Daqiansweet Junior, under the guidance of trainer Phillip Stokes, is eyeing a potential third appearance in the prestigious Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) contingent upon a victory in Saturday's Listed Roy Higgins Quality (2600m) at Flemington.
Stokes expressed, “He got into the Cup pretty comfortably last year. He should be ok again, but if you don't have to take the chance it makes the programming easier if we're going that way.”
The son of Sweet Orange previously clinched sixth place in the 2022 Melbourne Cup, followed by a commendable fifth-place finish in last year's edition. His aspirations for securing a slot in this year's Cup hinge on a successful outing in the upcoming Roy Higgins Quality.
Daqiansweet Junior recently contested the Australian Cup Prelude on March 9, marking his sole race since the previous year's Cup. Stokes lauded his performance, noting, “I thought his first-up run was the best he has put in for a long time. He bounced, put himself there, and only got beaten a bit under four lengths which is probably a ‘PB' for him.”
With the Roy Higgins on the horizon, Stokes anticipates Daqiansweet Junior to maintain his form, ideally peaking for the Group 1 Sydney Cup after the Roy Higgins outing.