Bendigo Cup

Yeah, massive, massive day at Bendigo, as it always is.

Bendigo Cup Day today.

Locally, they take a half-day public holiday, so it's always a monster crowd.

But what it also is is the last opportunity for a number of these horses to qualify for next Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, Kings Valley is one of those.

He was fifth in the Caulfield Cup 10 days ago, was runner-up on Saturday in the Moonee Valley Cup.

So it's his third run in 10 days, but he is the favourite to win the Bendigo Cup today.

He was $3 out to $3.40. He's back to $3.30. And favourite, so you are, a Sydneysider who makes the track down for Bjorn Baker and Rachel King.

He's in flying form.

Big day for him.

I love the Bendigo Cup.

You've got Bendigo races.

Honestly, it's all set up for you boys on out the gate.

There's no shying away from that.

It's actually been very, very tough in the last few weeks to let the people down.

So it's a massive day, as you say, the Group 3 Bendigo Cup.

Tough, tough Ilds and Bendigo actually.

Of course, being a week from today, it's hard to believe that it's only a week away, the Melbourne Cup.

Before we get to the CT scans, we've got the, or in fact, the ongoing as we speak, but we've got the Bendigo Cup.

on tomorrow, which is an important race for a number of horses, none more so than Sulkum and also Hopewell Rock.

So the domino effect is if Sulkum runs one, two or three in the BDO Cup tomorrow, Hopewell Rock will be bumped out of the final field as it stands.

So you are.

I don't know what Kieran's plans are with Kings Valley.

I'm not sure if you've spoken to him, but it would be a Herculean task if he was to run in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, Bendigo Cup, and then back up into a Melbourne Cup.

It would almost be too difficult to achieve, I'd imagine.

Well, he's by Snitzel, but he's out of Tony Otterberry's first Group 1 winner, Princess Jenny.

She won a... an Australian Oaks was it and she won the Bendigo Cup and you know she was a real staying type you wouldn't normally see a schnitzel in a heading for a derby but he's obviously thrown to the damn side because you don't know until you get to the 2500 but from day one I have him since he was unbroken and from day one he was he was always a little bit backwards a bit small but you could never get to the bottom of him you could never tire him and it's always a good sign he's a beautiful big stairs action and I think I can't see why he wants you out to trip.

And part of that, just reading the preparation, you're going to keep him down at Warrnambool, loves the beach, the preparation there, and only bring him up late the night before?

Yeah, he's quite hot-headed, I suppose.

So, yeah, the Melbourne Cup's starting to take shape.

There might be a few ramifications out of the Bendigo Cup that's run tomorrow afternoon.

But, yeah, a lot of Europeans, as it has been for a number of years now.

But we'll dive into the form a little bit closer to the time and see if we can't find a winner.

And Kings Valley is flying, coming off a fifth in the Caulfield Cup, a second in this.

And then did you tell me he's in the Bendigo Cup on Wednesday?

Yeah, they've accepted with him in the Bendigo Cup, and I reckon the method in the madness, if you're backing a horse, if you're backing a horse for the Melbourne Cup out of the Caulfield Cup and out of the Moonee Valley Cup, it's Kings Valley.

He had to focus on him because he was one of the horses involved in the fall in the Caulfield Cup.

But once that happened, his run was enormous in the Caulfield Cup.

He's the horse out of that Moonee Valley Gold Cup you want to be on, for mine, going into the Melbourne Cup.

But he's 36th in the order, so he's not going to get a run.

And they've paid up for him in the Bendigo Cup.

A big week for Sam Hargraves, of course.

Bendigo Cup.

Oh, Bendigo Cup.

He'd be strutting

around there,