Blake’s Braddock on course for Melbourne Cup bid

Kevin Blake has confirmed Derby-placed James J Braddock to be on course for a tilt at the Melbourne Cup, where the recent-gelding bids to give Joseph O’Brien and owner Aziz "Ozzie" Kheir third wins in the famous race.

Australian entrepreneur and prominent owner Kheir bought the majority share of James J Braddock prior to his Leopardstown Derby Trial success in May, before the three-year-old finished a fine third in June’s English Derby.

Having disappointed behind Benvenuto Cellini in the subsequent Irish Derby on June 28, James J Braddock has been gelded since then, with connections now turning attentions to Melbourne in early-November.

Trainer O’Brien has twice won the Melbourne race, while Kheir is best known for ownership of Cup winners Protectionist (in 2014) and Verry Elleegant (2021), along with Caulfield Cup winners Incentivise, and Hitotsu.

TV pundit Blake, who initially raced James J Braddock and retains a share, reports “James J Braddock has successfully come through the first parts of the veterinary processes and he is already qualified to run in the Melbourne Cup.

“His Derby-placing qualifies him and he’ll have 52kgs - which is 8st 4lbs, so basically is the perfect rating for a three-year-old. The way the Australians ballot is, he is guaranteed a run although will probably have one more run beforehand.

“It will be an unknown distance but he is bred to stay. It is a different rhythm of race down there and, in a European sense, you don’t want to send one down which you know stays two miles.

“In a perfect world, you’d love an option of running him over ten (furlongs) before he travels to Australia, so there is a Group 3 at Windsor in early-September, the Irish Champion Stakes or, most likely, the Kilternan Stakes could be his prep-run.”

He added “Aziz "Ozzie" Kheir is the main shareholder in him now and has been involved in two Melbourne Cup winners already, so it was always on the card. Three-year-olds have a brilliant record in it and it just makes sense.

“Everyone knows he misbehaved (in the preliminaries) at Epsom and for the Irish Derby, we changed quite a few things including using a lip chain, but he was probably too asleep. We don’t think ground was the issue as he never travelled, so that was a day of learning really.

“You’d love if it rained in Melbourne for the race, which can happen over there but he’ll run either way, as he has won on quick ground. That is the dream although there are plenty of hoops to jump through between now and then.”