914; and another consecutive winner was Rising Fast in 1954 and 1955. The last six racehorses to win the Caulfield cup were Ethereal (2001), Northerly (2002), Mummify (2003), Elvstroem (2004), Railings (2005) and Tawqeet (2006). Jockeys who have been successful at this race include Scobie Breasley with five wins under his belt, Damien Oliver with four wins, and Frank Demsey, Neville Sellwood and Mick Mallyon have each won the race three times. After the surprise win of Taufan’s Melody in 1998, many international horses have come to race at the Caulfield Cup and the international interest in the race has added to the pressure that Australian horse owners already feel; no-one wants to loose on home ground.
The race favorite for the 2007 Caulfield Cup, named by many in the horse betting industry, is Maldivian. But with a starting line-up including Eskimo Queen, Maybe Better, Douro Valley, Master O’Reilly, Anamato, Scenic Shot, Princess Coup, Blutigeroo, Purple Moon, Blue Monday, Mandela, Cinque Cento, Annekov, Taweet (last years’ winner), Sirmione, Black Tom, Sarrera, Molotov and Railings, it could be anyone’s race. All eyes might be on Maldivian, but never underestimate the other horses as they also qualified as being capable of running this race.
