AT Flemington on Saturday, the 2017 Emirates Melbourne Cup hero Almandin ran a lacklustre fourth in the Bart Cummings, the race he won last year to catapult into the Cup with a ballot free entry. Sent out a hot favourite in the Group 3 over 2,500m metres after his impressive return two weeks earlier when taking apart his rivals under the impost of 61kg, he was unable to peg back ground in the straight handing up a three and a half-length deficit to the winner Amelie’s Star.

The Darren Weir-trained six-year-old mare by Testa Rossa is a triple group winner of six from 17 starts and will drop three and a half kilos from Saturday’s win.

“Amelie’s Star’s Melbourne Cup weight will be 51kg, the same weight Almandin was given after he won the Bart Cummings in 2016 before going on to win the Melbourne Cup,” said handicapper Greg Carpenter.

Second was the Irish-bred Granddukeoftuscany, sent out in a pace-making role for his stablemate Almandin and nearly stealing the race with another Irish-bred Kellstrom third.

“We always thought that stepping up in trip today was going to suit her,” said Weir of Amelie’s Star who is out of the Zabeel mare Zazita. “She’s got lots and lots of miles in her legs and we just need to get things right between now and the Melbourne Cup.”

LATER WINS

Last year’s Irish 1000 Guineas third placed Now Or Never broke through at Flemington on Saturday for her first win in four Australian starts. The former Michael O’Callaghan charge, now in the care of Robert Smerdon, races in Australia as Now Or Later.

Her win in the Group 2 Blazer Stakes over 1,400 metres makes her a dual-hemisphere group winner. “She’s got good upside so hopefully we can just progress onto the (Group 1) Myer (Classic), that would be the holy grail for her,” said Smerdon.