If training conditions mean anything, Melbourne Cup fancy Admire Deus has a distinct advantage over his local rivals before he makes the trip to Australia.
Syndicator Australian Bloodstock completed a deal to buy Admire Deus for the 2017 Melbourne Cup from Japanese owner Riichi Kondo, the owner of Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti, after his fourth in the Group I Tenno Sho Spring (3200m) in April.
Admire Deus's effort against the best stayers in Japan has him at $21 in Sportsbet's latest Melbourne Cup market while Albert, who finished fifth in the same race is a $26 chance.
Australian Bloodstock co-founder Luke Murrell said the operation was able to send Admire Deus to one of the world's great thoroughbred properties, Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm to prepare for his Melbourne raid.
Admire Reus has been able to train in perfect conditions irrespective of the weather with Northern Farm hosting both indoor and outdoor uphill gallops to get the seven-year-old fit to travel.
"They have been great to deal with. They have let him stay at Mr Yoshida's farm and have the advice of Mr Yoshida's foremen, which has been terrific," Murrell said.
"Mr Yoshida is in Tosen Stardom with us and he bought a couple of German Oaks winners off us and we have a good relationship with him."
Murrell said Admire Deus's new trainer Darren Weir has started the process of working out the entire after sending a senior member of his staff to Japan to work with the stayer before he goes into quarantine.
"Weiry sent one of his foreman over and we are just trying to learn as much as we can, just about the horse's idiosyncrasies and little habits that might give us an edge," Murrell said.
"We're trying to learn everything and not leave anything to chance."
Murrell said Admire Deus's Melbourne Cup lead-in was not set with Weir to consider the seven-year-old's competitive nature before deciding on his Australian debut outing.
"He'll go into quarantine and be here on the first shipment (in late September)," Murrell said. "There are two possible paths. One would be a Caulfield and a Melbourne Cup.
"The mail on the horse is that he just absolutely gives his all every time he runs so if Darren didn't want to have a complete gut buster with him first-up, Darren could go to a Caulfield Stakes or something shorter and use that as a pipe opener for the Melbourne Cup."
