MELBOURNE CUP CARNIVAL  - TUESDAY GALLOPS

TROY CORSTENS

On Ranting: “He’s quite fit and we didn’t want him to do too much. He ran his last 400m in 23.6 (seconds) and looked really good in doing it. We worked him with a partner and just taught him to settle in behind once again and finish off and Benny (Melham) was extremely happy with him.”

How he’s come through win in Blue Sapphire: “Really good. I was actually surprised how well he came through that and Ben was as well as he thought he’d had a gut-buster and didn’t think he’d feel as good as he did. We’re very pleased with the way that he’s done and I think we’re on track for Saturday.”

On Swats That: “She’s just as good. I’m really pleased with her. She had a beautiful trial on Thursday morning here down the straight. Head on her chest. Broke 33 (seconds) for their last 600 (metres) and Johnny (Allen) basically didn’t let her go. He was very happy with her as well.

“I’m just pinching myself that I’ve got two real live chances going into such a great race.”

The trial being a mini Coolmore: “It was a terrific trial. When you analyse closely not a lot were let off the bridle. Usually in that trial you get something that really scorches in front and everyone starts talking about it. Everyone was very guarded and they went down really nicely. There wasn’t a horse in that trial that you could say ‘aw that didn’t look good’. We really respect the competition on Saturday but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Having two horses in their Grand Final: “It’s such an important thing going into races like this to have horses that are sound, don’t get sick, don’t have viruses, bloods are right. There’s so much that goes into it and touch wood we’ve just had faultless preparations for these two. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong. As I said, I feel very lucky and privileged that the team has got two great horses going into this race.”

Asked can you split them: “I don’t want to. I think Swats has a little bit more race smarts than Ranting. Ranting can still do a little bit wrong. You saw in the Blue Sapphire that he pulled extremely hard. He’s not going to be able to do that on Saturday in the Grand Final against this opposition and still get it right. That’s why it was important that we taught him to sit in behind and switch off. If he switches off, he’s got an explosive finish and he can finish over the top of them, whereas Swats is pushbutton. Johnny will be able to settle her wherever he wants. I don’t want to lean, that might make a little bit of difference, but in all seriousness, Ranting, we’ve done all we can to teach him to switch off. I can’t wait for Saturday.”

On Succeed Indeed: “I was really disappointed (in the Ethereal). I was extremely confident going into that. We worked it out that she was hanging really badly from the 1000 (metres). She’s a filly that in the past has played really badly with her tongue a lot. We worked out that she got her tongue over the bit and the reason we haven’t put the tongue-tie on before is because she’s really liked it, but in the past two weeks she’s basically been living in it in the stable to get used to it. On Saturday the tongue-tie goes on and I’m sure we’ll see the true Succeed Indeed on Saturday.”

Extra from Troy

Reaction on Blue Sapphire on Ranting: “I’ve always had a real opinion of him. It’s been a difficult prep because we’ve been a little bit unlucky. We were getting called the best maiden in Australia, not a real tag you want to have, but it was great to see him shed that and move on with things.”

Could the Blue Sapphire win be the making of a horse: “100 per cent. The way he picked himself up off the canvas, he looked like he was gone on the corner. It would have been really interesting to see Betfair, how they do in the run, I guarantee he would have got right out in the odds, but he just picked himself up off the canvas and got over the top of them. Only good horses can do that.”

Not having crowds at these meetings, is better preparing horses for the carnival: “Clearly it is, especially for stirry colts and stirry fillies. It’s got to be better for them but it’s not better for us. We need people back here. I want bums on seats. It’s a real shallow feeling winning a good race with no-one there to celebrate with. I think we need people back and we need them back quick smart.”

PETER SNOWDEN

Thoughts on Wild Ruler after Flemington trial last Thursday: “I thought he trialled pretty good actually. He is a naturally freegoing horse but he wasn’t over the top but had a good look where he was going.”

“I think there is no substitute if you give them that trial before you race them here. It is a big advantage and I’m happy with the way he went.”

“He’d need to be. This is the hardest race of all. It is the grand final for a lot of horses. It will be a cracking race. I am happy with his progress. I am more happy with him this prep than I am with him last prep. He is a more seasoned horse now. He travelled down really well. He has been down here for a bit over a week now and he has settled in beautifully. He trialled on Thursday so only a bit of easy work this morning but he was nice and relaxed which was good to see because he can get over the top and get running hard. Really happy with how he has settled in.”

“I think he has shown good natural improvement. His two-year-old prep he was going well but I think he is a more mature horse now. He is relaxing better, he is giving himself a better chance to find the line and that will be important here over the last 100m on Saturday.”

Where he wants to draw: “For me personally, with green horses I like to draw out wide. You can let them ease into the race better. If they draw inside and they all come out it means you are crabbing sideways getting out to where the rest of the horses are. Personally I hope he draws a wide gate. I never like wide gates but I always get them so I hope I get what I always get on Saturday.”

On the quality of the race: “It is good. The Coolmore is the toughest of all I think. It is the grand final for a lot of horses for a reason because they are the best horses in the best race. It is a massive race and we will be in there punching. I’m really happy with how he has come along.”

