Invador ‘bucking his brands off’ for today’s Cup but no-one will be there to see him

Platinum Invador might be rank outsider for today’s A$400,000 Geelong Cup but he is in fantastic order, says trainer Peter Moody.

The race at 6pm NZ time features four international raiders vying for spots in the Melbourne Cup and three of them, Ashrun, Skyward and Le Don De Vie, are most favoured in the betting.

While only nine strong, this year’s 2400 metre feature is considered to be an even better edition than in previous years but, sadly, there will be none of the usual crowd there with the public banned from attending because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The meeting has always proven popular with Victorian racegoers and has often been a good guide to the Flemington feature.

Three Geelong Cup winners have gone on to win the Melbourne Cup - Media Puzzle (2002), Americain (2010) and Dunaden (2011) - and a host of others have won at Geelong and placed in the big one at Flemington including On A Jeune (2005), Bauer, nosed out in 2008, and Prince of Arran last year.

Today a host of runners just outside the 24-horse cut-off for the Melbourne Cup will do battle, King of Leogrance 25th in the cup order, San Huberto (30th), Platinum Invador (33rd), Ashrun (34th), Steel Prince (35th), Skyward (37th), Le Don De Vie (38th), and Entente (59th).

Left-handed Geelong has a slightly uphill straight of 380 metres.But while the strength of the field is one test for Platinum Invador, Moody says other question marks include whether there will be enough genuine pace to allow the horse to get into the action late, and the quirky nature of the Geelong home bend whose curious camber disadvantages wide runners.

But he says Platinum Invador is in the best condition he has been since arriving in Australia - “he’s bucking his brands off” and is ready to improve further on his terrific Herbert Power effort at Caulfield when, despite an interrupted home straight passage, he came from last to run a close third.

Kiwi interest will also focus today on former Cambridge trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young who have just taken over the French stayer Skyward, winner of four of his only seven starts.

A winner two starts back at Deauville over 2500 metres, he ran fourth last time behind Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in the Group II Prix Foy (2400m) at Longchamp, form franked when Anthony Van Dyck ran a blazing second in last Saturday’s Caulfield Cup.