‘Improved’ Red Cadeaux is ready to go one better in Melbourne

Reflecting on his previous experience at Flemington, Dunlop said: “I was watching the race with Luca Cumani, who told me I’d won it. I thought we’d got a dead-heat at best and then found out we’d lost. Nobody paid us any attention last year, we were a 40-1 shot and yet we nearly won the Cup. If he runs the same way on Tuesday, we’ll be very happy.”

Dunlop went on “We gave him a mid-season break and all the experts say he looks bigger and stronger. Dunaden has beaten us three times and he’ll probably beat us again but we’ve got a chance.”

Dunaden’s owner Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani has become a real enthusiast for Australian racing and was thrilled to see his horse make a winning return in the Caulfield Cup. His racing manager, David Redvers, said: “We feel he’s the horse they’ve got to beat.”

Cumani has been in Dunlop’s position before with Bauer and Purple Moon failing narrowly in the Cup, and the Italian is set on going one place better with both Mount Athos, unbeaten in three starts, and My Quest For Peace, fifth in the Caulfield Cup, in the running. “Both horses are in good form and now it’s up to the jockeys,” said Cumani.

Marco Botti is paying his first visit to Melbourne to saddle Jakkalberry, a recruit from his family in Italy.

He stayed on after losing his place in the Caulfield Cup, although he was over six lengths behind Dunaden.

The other returning winner is Americain, who landed the 2010 renewal and was fourth with top weight last year.

Now back with Alain de Royer-Dupre after a largely disappointing stint in Australia with David Hayes, he enjoys a big swing with Dunaden but was only fourth to his old sparring partner at Caulfield.

This could be the seven-year-old’s swansong, but part-owner Colleen Bamford said: “We’ll talk about it after the Melbourne Cup. We’re obviously nearing the end and hopefully this time next year he will be making babies.”

Delzangles and Galileo’s Choice’s trainer Dermot Weld was in America over the weekend for the Breeders’ Cup.

Weld, the first overseas trainer to win the race with Vintage Crop in 1993 and again with Media Puzzle in 2002, has been directing from afar. He completed his final piece of work last week and was also taken for a preparatory visit to Flemington.

Locals appear resigned to losing their race to Europe  once again, and their leading hopes look to be the 2010 runner-up Maluckyday and Kelinni who won Saturday’s Lexus Stakes.