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Vin De Dance out of Cup;Myer return for I Am A Star
Vin De Dance out of Cup
Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) hopeful Vin De Dance will not contest the two-mile feature and will return home to New Zealand after a below par performance in last Sunday’s Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m).
The Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner had an interrupted campaign after suffering from back soreness and failed to fire in his two starts, including his tenth placing at Cranbourne.
“He didn’t run up to expectations last week,” co-trainer Murray Baker said.
“He’s a good stayer but there is just something there that we can’t pick up at the moment, so we will send him home to New Zealand and give him a spell.
Meanwhile, stablemate Peaceful, who finished towards the rear in the Gr.1 Caulfield 1000 Guineas (1600m) was found to be heavily in season.
The daughter of Savabeel will likely contest the Listed Jim Beam Black Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.
Myer return for I Am A Star
New Zealand-bred mare I Am A Star will now be set for the Gr.1 Myer Classic next month after putting in a dominant performance to win the Gr.3 Ladies’ Day Vase (1600m) at Caulfield on Wednesday.
The New Zealand Bloodstock Sales graduate jumped away well for jockey Ben Melham, who took the early lead with the mare and dictated terms throughout to win comfortably by half a length.
“Once they were happy for him to dictate the race it was going to take a lot to run her down,” trainer Shane Nichols said.
“It was a dominant win, she won really well. She just does the job, Ben rated her really well in front and nothing really came to put pressure on her until late.”
The five-year-old is in good form this spring, with Wednesday’s victory coming off the back of Group Two wins in the Stocks Stakes (1600m) and Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) in her two previous runs, while she also kicked-off her spring campaign with a placing in the Gr.3 Cockram Stakes (1200m).
I Am A Star is now set to chase a second Group One win in the Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on November 3, a race she won in 2016.
“Come the Myer, hopefully she stays in one piece and we can keep her happy and keep her racing like that,” Nichols said.
