Trainers Oopy MacGillivray and Dan Clarken have their Melbourne Cup-bound mare, The Map, primed for her next step in The Bart Cummings at Flemington. Having secured her Melbourne Cup berth with a win in the Andrew Ramsden in May, the team feels no pressure ahead of the race.
“We don’t have to panic knowing she’s in and we’ve got that up our sleeve,” MacGillivray told racing.com.
While The Bart Cummings serves as a key part of The Map’s Cup preparation, recent runs, including a ninth in the MacDonald Stakes and 11th in the Naturalism Stakes, were focused on building her condition.
“We were happy with the run … we knew it was going to be a bit short for her,” MacGillivray noted.
Looking ahead, The Map will contest the Geelong Cup before her Melbourne Cup campaign, with hopes that Jamie Kah will take the ride.
“We don’t have a booking. We know Jamie would love to ride The Map for us, but we’re realists. We understand there’s a lot of pressure on Jamie.” said MacGillivray.