Trainer Joseph O'Brien intends to send a string of five horses to compete Down Under at the Sydney Autumn Carnival, Racing.com reported on Tuesday.
The quintet, which consists of G3 Ballyroan S. runner-up Cleveland (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), winner Temple Of Artemis (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), triple group winner and Group 1-placed Baron Samedi (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), G3 Irish St. Leger Trial hero Raise You (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Statement (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), who won the G3 Concorde S., are supposed to be among the nominations–released later in the day–for The Championships at Royal Randwick on Apr. 1 and Apr. 8.
Intended for the A$2-million G1 Sydney Cup over 3200 metres are Cleveland and Temple Of Artemis, both part-owned by the Williams family of G1 Melbourne Cup fame, as well as Baron Samedi. Raise You is also likely for the Sydney Cup, but has also proven effective over slightly shorter trips. Statement is targeting the A$600,000 G1 Coolmore Classic on Mar. 11, followed by the A$1-million G1 Queen of the Turf over a mile on Apr. 8.
“Cleveland will either run in the [G1] Tancred [S. on Mar. 25] ahead of the Sydney Cup, or straight into the Sydney Cup. We'll play that by ear,” Nick Williams told Racing.com. “By all reports he's in terrific form at home, his two runs for us have been nothing but outstanding.
“His last run for us at the Curragh, the Irish Cesarewitch, we gave the winner Waterville (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) plenty of weight (8kg).
“Whilst if he were to run in the Tancred, he'd be out of the weights, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was to run well.”
Prior to his Sydney Cup attempt, if he gets into the field, Temple Of Artemis is aiming for the A$200,000 G3 N.E. Manion Cup over 2400 metres at Rosehill on Mar. 18 or if not, the A$300,000 G2 Chairman's Quality going 2600 metres on Apr. 1.
“He was a very immature 3-year-old and we gelded him late last year,” Williams said. “Joseph tells me he's taken several steps forward, he's a work in progress. He is rated 96 over in Ireland, it will take a bit of work to get him into the Sydney Cup, but you never know.
“He's an exciting stayer for the future and he's a brother to [2015 G1] Gold Cup runner-up Kingfisher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).”
They will enter quarantine this week, and will arrive in Sydney on Feb. 25, alongside the William Haggas-trained foursome of Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), Earl Of Tyrone (Ire) (Australia {GB}), and Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).
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