So You Are has secured a Melbourne Cup start after a rare 1kg penalty for his Bendigo Cup win lifted the Bjorn Baker-trained stayer into the top 24, leaving Jamie Melham’s mount Future History on the outside.
Racing Victoria head of handicapping David Hegan issued the penalty on Thursday, taking So You Are to 54kg and 24th in the order of entry for Tuesday’s Cup at Flemington, the Victoria Racing Club reported.
The VRC said So You Are would have been 25th had Caulfield Cup runner-up Saint George not been ruled out earlier on Thursday after failing his CT and PET scans.
“Yesterday’s win, based on weights and the quality of opposition, was the best of So You Are’s recent victories, carrying 58.5kg and proving too strong for all rivals,” Hegan said.
Biggest Bendigo Cup penalty since 2011
It was So You Are’s third rehandicap since Melbourne Cup weights were released, adding 2kg in total. Hegan said the last time a 1kg rehandicap was handed out was to Tanby in 2011, while recent Bendigo Cup winners Sea King and Sayedaty Sadaty were each given 0.5kg.
The Rachel King-ridden gelding held off Berkeley Square in Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup for his fourth straight win, following three stakes wins in Sydney, including the ATC St Leger.
Read more: So You Are Wins Bendigo Cup to Boost Melbourne Cup Chances
Anxious wait for Melham
The penalty is a blow for Melham, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup on Half Yours. Future History, trained by Gregory Hickman, remains 26th in the order of entry, Just Horse Racing reported.
Just Horse Racing also reported that connections of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained The Euphrates, who had been 25th, would not pay the final acceptance fee.
Future History now needs further withdrawals, or another horse to fail the mandatory scans, to make the field.
Read more: Saint George Out of Melbourne Cup After Failing CT Scan
Final acceptances for the Melbourne Cup close at 4:30pm on Saturday, 31 October. The 3200m race is run at Flemington on Tuesday, 3 November.
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