Encouraged by the strength of her progress towards a first-up outing this weekend, co-trainers Dan Clarken and Oppy MacGillvray are setting South Australia’s headline stayer The Map on the same path to the Adelaide Cup beginning on Saturday.
The now six-year-old began her campaign a year ago in successful fashion in the same race and lines up again in the Listed Premier’s Plate (2000m) at Morphettville.
Returning to the track after finishing 21st in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) last November in a run that jockey Rachel King described as an effort that ‘was as game as ever’, Dan Clarken is hoping for more of the same this time after which a start in the Group 3 Lord Reims Plate (2600m) will follow in a fortnight towards the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) where the mare was narrowly beaten in 2024.
“The horse is very good,” Clarken said.
“She had a nice, quiet trial at Strathalbyn last week and she went to Oakbank on Tuesday for a nice little look around and she seems to be in really good order.
“She’s presented like she’s got through the Melbourne Cup and come back in great order.
“But even though they show that, they may not do it on the track but I can’t see that happening. She’s too honest for that.”
The Robert Hickmott-trained Beltoro holds favouritism for the Premier’s Plate at $3.30 while The Map occupied the fourth line of betting at $7.50.
“She didn’t have a lot of time between the Melbourne Cup with the Adelaide Cup in mind but she looks an absolute picture and she’s got dapples all over her,” Clarken added.
After the Adelaide Cup last year, The Map headed to Melbourne and won the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington in May, but this time the training pair are hoping a successful campaign will see them further north and lining up in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) on the second day of The Championships at Randwick.
“We will have to have a little think about it but a bit of cut in the track as can happen in Sydney at that time of year, and we’d love to see her go the opposite way, we have to try her on a really heavy track at some stage.
“Obviously we’ve got a couple of runs to go before that to see where we are at but the group one would be massive on her CV.”
