Shocking right to chase another big Cup

By Mark Ryan

MELBOURNE, March 12 AAP - Trainer Mark Kavanagh says Shocking is 100 per cent right in his attempt to become only the third horse in the last 20 years to complete the Melbourne Cup-Australian Cup double at Flemington on Saturday.

It has been an amazing turnaround in a week as last Saturday when the Australian Cup (2000m) was scheduled to be run, Shocking was in his box at Kavanagh's Flemington stables nursing a foot abscess having been scratched from the race.

And Kavanagh was jetting his way to Adelaide.

But due to the massive hail storm which forced the $1 million race to be postponed a week, Shocking has recovered and gets the chance to make more racing history.

Recent Melbourne Cup winners to have completed the double in the same season have been Let's Elope (1992) and Makybe Diva (2005).

Hyperno won the Melbourne Cup in 1979 and won the Australian Cup in 1981, while Saintly won the 1996 Australian Cup as a three-year-old and returned to win the Melbourne Cup later that year.

"He's unproven at weight-for-age so we'll have to wait and see," Kavanagh said of Shocking.

"He's much better than he was last Saturday morning so we're feeling pretty optimistic."

Kavanagh said Shocking would wear a three-quarter race plate on his off-fore hoof where the abscess had been.

"With these things they can flare up again but he was 100 per cent when we galloped him on Wednesday morning and he is 100 per cent now," he said

Kavanagh said the Street Cry four-year-old entire missed working on Saturday, swam on Sunday, did pacework on Monday and Tuesday and had a good searching gallop on Wednesday.

"He's coming right at the right time and he has an excellent record at Flemington, the spacious track seems to suit him," he said

Shocking has drawn barrier 12 in the 15-horse field and will be ridden by Michael Rodd.

Following the scratching of the ill-fated Our Aqaleem, who fractured a shoulder in trackwork at Flemington on Thursday morning, trainer David Hayes has three horses left in the race.

He rated three-year-old Extra Zero and last year's third placegetter Zagreb as his best chances of giving him his third win in the race ahead of Hobart Cup winner Growl.

Hayes won the 1991 Australian Cup with Better Loosen Up while Niconero took out the race last year.

Master trainer Bart Cummings rated 2008 winner Sirmione as his better chance to give him his 14th Australian Cup ahead of Moatize.

Cummings' wins in the race stretch over 40 years having won it for the first time with Arctic Coast in 1968.

Shocking, unbeaten in three starts on his home track, is $7 equal second pick with TAB Sportsbet behind the $6 favourite Heart Of Dreams in an open race.

Miss Maren is at $8.50, Sirmione at $9, Barbaricus at $11 with Extra Zero next best at $13.

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