In his last run for trainer Steve Tregea, outstanding stayer Incentivise shot to the top of all-in Melbourne Cup betting for the spring with a bullish seven-length victory in the Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup at Eagle Farm.
The horse, now heading to trainer Peter Moody following Tregea selling a half-share in the rising five-year-old, took his winning streak to six on the trot and could not have been more impressive stepping up in grade for the 2400m event in Brisbane.
“I don’t know what to say,” Tregea told Sky Thoroughbred Central post-win.
“For a horse that we wouldn’t have given two bob for 12 months ago, he’s just kept improving and improving.
“Obviously he looks like a stayer and that’s what he is.”
The Shamus Award four-year-old continued to improve going through the grades and winning by another runaway margin with young Anthony Allen in the saddle for potentially the last time.
Prior to the Tattersall’s Cup he won his five starts including his last three by a combined margin of over 25 lengths.
He was a powerhouse performer over 2500m at Ipswich only last weekend and went to another level in the Tatt’s Cup on the quick back-up defeating Group 1 winner and former Caulfield Cup third placegetter Mirage Dancer ($8) by 12 lengths with Traduce ($26) in third.
Allen had the $1.40 odds-on favourite positioned in third the outside of Savvy Oak the early stages before making a move up into second with just over 1000m left to travel.
Hitting the front approaching the home turn, Incentivise was far too good for his rivals quickly extending his lead by five, six, seventh lengths ahead of Mirage Dancer who was trying hard to stay in touch with the up-and-coming star.
It was a relentless gallop down the home straight by the hot favourite who never hit top gear in a performance that surprised even the most confident of punters.
The sky looks the limit now for Moody’s latest stable acquisition with Incentivise to be set for a Spring Cups campaign in Victoria.
“He just keeps surprising,” Tregea said.
“I don’t know where he ends up in Melbourne.
“You’ve got to think seriously now (about the Melbourne Cup).
“Everybody else is.”
Incentivise now leads pre-nomination betting for both the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 16 as well as for the ‘race that stops a nation’ – the Group 1 $8 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) taking place over the two miles at Flemington on Tuesday November 2.
Incentivise is $15 in the all-in Melbourne Cup 2021 odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au and is into $9 ahead of seven-length Doomben Cup winner Zaaki to win the Caulfield Cup this season.
Click here to back Incentivise to win the 2021 Caulfield Cup this October.
2021 Tattersall’s Cup Results & Finishing Order
| Finish | No. | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | INCENTIVISE | Steve Tregea | Anthony Allen | 6 | 55kg | $1.40F | |||
| 2 | 1 | MIRAGE DANCER (GB) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Jim Byrne | 12L | 5 | 59kg | $8 | ||
| 3 | 5 | TRADUCE (NZ) | Maryann Brosnan | Robbie Fradd | 12.2L | 7 | 55kg | $26 | ||
| 4 | 3 | ROMAKASH (NZ) | Matt Kropp | Larry Cassidy | 12.6L | 3 | 55kg | $41 | ||
| 5 | 2 | SOUTHERN (IRE) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Craig Williams | 13.85L | 4 | 57.5kg | $5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | SAVVY OAK (NZ) | Robert Heathcote | Ben Thompson | 16.6L | 2 | 55kg | $31 | ||
| 7 | 6 | GAELIC | Kim Loy | Michael Cahill | 25.6L | 9 | 55kg | $201 | ||
| 8 | 10 | MARECAT (NZ) | Daiki Chujo | Noriyuki Masuda | 32.1L | 8 | 53kg | $201 | ||
| 9 | 8 | BADGE OF GAMENESS | Doug & Graeme Lane | Michael Schrapel | 36.6L | 1 | 55kg | $201 | ||
| 9 | WILD SHEILA | Kris Lees | Ms Rachel King | 0 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