Thoughts on King’s Legacy after Guineas disappointment: “I look back everyday since that and I can’t work it out at all. It just wasn’t him, he has never ever run a bad in his life. His lead ups, his two runs heading into it were perfect. The horse travelled down perfect and was spot on on gameday but just finished well below his best.”

“We’ve done every test you can name. We’ve scoped him, we’ve X-rayed him, we’ve trotted him up, we’ve had bloods done and we could find nothing wrong with him. It is a bit of a head scratcher why but I suppose the hoodoo of Caulfield sometimes - I don’t believe it but I’ve got to put it down to something because I can’t find nothing wrong with the horse. He had a trial on Thursday, he trialled excellent. His work this morning, Glen Boss rode him this morning, had a feel for the horse and he feels terrific and looks really well.”

“I am just going to put that run behind him and back his ability and say he is going to go into that race with a great chance on Saturday.”

“Not many three-year-olds run in this race. I won’t say it was frustration because he was third-up in the Guineas and I won’t say that he was going one too many, it was only fourth-up, so I’d like to think that his best runs are still to come. Judging by what I saw at Caulfield I’m sure there’s another good one in him.”

Thoughts on I Am Superman: “He is going really well, the horse. He won his first two starts back and his run in the Group 1 race at Caulfield (Toorak Handicap) the other day, he just got a bit too far back in the race and he is a horse who likes to engage early and to finish well. He just got too far back, had a bit of work to do on the corner and it was a flat run for him. He looks great, the horse, he looks very, very good so I am tossing up whether to run here or at Sandown but it is a decision I will make with the connections today.”

Missile Mantra in Empire Rose: “First run, we just had a mishap in the race which put her back a bit. The second run was ok, the third run was much better and I thought the fourth run was quite good. But what she is is this prep she’s a lot stronger, she’s handling her racing a lot better than she did as an early three-year-old. I wasn’t going to go to this race but seeing how she’s come on since the last start at Caulfield I’m more than pleased to run her on Saturday. The blinkers will go back on.

“Damian Lane came and rode her this morning and said that she feels the best she’s ever felt and that’s how I feel looking at her, too. Hopefully everything lines up for us. It’s always a hard race to win, it’s a tough race, but she is good enough. She’s shown that at Group 1 level that she’s up to it and let’s hope that Saturday is her day.”

Who he is most looking forward to on Saturday after their work: “I don’t want to sound cocky at all but I like all of them. I think they are all in with a great chance. I think the draw will play a big part in them but I am really happy with how they have come together. The two colts, Wild Ruler and King’s Legacy, they’re in tip top shape. They will be running well on Saturday.

California Zimbol - is there a Group 2 win in her: “Oh I think so. I think she’s better than that. I think she’ll make a Group 1 filly. She’s already got some good scalps under her belt - including her last start when she beat Fituesse, she’s a good filly and she beat her fair and square. She beat Loving Gaby that time, this time last year as a three-year-old, so she’s got good form. I’ll probably pull up stumps after Saturday and she’ll got back to Sydney.”

Thoughts on his lockdown experience in Melbourne on arriving from Sydney: “I just feel so sorry for everyone down in Melbourne here. It has just been really, really hard. You come down here and realise what people are going through. It is devastating. It is a virus no one can control and we are all aware of that. You’ve been really hard done by here. You’ve got no freedom at all.”

“When I came out of lockdown, I went to wash my car and I couldn’t even wash my car. You couldn’t get a haircut, you couldn’t do anything. It makes you really realise just how lucky we have been where we’ve come from. The gates are starting to open now so hopefully we start to get some normality in the next couple of weeks and we can start to enjoy what we are used to, the Australian way of living.”

CALVIN MCEVOY

Pretty Brazen: “We’re really happy. We’ve been pleased with her all preparation. Her last run looked a bit disappointing when you watch it, but doing the figures they went very slow, she got back from a wide gate, they ran a really slick 400 metres.

“I think the eight horses in the race had the quickest last 400 metres of the meeting. She’s bounced through it really well and had a nice sharp bit of work this morning with the winkers on.

“I’ll talk to Luke Currie about what he thinks and we’ll consider putting them on for the big race on Saturday. But I couldn’t be more pleased with her and if she draws a nice gate then she shouldn’t have to get so far back.

Back to Flemington: “Back to Flemington is a big plus. She’s been up for a long time now and I think she’s really looking for the mile. This has been her target race from the beginning.

Experience in Melbourne over COVID period: “I’ve been here (in Melbourne) for nearly three months. We were living absolutely normally in Adelaide. I had to get over here - either Dad or I had to get over here and he wasn’t that keen to.

“We’re lucky, us racing participants, I believe, because I’ve got friends that work in offices that have left their house for an hour per day for the last six months. That’s it. We get to get up, albeit very early in the morning, and get to come outside and work with the animals. It hasn’t been too bad but I’ve only been here for a shorter time. A lot of people have been doing it hard for a lot longer but I’m glad that it’s over now.”

