We had a superb
Saturday at the Breeders’ Cup with Lady Caledonia and Talismanic both obliging
at double figure prices. Mind Your Biscuits, Lancaster Bomber and Collected
landed each way bets for us too so overall it was a profitable meeting.
The focus now switches from America to Australia and the race that stops a
nation. The Melbourne Cup gets under way at 4am Tuesday our time so don’t forget to
either set that alarm or get in some nice coffee (or something stronger perhaps!).
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| Nakeeta looks well overpriced at 25/1. |
The one I like at a nice price in this year’s Melbourne Cup
is Nakeeta, a horse last sighted winning The Ebor by a head at York for Iain
Jardine off a mark of 103 (14f gd). That narrow victory capped off what has
been a real rags to riches tale for the gelded 6yo son of Sixties Icon whose
first career win came back in 2014 in a class 5 maiden handicap at Pontefract
off a mark of just 66! He has improved relentlessly since then and he more than
deserves his place in a race of this magnitude.
There are a lot of positives for Nakeeta regarding his
chance in this contest, none more so than the manner of his win last time in
The Ebor. Anchored in rear until they turned for home he didn’t enjoy a clear
passage at all, squeezing through a couple of narrow gaps to get into the race.
When he did find daylight 2f from home he showed a very nice turn of foot to
seal the deal, and even his jockey dropping the reins close home wasn’t going
to stop him from scoring.
He probably was value for more than the winning distance of
a head and I got the impression that if the race was further than 14f he would
have won by a wider margin. Nakeeta seems to relish the rough and tumble of
big fields, a huge asset in a race like the Melbourne Cup, and though he is
drawn wide it shouldn’t hinder him too much as he enjoys being held up and produced
with a late run. He will have the assistance of the vastly experienced Glyn
Schofield in the saddle and he knows his way around this track.
The step up to 2 miles is no problem for Nakeeta either as
his stamina is assured. He stayed on strongly for 2nd in the Chester Cup last
year and that race is run over 2 miles and 2 furlongs. Nakeeta has been given
plenty of time to get over his exertions at York and seeing as that was only
his fourth run of the season he is a relatively fresh horse. Heartbreak City
was touched off in the Melbourne Cup after plotting the same route as Nakeeta
last season, and at odds of 25/1 hopefully the Scottish star can go one better.
STEVOS’ SELECTION:
MELBOURNE CUP-NAKEETA E/W @ 25/1
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