3 minute read
The Sydney Cup is the autumn goal for emerging stayer Mightybeel.
Mightybeel has put his Parramatta Cup rivals to the sword in an arrogant display that has stamped him as a stayer to watch this autumn.
The four-year-old was a significant market firmer during the week before eventually starting a $3.40 favourite and he gave his supporters no cause for concern, storming to the front halfway up the straight and careering away to win by 2-1/2 lengths over stablemate No Compromise ($8.50).
Toomuchtobear ($4.40) made it a Chris Waller trifecta and Great House ($19) a Waller first-four.
With the champion trainer in Melbourne to watch Home Affairs and Nature Strip fight out the finish of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, his right-hand man in Sydney, Charlie Duckworth confirmed Mightybeel had been earmarked for the better autumn staying races.
"It was a fantastic victory. He is ultra-consistent, he is incredibly tough and he is obviously pretty classy too," Duckworth said.
"The Sydney Cup is where he will go. He stays unbelievably well. Obviously, the 3200 (metres), no-one really knows but we didn't know with (Melbourne Cup winner) Verry Elleegant either and it came off."
Duckworth said they had always held Mightybeel in high regard and toyed with giving him an Australian Derby campaign last year but he needed more time to mature.
He put the writing on the wall with his Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) victory in December and they are upbeat he can go on with the job.
"If you scroll back a year from today, he ran around Canterbury over 1550 (metres), we were going to spell him and James Mcdonald actually rode him that night and said, 'oh no, I think you need to push on to a Derby'," Duckworth said.
"He came undone over 1900 when we stepped him up in journey because it was all a bit too quick so obviously the trainer knew best that day.
"We have waited a year and he is living up to expectations. He is a proper, Group-class horse."
"Mightybeel, different class in the Paramatta Cup!" @cwallerracing takes out the quinella.@TommyBerry21 @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/dgULONdnyJ
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 19, 2022
