Last year’s runner-up Grey Lion has been one of the best supported stayers to win the Melbourne Cup qualifier this afternoon firming in Geelong Cup 2017 betting.
Last year’s runner-up Grey Lion is an early 2017 Geelong Cup betting market mover for the showdown this afternoon. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
There are 12 runners in the Group 3 $300,000 Geelong Cup (2400m) field today including six-year-old Galileo stallion Grey Lion who is out to improve on his second to Qewy first-up in the race last spring.
Now prepared at Ballarat by Matt Cumani, the imported grey went on that preparation to cross 14th to owner Lloyd Williams’ fifth Melbourne Cup winner Almandin, while the Geelong Cup winner Qewy finished fourth in the ‘race that stops a nation’.
Since then Grey Lion has had a further six unplaced runs before the galloper returned to better form last time out on October 15.
Grey Lion was third past the post in the Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m) won by Godolphin raider Folkswood who is in the mix against Winx in Saturday’s Group 1 $3 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m).
Getting back up to a mile and a half on a soft-rated track, which he boats two wins from four runs at, Grey Lion has firmed in from $10 to $8.50 in the latest Geelong Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Cumani said a possible second shot at the Melbourne Cup on November 7 could be on the cards for Grey Lion if the horse came out and won the Geelong Cup, at the hefty late entry cost to connections.
“We want to get him to win a race first of all and it would be good if it was at Geelong,” Cumani told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“He actually hasn’t done that yet in Australia.
“We didn’t pay up for him at one of the stages, so he is not in the Melbourne Cup, but he was bought to be a Cup horse, so if you win a race like Wednesday’s you would have to be open to the idea.
“We think these country cups could be his level at the moment and it would be nice to knock one of them off.
“I didn’t think he stayed in the Melbourne Cup last year but he has put in a couple of runs like that where he looked disinterested.
“We decided to ride him from the front at Cranbourne and he did a really good job to keep sticking on.
“He is one of those horses that we are trying to work out, and obviously his best form would have him right in a race like this, so we will get Luke Nolen to ride him forward and hopefully get away with some good sectionals.”
The other mover in the Geelong Cup betting markets backed in from $7 to $5.50 is the rails-drawn Kellstorm for Darren Weir.
Weir saddles-up the race favourite Gallic Chieftain ($2.90) today from barrier two with Craig Williams riding the last start Group 2 Ladbrokes Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) third placegetter.
Kellstorm meanwhile has Michael Dee aboard on the 54kg minimum, the five-year-old Galileo entire also impressive in his lead-up run.
Showing good improvement the chestnut was only two lengths back third behind Amelie’s Star in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2500m) and is a genuine chance to frank that form here.
Check out the latest Geelong Cup 2017 odds online now through Ladbrokes.com.au as well as the top all-in futures Melbourne Cup betting markets before prices firm on the best out of today’s lead-up race.