Melbourne Cup Day - Araldo!

There is an air of confidence at Ballymore Stables with our Melbourne Cup contender Araldo happy, hard fit and ready to go!

Declaring the seven-year-old “spot on,” Michael Moroney was in great spirits on Monday, excited about the prospect of a second Melbourne Cup victory with a horse who reminds him a great deal of 2000 Cup hero Brew.

“There are a lot of similarities,” he said.

“They are alike in ability and both need the 3200m to really put their turn of foot on display.”

And of course Araldo has drawn the same barrier – 24 – as Brew.

And in Brew’s year there was one scratching bringing him in a gate – and with Sea Moon out Araldo also jumps from 23.

Ballymore’s 17th Melbourne Cup runner – and part-owner Gerard Peterson’s 24th – Araldo ran a slashing race in the Caulfield Cup, a race that Moroney is not convinced really suited him.

“Caulfield is not an easy track to get back at,” he said, “but Flemington is a totally different course and we can ride him more patiently .”

“He ran on very well in the Caulfield Cup,” Moroney added, noting that “his sectionals were outstanding.”

“And he is used to bad barriers,” he joked – “16 in the Metropolitan and 15 in the Caulfield Cup!”

Paul Moroney, in town from his base in France to cheer on Araldo, has been thrilled with the condition the son of High Chaparral is in.

“He is a hard fit warrior,” he said, confident that Araldo will be perfectly suited at the two miles.

“His ¾ brother Altano has been Germany’s Champion Stayer the last three years and has run in two Ascot Gold Cups.”

Araldo first caught Paul’s eye when he was living in the UK and paying close attention to European form.

A 2800m Listed victory in Germany impressed and Paul was quickly on the phone to find out if the bay was on the market – and he was.

“I got onto the next plane to Germany and fell in love with him straight away. He passed all the vet checks and was soon enroute to Australia.”

Unfortunately, despite a tough Flemington victory last spring, things did not go to plan for Araldo who was injured after striking interference in a race at Morphettville.

Found to have fractured a vertebrae, Araldo was given plenty of time to recover and has been in great shape through his 2014 spring campaign.

“He is a gorgeous horse,” Paul enthused, adding that “he is more like High Chapparal to look at than any of his progeny I have seen.”

Ballymore wish Araldo’s excited connections the very best of luck in the Melbourne Cup!

And we hope our other owners with runners on Tuesday have a great day too with Lord Barrington and Spitfire Lady both looking chances at generous odds.

Taking his place in the Flemington Fling, Lord Barrington has been luckless this time in but Moroney is confident of a bold showing at the Darci Brahma three-year-old’s first run down the straight.

“He has had a couple of jump-outs at Flemington and has shown himself to be quite explosive down the straight,” he said.

“So we have been waiting for this race,” adding that he has always been a Lord Barrington fan – “he is a really nice, strong, fast horse.”

And he has plenty of Ballymore connections with his dam – who was purchased by Paul as a yearling – being a full sister to our Group One Stradbroke Handicap winner Mr Baritone.

Lining up in the final race of the day, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes, Spitfire Lady is having her first start since a Queensland winter campaign and she looks in terrific order.

“She is one of the stable favourites,” Moroney said, “and she has got a fantastic fresh record.”

“She has had three jump-outs to get her fit for this and she is very well in at the weights.”