Racing: Daliapour gets Weld's vote in Melbourne Cup

It may seem an odd request, but Saeed bin Suroor and Sir Michael Stoute, in Australia to supervise their runners in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, are both hoping for rain.

After arriving in Melbourne late on Thursday, Stoute, who will saddle the six-year-old Daliapour in the big race, immediately went to Flemington to check the going on the track, which he rated as fast. "A little help from Mother Nature would suit me," Stoute said. "This will be a new experience for Daliapour. He hasn't raced this far before, but he is well and I think he'll handle the day. We've had this in mind for a while."

Beekeeper and Pugin, two of Godolphin's runners, had their final fast workouts yesterday at Sandown racecourse where they have been staying, with Godolphin's third contender, Hatha Anna, since arriving in Australia last month. "They moved well and I was pleased with them," Bin Suroor said. "Good ground would help all the runners and be safe for them."

Dermot Weld, winner of the race in 1993 with Vintage Crop, believes Daliapour could pose a big threat to his two runners, Vinnie Roe and Media Puzzle."For a horse that has run second in a Derby, trained by a man like Sir Michael and ridden by Michael Kinane I think he is seriously good value at 33-1," Weld said.

Vinnie Roe came out on top by two lengths when the Weld pair worked yesterday but the trainer is not confident. "I think Vinnie Roe has it all to do," he said. "He has a lot of weight to carry and I am concerned that I haven't got him right back with the gloss in his coat that he left home with. He is a few kilos lighter than he should be."