Wicklow Brave heading bush for Caulfield Cup hit-out

Brad Waters - Monday October 16

Irish-trained galloper Wicklow Brave will head north of Melbourne to complete his Caulfield Cup preparation on Tuesday morning.

Wicklow Brave heading out for last year's Melbourne Cup at Flem ington. Photo: Darryl Sherer

The William Mullins stable will take advantage of the fact there is a meeting at Kyneton on Tuesday, shooting 75 minutes up the road to give Wicklow Brave a course proper workout.

Sportsbet has Wicklow Brave as a $34 chance to win the Caulfield Cup at his second Australian start after the nine-year-old finished down the track in last year's Melbourne Cup.

Mullins has again mixed jumps races with flat assignments for Wicklow Brave since the stayer's last Melbourne trip with the gelding claiming a Group I hurdle at Punchestown in April before tackling races like the Curragh Cup and Irish St Leger in the flat season.

Wicklow Brave has been in Melbourne for more than two weeks and has pleased Mullins's assistant trainer David Casey with his progress.

"I think he's in really good form and he looks great," Casey said.

"He seems well again and it's going to be a competitive race but we're up for the challenge.

"We're going to take him away tomorrow and do a little bit with him and hopefully that will leave him right (for the Caulfield Cup).

Hong Kong-based star Joao Moreira will ride Wicklow Brave in the Caulfield Cup and Casey said the Brazilian's Melbourne Cup mount, Thomas Hobson has settled in well to the Werribee quarantine centre after arriving on the weekend.

Thomas Hobson travelled with his stablemate and 2015 Melbourne Cup runner-up Max Dynamite and Casey said the pair were eating well to regain the slight amount of weight lost on the long trip to Australia.

Casey said Riven Light underwent surgery at the Melbourne University Veterinary Clinic's equine centre at Werribee on Monday morning to repair a leg fracture sustained in Saturday's Ladbrokes Stakes at Caulfield.

"The horse is comfortable," Casey said. "They are just going to put a couple of screws in and the surgeons tell me that in three months' time, he'll be ready to go again."
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