The rise in status of this year's Audemars Piguet QEII Cup - with it's
inclusion in the World Series - has prompted a positive response from
the leading stables in Australia.
With the exception of champion mare Sunline, it would be no exaggeration
to say that the nominees from Australia include the best four horses to
have raced in Australia in the past six months.
While no travel plans have yet been confirmed, any one of the four would
prove a worthwhile representative in what promises to be an outstanding
contest. The four are Northerly, Universal Prince,
Old Comrade and Dash For Cash.
Northerly has been Australia's champion weight-for-age performer of the
past year with his wins including the 2001 W.S. Cox Plate - a leg of the
World Series.
His place atop the tree, however, has been threatened after he was beaten
into second place by fellow West Australian Old Comrade
in the $A1.2 million Australian Cup at Flemington on March 11.
Old Comrade sustained a withering finish from near last
to win the 2000 metres race at Flemington - just two starts after he had
performed well in a Group one race at 1100 metres.
Despite his defeat jockey Damien Oliver remains upbeat about Northerly.
'He's a great horse and Hong Kong would suit him, ' Oliver said, 'he was
beaten in the Australian Cup but he did all the work in the run and was
as tough as ever. He was coming right back on the winner on the line.'
Universal Prince is a Derby winning four-year-old who won
the Group one Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill at his most recent outing.
Universal Prince ran seconds to Northerly
and Sunline in Melbourne during last year's spring carnival.
Three-year-old Dash For Cash is another ace performer nominated.
Dash For Cash, by Secret Savings, has made the most of
his opportunities in recent weeks by stringing together four successive
wins. He won the Group one Cadbury Guineas (1600m) against his own age
at Flemington on February 17 before proving too good for older horses
in the Group one Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on March 2.
