Melbourne Cup hopeful lines up for Goodwood Cup

Today’s Goodwood Cup is set to feature the unusual combination of a woman jockey on board a Melbourne Cup hopeful.

With the Goodwood Cup run over the type of distance favoured for Australia’s top group races, trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam has decided to test Judgethemoment’s mettle in the group two races against some of the UK’s finest stayers.

“We wanted to run him in a Group race to see how he got on and we also want him to prove that he is a Melbourne Cup horse,” Chapple-Hyam told the Chichester Observer. “We would like him to go up a couple of pounds in the ratings to guarantee him a place for Australia and the owner is keen to run him there.”

Chapple-Hyman has recruited young Australian jockey, Michelle Payne, for the race. Payne is in the United Kingdom on a working holiday, but has thoroughbred racing credentials, having ridden Iasia to victory at Warwick for Chapple-Hyam earlier in the month.

Judgethemoment is a rank outsider going into Thursday’s race, at odds of 33/1. The colt has a win rate of around 30%, but has taken three victories from his last four outings.