English jockey Jim Crowley has his eye in ahead of a Melbourne Cup assignment, winning a race at Bendigo in his first ride in Australia.
Crowley will ride the John Gosden-trained Muntahaa in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
Muntahaa races in the blue and white colours of Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stud operation and Crowley carried the same colours to victory in a 1400m maiden at Bendigo on Wednesday aboard the Lindsay Park-trained Jawwaal.
“It's a nice way to start,” Crowley told broadcaster Racing.com.
Muntahaa won The Ebor Handicap at York in August at his most recent start and the gelding is high up in Melbourne Cup betting at $13.
“I can't wait,” Crowley said.
“It's a race that I've always wanted to ride in and to go there with a live chance, it will be good.”
Crowley is also booked to ride Qafila in Saturday's Group Two Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
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