A second Melbourne Cup campaign officially got underway on Tuesday for one of Australia’s genuine stayers when Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) (Sweet Orange) jumped out over 1000 metres at Pakenham.
The rising six-year-old New Zealand-bred galloper made late ground in the jumpout in a rare showing this year, after having just one outing at Ladbrokes Park Sandown in February.
Trainer Phillip Stokes said he is pleased with the way Daqiansweet Junior is progressing after a breakout 2022 for the horse when he won the Adelaide Cup and was third in the Sydney Cup before finishing the year with a fast-finishing sixth in the Melbourne Cup.
“We’re very happy with him at this early stage,” Stokes said. “He only got warm late and he’ll have another jumpout in two weeks and we’ll take it from there, but everything is on track.
“He’s an out-and-out stayer who made a very gallant first attempt on the Melbourne Cup last year and going in this spring as a six-year-old, he’s well placed to run well even at that elite level.”
Daqiansweet Junior made his way through his grades in 2021, winning four races in a row from 1600 through to 2500 metres and Stokes said he hasn’t given up hope the horse can again get on a winning run.
“We’d like to think he could get back to that form but that was in ratings grade as he was coming through, so it’s a lot tougher where his rating is at,” he said.
“All the same, he’s a pretty good horse and there’ll be some suitable races in the spring we can have a go at.”
