Parchment Party bound for the 2025 Melbourne Cup
Parchment Party has placed himself firmly on a path toward the Melbourne Cup after a commanding victory in the Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga, held Thursday morning Australian time.
The four-year-old entire, trained by U.S. Hall of Famer Bill Mott, followed up his win in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup — which comes with a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption — by storming home along the rail to score again over 2816m.
Following the win, Pin Oak Stud’s Dana Bernhard confirmed plans to head down under. “Our intention is to go to the Melbourne Cup,” she said. “We’ll quarantine in the UK and then continue to Australia.”
With a record of four wins from 11 starts, Parchment Party is poised to become the first horse trained in the United States to contest the great race at Flemington on November 4.
“He’s a huge horse with a lot of grit. He doesn’t back down,” added Jim Bernhard.
Though U.S.-trained runners have yet to appear in the Cup, the Belmont Gold Cup has served as a stepping stone for several future Australian raiders. Loft, Red Cardinal, Amade, and Baron Samedi all eventually raced in Australia, while Prince Of Arran placed in the Belmont Gold Cup prior to his iconic Melbourne Cup efforts.
Parchment Party will travel to England for pre-export quarantine before joining the European shipment bound for Australia. Fans eager to bet on his historic Cup bid can find the top promotions and odds at the leading Australian betting sites.
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