Ben Melham is preparing to be part of a unique slice of racing history with Johannes Vermeer, the new Caulfield Cup favourite that he feels will "eat" 2400m on Saturday.
The Irish galloper that was a fast-finishing eyecatcher on his Australian debut in the Group I Ladbrokes Stakes last Saturday is the $5 Caulfield Cup favourite after a serious injury forced Japanese star Admire Deus out of the field.
Melham takes over the ride from Katelyn Mallyon and insists he would not swap the five-year-old for anything else in the race.
The Victorian hoop is fully aware he can potentially help carve out a new slice of racing history, with Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien just one win shy of equalling Bobby Frankel's mark of 25 Group I wins in a year.
Melham hasn't had a spin on Johannes Vermeer this week but describes him as the perfect Caulfield Cup contender.
"He looks an ideal sort of horse, exactly the right sort of horse to win a Caulfield Cup," Melham said.
"He was actually outside the leader early in the race the other day, so that shows he has got good gate speed if I need to use it.
"He relaxes very well and has got a fantastic change-up speed.
"I think the run the other day was an ideal lead-up run, he got held up a little bit and he only ran home the last 300m and he did that in good sectionals.
"That run wouldn't have hurt him and to me he looks as though he will eat 2400m."
Racenet spoke to Melham at Caulfield trackwork on Tuesday morning before Japanese galloper Admire Deus suffered a life-threatening injury and was out of the Caulfield Cup.
Prior to that incident, Melham felt Admire Deus was the one to beat in the Caulfield Cup.
There is now no Admire Deus and Melham insisted he would not trade his mount for any other in the race.
Melham has won 13 Group Is, including the 2017 Golden Slipper aboard She Will Reign, but said it would be extra special to win the Caulfield Cup for O'Brien.
"To be able to win a Caulfield Cup, especially for Aidan O'Brien who is basically the world's best trainer, would be huge for me," Melham said.
"Aidan is heading for a milestone himself, to equal the most number of Group I wins in a year.
"It would be an unbelievable thing to be a small part of that milestone for him."