LEIGH JORDON

Happy how fields are shaping up: “I think Derby day this Saturday, it is the best day’s racing in Australia by far. Four Group 1’s the quality of fields that we’re looking is just extraordinary, so in these times of COVID-19, for the fields to stay up the way they are is fantastic. The Derby is wide open, full of quality, the Cantala looks like a massive field for the mile. The Coolmore oozes class everywhere and the Empire Rose, with Mystic Journey hitting her straps again and getting Odeum from the Thousand Guineas, it’s just going to be an exciting day.

“Then you turn yourself to the Cup, and the Cup is definitely the best I’ve ever seen. It’s got everything, an Epsom Derby winner, Melbourne Cup winner, Caulfield Cup winner, Cox Plate winner, Victoria Derby winner, VRC Oaks winner, the list goes on and on. It’s going to be an incredible Derby, Cup and then you come to the Oaks and Montefilia that is just a dominant filly from NSW who looks an exciting prospect and then Final Day, the Sprint Classic has most of the main chances from The Everest and few other different sprinters coming through and the Mackinnon could be the race of the carnival.

“Hopefully we’ve got Armory coming on from the Cox Plate and then there’s Melody Belle coming over from New Zealand who holds the record for the most amount of Group 1’s ever held in New Zealand and who is specifically aiming for the Mackinnon. I’m sure there will be a three-year-old coming through. It’s shaping up as a great race.

“I know we won’t have crowds, but quality wise it’s going to be a sensational week.”

Surprised at number of internationals: “I think that what it shows now is the European prize money is just so low that they’re in a lot of strife and the prize money here, they can’t turn their backs to it. I know there’s a lot of restrictions with COVID-19 but I think the prize money is the big lure and you’ve seen that with the team Aidan’s brought out. Aidan O’Brien has brought the best quality horses he has ever brought to Australia by far. He obviously recognises the prize money is too big a lure which is a great endorsement for Australian racing.”

JO TAYLOR (FOR CHRIS WALLER)

On September Run: “Today was just a nice maintenance piece of work. She had a trial here last Thursday with Craig (Williams) aboard and he was pleased with where she was at. Today we just wanted to get her to stretch her legs, have another look at the straight and were certainly pleased with what we saw today.

“It’s another step up in class for her but she’s certainly handled it every time we’ve set the task for her and it’ll be exciting to see what she can do for us on Saturday.

Stepping to 1200m: “The key to her last two starts for us has been to ensure that she’s settled which she did enough for us and that enables her to finish off as well as she did. Come Saturday, the first half of the race will be the key part. If she gets that right then you can expect her to finish off the same way.

On Verry Elleegant: “Mark (Zahra) was again very pleased with her. He said, as we know, she can be a bit tricky but she did exactly what was asked today. She was as relaxed as we could have her in the early part and then just worked nicely up the straight without trying to break any records.

On Finche: “Perfect. He’s an absolute gentleman and just does exactly what’s asked of him. Went around there with James McDonald this morning and ticked all the boxes.

Over 3200m: “He hasn’t been disgraced and had two go’s at the Melbourne Cup so he’s deserving of his spot again there this year and we’ll certainly give it our all.”

CHRIS WALLER - ON RSN

On Nature Strip: “Nature Strip galloped at Flemington this morning, James McDonald was aboard and he was good. James was happy, said he felt great, his action, mentally he was fine. Did everything right. I’m going to send him out to the farm for a couple of days today down at Lauriston - they do a fantastic job. That’s where our horses have been going for a few days after their runs and it treats them well. He’ll be bouncing out of his skin.

“At this stage tracking nicely towards the Sprint in the last day but we’ll run a few more tests next week to make sure that we’re 100 per-cent happy.

On The Everest run: “It’s just so hard when they’re going a thousand miles an hour or thereabouts in the first part of the race, they just can’t finish off. Those around him ran just as bad. So, I’d say, he’s ten per-cent below his best and there’s ten per-cent because of the way races have been run and all of a sudden you’re 20 per-cent behind the pace. Obviously we think he’s feeling well to continue on. Easiest thing would have been to spell, so all you can do is make sure he’s 100 per-cent for next week and he can bounce back.

“There’s a bit of guesswork, there’s no exact science. Until you see him under race pressure you don’t really know. That makes it a little bit harder.”

PAUL PREUSKER - ON RSN

On Surprise Baby:  “I was really happy this morning. Nice and settled work. We didn’t have to go digging for gold or anything. It was just a nice pipe opener. Really happy, quite slick work in the end. Happy where he’s at mentally.

“They got striding the last 600 of the work. It was a really nice workout deep on the track. I think he’s in great shape and lovely and sound. Really wants to stay, that’s the important part. The package is all there. He’s proved he can stay and everything has gone to plan so far.

“Anyway, it’s the longest seven days to go. You’re like a cat on a hot tin roof. But, touch wood, everything is going well and he’s got the head in the feed bowl and not much I can do than let him enjoy this last seven days.”

Is he a better horse than last year: “Last year there was an element of fear about him and this year he’s quite relaxed and a lot better worker. Last year was quite difficult all the way through. This year he’s a horse that relaxes, does his job and has grown a bit more professional.

“I think we’ve got him right. I thought the Turnbull run was spot on. It’s good to still see him competitive at the 2000 (metres).”