The Euphrates wins the Gr 2 Kingston Town Stakes over 2000m at Randwick on September 19 (via Sky Racing)
There are 58 horses still standing in “the race that stops a nation”, the Melbourne Cup, and one of them is the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Botte-trained British-bred Frankel gelding called The Euphrates, who runs in the colours of stalwart South African owner Larry Nestadt.
The Euphrates is among the horses who were marked “NP”, which means “Not Passed First Ballot”.
- Qualification Requirement: A horse must win or place 2nd or 3rd in an internationally recognized Group or graded flat race over 2300m or further (or a Group 1 over 2000m+) since February 1, 2025.
- NP Designation: Horses in the order of entry marked with NP have not passed the first ballot clause yet.
- Consequences: If a horse has not passed the first ballot, it is at risk of being completely eliminated or pushed down the order regardless of its handicap weight unless it wins or places in a designated qualifying lead-up race before final declarations.
The upshot is The Euphrates would need to get into Saturday’s Gr 1 Caulfield Cup, meaning he needs one horse to scratch, and he would then have to run at least in the first three and might have to win it.
Waterhouse and Botte have two back up races in case he does not get in and both of them are “win and you are in” races for the Melbourne Cup.
They are the Gr 3 Geelong Cup over 2400m at Geelong on October 21 and the Gr 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup over 2500m at Flemington on October 24.
If those two races are the only options left for him, he will need to win one of them to get into the Melbourne Cup.
The Euphrates won a Listed race over a mile-and-a-half at Gowran park for Aidan O’Brien and won the Irish Cesarewitch, which is more than two miles long.
He won the Gr 2 Kingston Town Stakes over 2000m on his second start in Australia from start to finish and followed up with a third place finish in the Gr 3 Metropolitan over 2400m at Randwick.
However, he desperately needs the two miles of the Melbourne Cup.
Can he get in and make an impact in Australia’s greatest race?
The bookmakers have more faith in him than his “NP” status suggests as they have him as a 33/1 chance for the Melbourne Cup.
