Red Cadeaux: being aimed at Saturday’s Group 3 September Stakes

 PICTURE: Martin Lynch (racingpost.com/photos)

GLOBETROTTER Red Cadeaux has been given another assignment on home territory this weekend as trainer Ed Dunlop maps out a route back to the Emirates Melbourne Cup in November.

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The eight-year-old has been a regular traveller to take in some of the biggest races around the world, but following a pleasing performance in last month’s Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, Dunlop is again leaving the passport in the drawer.

“It really was make or break last month when he ran in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, but he showed so much of the old spirit when not beaten far in fourth,” the trainer said.

“He has been in good order at home since and he goes to Kempton for the September Stakes [on Saturday].”

Red Cadeaux has twice come agonisingly close to winning the Melbourne Cup – failing by a nose in 2011 and three quarters of a length last year – and cracking Australia’s most prestigious race remains uppermost in his trainer’s thoughts.

“After Kempton we have to decide whether to prep him for the first batch to go into quarantine for another crack at the Melbourne Cup,” Dunlop added.

Dunlop, whose yard sprung to life with eight winners last month after a difficult first-half of the season, has identified targets for another of his top stayers Times Up, who is likely to bid for a third successive victory in the Doncaster Cup on Friday week.

He said: “This season he had a couple of poor runs at Newmarket and Longchamp but the team were generally under the weather.

“However, his run in the Lonsdale Cup at York was much more like it when third to Pale Mimosa.

“I hope he gets a stronger pace in the Doncaster Cup next week and after that the Prix du Cadran is a possibility.”

fonte : RacingPost