THE AIDAN O'BRIEN team have been issuing dire warnings about the Flemington track being too firm for Septimus ahead of the Emirates Melbourne Cup but ground issues could be the sole concern for a strong international team in the early hours of tomorrow morning, writes Brian O'Connor
Johnny Murtagh rode on Saturday's card at Flemington and described the going as very fast which in turn led Septimus's owner Derrick Smith to warn that he would instruct O'Brien to scratch the big-race favourite if there are similar conditions for the Cup.
However, Racing Victoria officials have said they are prepared to water the track if forecast rain doesn't arrive - a move that has generated some criticism among the locals - and that could tip the edge even further towards the strong European raiding party.
Dermot Weld is famously the one trainer to successfully send horses from Europe and his lightweight Profound Beauty joins Septimus and two other O'Brien horses, Honolulu and Alessandro Volta, in a strong Irish team.
With Luca Cumani pitching in both Mad Rush and Bauer, Varevees representing France and Yellowstone running for Jane Chapple-Hyam there is understandable concern Down Under about an overseas whitewash.
Certainly the outbreak of equine influenza that has stopped any chance of the Japanese trying to repeat their 2006 one-two, as well as the dropping out of top-rated local horses like last year's winner Efficient, looks to have given Europe a top opportunity.
For weeks most attention Down Under has been on Septimus and the suspicion that his class could outweigh the burden he has to carry. A prime starting position in stall 10 has helped his chance and the inclusion of his stable companions to help guarantee a strong pace only emphasises the attention that Ballydoyle have put into their third attempt on the cup.
However, in the last 48 hours there has been heavy support for Profound Beauty who is now as low as 6 to 1 third favourite in ante-post betting.
No doubt the Weld factor in Australia has contributed to that but there have also been encouraging reports of Profound Beauty's work at the Sandown quarantine centre under her big race jockey Glen Boss.
The Australian rider knows precisely what it takes to land the cup having won three-in-a-row on the legendary Makybe Diva and there have even been reports that Boss has been making favourable comparisons between her and Profound Beauty.
"She's quite brilliant," he gushed at the weekend to local reporters. "The first time I got on her I was taken by her action. She was very loose, clean and efficient. Her work on Friday was very strong."
Boss will break Profound Beauty from stall two which will allow him ride a typical Aussie rail-scraping race but Weld not surprisingly has pointed to the European runners as her big dangers.
"I'm very happy with Profound Beauty and I expect her to run a good race but I think Septimus and Mad Rush are going to be hard to beat," he said.
The Melbourne Cup will be shown live on the Attheraces Channel at approximately 4am tomorrow.
Irish Runners
1211-11 SEPTIMUS (D) (10)(AP O'Brien) 5, 9-3 J Murtagh
30-4161 HONOLULU (24)(AP O'Brien) 4 8,8 C O'Donoghue
18332113 PROFOUND BEAUTY (BF) (2)(D Weld) 4, 8-2 G Boss
22163D60 ALESSANDRO VOLTA (11)(AP O'Brien) 3, 7-13 WM Lordan
