A number of West Australians are involved in this weeks purchase of the English stayer Illustrious Blue who is now confirmed as coming to Australia to run in The Melbourne Cup
An impressive winner of The Goodwood Cup (G2) over 2 miles in July, Illustrious Blue also won The Sagaro Stakes (G3) over the same distance at Ascot (UK) in April.
Belhus Racing Stables Syndicate Manager Peter Morley who helped get the deal over the line, said this morning that Illustrious Blue will be one of the highest rated International horses in the Melbourne Cup field, and was guaranteed a start being weighted on 55kg.
‘The horse looks to be an outstanding opportunity for people to actually own a runner in the Melbourne Cup and I’m thrilled that a number of our clients have joined in. He’s won a Group 2, two Group 3’s, a Listed race and he’s even won in Dubai. He’s one of the most consistent stayers in England, and being an entire with a nice pedigree, he’s also a good stallion prospect too. His form around other UK horses that we’ve seen here is very good. He’s beaten last year’s runner-up Crime Scene 3 times from 3 meetings, and he’s also beaten Mourilyan (3rd in the Cup last year) and 2007 runner-up Purple Moon too. That’s top class international form, and this horse is said to have a better turn of foot than most. Our UK form experts believe that he’s a genuine top 5 chance on his current form, and of course, a genuine winning chance if he matches his run in the Goodwood Cup.’
Currently a 40/1 chance for Australia’s most famous race, Illustrious Blue will arrive in Australia on the 2nd shipment of European Cup contenders on October 9.