Caulfield Cup is Weld priority

Racing News and previewIn Time's Eye, as short as 10 to 1 second favourite for the Melbourne Cup with some bookmakers, will leave for Australia tomorrow with more than just the Flemington highlight on his agenda.

The Dermot Weld-trained Royal Ascot winner skipped a return to Britain for tomorrow's Cumberland Lodge Stakes in favour of the Caulfield Cup option in Melbourne on October 18th.

In Time's Eye will need to finish in the first five in that event to qualify for the Melbourne Cup, but the Weld camp yesterday revealed that the Aus$2.5 million Caulfield race is not just a qualification route.

Weld himself is in New York supervising Dimitrova's attempt tonight on the Flower Bowl Handicap, but his son Mark said: "In many respects the Caulfield Cup is more of an objective than the Melbourne Cup.

"It is a mile and a half, which will be right up his alley, whereas the Melbourne Cup is two miles. It is also worth about a million and a half sterling, which is a huge boost in prizemoney.

"He does have top weight of 8.10, but if, hopefully, he can finish in the top five then obviously the Melbourne Cup will be the target."

In Time's Eye is scheduled to land in Australia on Tuesday morning, and accompanying him will be the high-class handicapper One More Round, who like In Time's Eye is owned by Michael Smurfit.

"We will have to see if there are any races suitable for One More Round down there, but he is principally going as a travelling companion," Weld added.

The Weld camp field the 97-rated Mobasher in the four-runner Majesty's Plate at Down Royal this afternoon, but he will have it to do against the John Oxx team, with the 101-rated Kiteflyer the most likely winning option.

Also in the North, there could be some wild scenes around the number one spot after the sprint handicap as Traverse, owned by TG4's Hector Ó hEochagáin, tries to follow up a Ballinrobe victory last time. Traverse is 5 lbs higher in the ratings for that, and in the circumstances maybe the consistent Vijay could be the better option.

Set Barabbas Free and Curtistown fought out the finish of the seven-furlong handicap yesterday, and the pair are likely to renew rivalry at the same venue just 24 hours later after a length separated the pair.

Robbie Burke recorded his 15th winner of the season as the four-year-old quickened to the front over a furlong out, and held on by a length from the gambled-on Curtistown.

But despite the presence of those two, Jim Gorman may also hold the solution to the second division of the seven-furlong handicap with his hardy veteran Sparkling Harmony.

The eight-year-old, four times a winner at the trip, returned from a four-month absence to run well at Fairyhouse on Wednesday and is at the right end of the handicap.

Impulsif returns to his best trip also in the first division and this nine year old's chance should be respected.