Connections Take A Cup Gamble On Get Up Jude

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday October 14, 2008

By CHRIS ROOTS

HE is long odds to even get in the field but connections of Get Up Jude will pay more than $20,000 to accept for Saturday's Caulfield Cup (2400m) today.

The fairytale horse of the spring with the unfashionable breeding from the low-profile stable of Kembla Grange trainer Diane Poidevin-Laine will try to live the dream in the Caulfield and Melbourne cups.

"We wanted to run in the two biggest races of the year and that's still our first option," Poidevin-Laine said yesterday.

"Everyone dreams of having runners in the Cups and we want to give ourselves a chance of him running on Saturday.

"If he doesn't make the field we'll get the money back, so it's really a bet to nothing.

"We'll run him in the Geelong Cup (2400m) the following Wednesday as the second option and hope he wins because that would get him a penalty and guarantee a Melbourne Cup start."

Get Up Jude won the Group Three Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) and was third to Newport in the Group One Metropolitan at his past two starts.

However he only sits 32nd on the order of entry for the Caulfield Cup and would need a miracle to even be one of the emergencies on Saturday.

He was scheduled to do his final piece of work at home this morning before leaving for Mornington, where he'll be based.

"We have two cracks at getting him into the (Melbourne) Cup, Geelong and then the Saab (Quality 2500m) on Derby day if needed," Poidevin-Laine said.

"We have booked Jason Taylor to ride him at all his starts in Melbourne and he is very confident that Get Up Jude can get into the Cup.

"The horse is jumping out of his skin and I would have to say he has improved since the Metrop."

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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