Gavin Bedggood keen to split 2024 Cranbourne Cup pair

Trainer Gavin Bedggood is keeping his options open with Cranbourne Cup entries Earlswood and Military Expert.

Both horses are entered for the Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m) on Saturday along with the Listed Kilmore Cup (1600m) on Sunday.

The Cranbourne Cup holds prize money of $500,000 while the Kilmore Cup is a $200,000 race.

“There’s the Cranbourne Cup Saturday, Kilmore Cup Sunday, so if one looks better placed going elsewhere, we’ll try and keep them separated,” Bedggood said.

Earlswood has been in Bedggood’s care for only three starts while Military Expert will have his first run for the trainer on the weekend having been prepared most recently by Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald out of their Gold Coast stable.

Having started his career in Ireland, Earlswood scored on debut for Maddie Raymond in the Group 3 Carlyon Cup at Caulfield in February 2022 and went winless until scoring in the Gold Nugget (1600m) at Ballarat on September 20.

At his most recent outing, Earlswood finished ninth to Midnight Blue in the Listed Seymour Cup (1600m) on October 13.

Military Expert last raced at Doomben on October 26, finishing just out of the placings.

The two horses teamed up on the course proper at the Cranbourne racetrack on Tuesday morning in preparation for a potential start this weekend.

“They worked together this morning, and we put a set of blinkers on Earlswood for the first time,” Bedggood said.

“He’s never had any head gear on in his career, so I thought his work was very sharp and probably as good as I’ve seen him work since we’ve had him.

“Military Expert, he’s not been with us for long, probably three weeks, but he arrived in fantastic order, and he looks a million dollars.

“He’s very fit, he’s sound and we thought his work was good too.”