Racing: Americain is ready

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With two weeks remaining only 5kg and the assessment of his jockey stands between the French stayer Americain and a second Melbourne Cup.

Americain has improved so much in his work since a familiarisation visit to Moonee Valley last week that his handler says he is on the verge of the form he showed this time last year.

But she is waiting for Americain to run in Saturday's Moonee Valley Cup before declaring him ready for a successful defence.

"He is coming back and he'll have a good chance," Stephanie Nigge, who is again supervising the horse's preparation for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre, said yesterday.

Americain will be reunited on Saturday with regular jockey Gerald Mosse, who has been on his back at the horse's past 11 starts.

The most recent of them was a 10th to another Melbourne Cup entrant, Jukebox Jury, in the Prix Kergorlay (3000m) at Deauville in late August.

It has proved a hot form race with the winner and second horse having won group one races since.

Nigge said the stable would have preferred to see a better showing from Americain before he left for Australia.

"But he's improved a lot since he went to Moonee Valley last week."

Nigge said Americain weighed in at 525kg after his work yesterday, which puts him within one good gallop of his Cup-winning weight of last year.

"He is 5kg more than in the Cup," she said. "He will be the same weight on Cup Day."

Last year, Americain won the Geelong Cup, setting himself up for his ground-breaking Melbourne Cup victory.

"I think he's nearly the same and he'll show us Saturday how he is," Nigge said. "After Saturday, we will know a lot of things."

- AAP