Racing: Bonneval draws wide for Caulfield Cup

Outstanding New Zealand mare Bonneval. Photo / Darryl Sherer

Outstanding New Zealand mare Bonneval will have to overcome a wide draw if she is to win Saturday's Caulfield Cup.

The Cambridge mare will start from barrier 14 in the A$3 million race, while her stablemate Jon Snow looks ideally drawn at barrier six.

The Cup won't have a full field after unfortunate circumstances contributed to only 17 final acceptors.

Leading fancy Admire Deus broke down yesterday morning, hours out from the field being finalised, reports Racing.com

Craig Williams was set to ride the Japanese import for Darren Weir, but he has now been confirmed as the rider for Weir's stablemate Amelie's Star, a day after Weir had indicated he had booked Michael Dee for the ride.

Former New Zealand rider Dee wouldn't comment about the quick loss of his short term engagement but can apply to the stewards for a riding percentage of anything Amelie's Star earns on Saturday if the stewards deem his booking was confirmed before the Williams change.

Riders having better luck are apprentices Beau Mertens and Ben Allen back up on rides they took on Caulfield Guineas Day.

Allen won the Herbert Power Stakes on Lord Fandango (drawn 9), while Mertens will partner Mick Kent's mare Abbey Marie (5) for a third time this Saturday, all of those runs at group one level, after finishing eighth on her in the Caulfield Stakes.

He has only been race riding for about two-and-a-half years, but it will be Allen's second ride in a Caulfield Cup -- having partnered Pemberley, also for syndicators OTI Racing, in last year's race.

Craig Newitt has been booked to ride Hardham (8) for the first time since being aboard him twice in last spring's Danehill Stakes and Caulfield Guineas Prelude while Cory Parish was the final rider confirmed, to partner the Lindsay Park-trained Boom Time (3) in what will be his first ride in the race.

Meanwhile, it's all systems go for Johannes Vermeer ahead of the Cup according to the man looking after the Aidan O'Brien-trained runner.

T.J. Comerford, O'Brien's travelling foreman, said Johannes Vermeer has bounced out of his performance in the Caulfield Stakes and is confident of another strong showing this weekend.

"He ran very well, we thought as much. He was absolutely flying since he got here," Comerford said.

Johannes Vermeer has firmed enormously in betting for the Cup after drawing barrier two and is now the $5 outright favourite.

The Darren Weir-trained Humidor is at $6 and will jump from barrier seven while Bonneval is at $6.50.

BMW Caulfield Cup field and barrier draw

1. Humidor (7) 56kg -- D Weir D Lane

2. Marmelo (10) 55kg -- H Morrison H Bowman

3. Johannes Vermeer (2) 54.5kg -- A O'Brien B Melham

4. Jon Snow (6) 54.5kg -- M Baker & A Forsman S Baster

5. He's Our Rokkii (15) 54kg -- D & B Hayes & T Dabernig L Nolen

6. Sir Isaac Newton (17) 54kg -- R Hickmott K Mallyon

7. Ventura Storm (4) 54kg -- D & B Hayes & T Dabernig D Oliver

8. Wicklow Brave (16) 54kg -- W Mullins J Moreira

9. Inference (11) 53.5kg -- M, W & J Hawkes D Dunn

10. Single Gaze (12) 53kg -- N Olive K O'Hara

11. Bonneval (14) 52.5kg -- M Baker & A Forsman K McEvoy

12. Hardham (8) 52.5kg -- D Brideoake C Newitt

13. Boom Time (3) 52kg -- D & B Hayes & T Dabernig Cory Parish

14. Abbey Marie (5) 51.5kg -- M Kent B Mertens (a)

15. Harlem (1) 51.5kg -- D & B Hayes & T Dabernig C Schofield

16. Amelie's Star (13) 51kg -- D Weir Craig Williams

17. Lord Fandango (9) 50kg A Alexander -- B Allen (a)