Gailo Chop fought like a tiger to take out the Group I Ladbrokes Stakes but the eyecatcher was second-placed Irish invader Johannes Vermeer who was a major Caulfield Cup firmer.
Photo: Darryl Sherer
The former French-trained Gailo Chop ($5.50) continued his comeback from a tendon injury and confirmed a Cox Plate start when he clung on to beat fast-finishing international visitor Johannes Vermeer ($31) by half a neck over 2000m at Caulfield.
Mark Zahra adopted catch me if you can tactics with Gailo Chop and they worked, although it was impossible to miss the run of Johannes Vermeer from a Cups point of view.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained Johannes Vermeer firmed to the third line of Caulfield Cup betting at $8 after his eye-catching Australian debut and has firmed from $51 to $9 in the Melbourne Cup market.
Johannes Vermeer was the only horse to make ground from back in the field and Ben Melham will ride him in next Saturday's Caulfield Cup.
There was an aftermath in the stewards room with jockey Glen Boss suspended for 10 meetings for causing interference on Riven Light.
Gailo Chop, who was having his fifth start since his return from a tendon injury, will take on Winx in the Cox Plate but trainer Darren Weir is under no illusions about his chances of toppling the super mare.
"Obviously it will be good to have a runner in the Cox Plate but when you see Winx last week, it will be hard for anything to beat her," Weir said.
"Gailo Chop has got fitter and stepped up in distance and it just looked like a race today that if he could get to the front he would be able to control it.
"He got some cheap sectionals down the back and then gave a good kick.
"He might not have wanted it to be much further but the winning post is there for a reason."
Hartnell may now be spelled after being squeezed out to finish ninth.
"He enjoyed a lovely run and chimed in when the speed quickened but copped some interference," jockey Glyn Schofield said.
Favourite Bonneval ($3.70) finished sixth but was found to be lame near the fore and had a laceration near the off hind pastern and is in doubt for the Caulfield Cup.
