We take a look at the 2011 Melbourne Cup.(credit: Melbourne Cup tips)
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Danedream's rout of Sunday's top-quality Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe field certainly bodes well for fellow German Lucas Cranach, who will be seeking international riches Down Under over the coming month...
Lucas Cranach finished fifth, just over five lengths behind Danedream, when the pair met in the Grosser Preis Von Berlin at Hoppegarten back in July and, since the German filly's success at Longchamp, Lucas has been all the rage in the betting for the Melbourne Cup.
Lucas Cranach is himself a Group 2 winner, having earlier landed the Grosser Preis Von Lotto Hamburg , where he put in a career best to earn himself a Timeform rating of 115.
The four-year-old, formerly trained in Germany by Sascha Smrczek but now in the care of Anthony Freedman, is available to back at 40.0 for the Caulfield Cup, but is behind only December Draw and Lion Tamer in the betting for the Melbourne Cup, currently trading at 18.0 having been backed for small amounts at 400.0 when the market first opened.
Lucas Cranach is still relatively lightly-raced for a four year old and could be one of the few in the field open to further improvement. The two mile trip of the Melbourne Cup could also play to his strengths, given his stout breeding, and based on the form he showed behind Danedream, Lucas Cranach could be well treated racing off a weight of 53.5kg.
The victory of Danedream in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will have come as a shock to the vast majority of people, but it will be important not to underestimate what appears to be strong German form for the remainder of the season, in particular when assessing top international races.