Autridge Looks to Magic Man

The Informant reports:

An unwanted outside gate for Shillelagh at Flemington on Tuesday has continued Stephen Autridge (and Jamie Richards') run of bad luck at the Melbourne spring carnival, but he's still determined to make the best of the hand he's been dealt.

On top of stable high hopes for Xtravagant coming to nothing, Shillelagh has been dogged by wide draws and even worse luck at her last start when severely checked just as she was looming as a threat.

That was in the Gr. 2 Tristarc Stakes on Caulfield Cup day when connections were hoping for a repeat of her previous start last-to-first win at Caulfield a fortnight earlier. The Savabeel mare was angling for an inside run midway through the home straight when the gap closed. Autridge still wonders how she wasn't brought down but is just thankful that she took no lasting harm from the incident.

“We haven't had anything go our way really, but you just have to keep going,” Shillelagh's co-trainer said from Melbourne today. “She's a tough critter though; some horses would curl up after being dealt to like that, but not her.

“We had her fully checked out and she's 100 per cent. Her work since has been good and she looks great.”

Autridge has one potential ace up his sleeve for Tuesday's A$200,000 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes, champion Hong Kong-based Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira.

“A wide draw over 1400 metres is about the worst you can get at any Flemington start point, so hopefully Joao can work some of his magic for us.

“He's had a win (Sheidel in Saturday's Gr. 3 Sensis Stakes) so he's in the zone.”

One thing Autridge is sure of is that his Melbourne Cup day experience will be a long one. Racing kicks off at 10.40am and Shillelagh is in the last of the 10 races on the card, more than six and a half hours later at 5.15pm.

“I won't be in a hurry to get there,” he said. “Maybe watch the first few on TV and then head over around 2 o'clock.”