There were some long faces in Lambourn when Forgotten Voice missed out on his intended engagement in the Caulfield Cup last weekend. Plan B was hastily put into action with the nine-year-old now set to go in the Geelong Cup on Wednesday.
Nicky Henderson’s dual-purpose performer will have to produce something special to get a penalty large enough to get into the Melbourne Cup but he does look to have an outstanding chance of success. He is well known in England for being a much better horse on good ground so it is of some concern that the going is described as “dead” at Geelong with showers forecast.
From what I can understand, dead equates to no worse than good to soft in the UK which would make it a borderline decision whether Forgotten Voice will handle it. With the bookmakers in Australia offering only around 6-4 about the English raider, it is certainly worth holding off until you know the going at race time.
The Geelong Cup has become an important trial for the Melbourne Cup with Media Puzzle, Americain and Dunaden all scoring here on their way to Flemington. Last year, the former John Gosden trained Gatewood won this race in a last ditch attempt to qualify for the Cup. Others on that well-trodden path are Tanby, Brigantin, Ibicenco, Polish Knight and Moudre.
The trouble is that it is very hard to make a case for anything against the favourite. All of his rivals have been running poorly of late with the possible exception of Crafty Cruiser. He is the only one to have put in a half-decent effort when finishing fourth behind Araldo and Sea Moon at Flemington. He had previously won on heavy ground and would be an automatic choice if the heavens opened.
Forgotten Voice has a good draw in stall 6 and Brett Pebble should have no problems in holding him just off the pace. He has won on a variety of tracks and is currently rated 110 in the UK, 5lbs higher than the peak achieved by Verdant in his European racing days.
Provided that the rain stays away, Forgotten Voice should have too much class for this field. But keep an eye on the skies!
Forgotten Voice (Geelong Cup) 6-4 Sportingbet
