Cam Luke says if the winner of the Andrew Ramsden is granted direct entry into the Melbourne Cup - it should be a 3200m race and not 2800m.
The time-honoured feature for horses aged three, four and five is run under handicap conditions and has seen winners very competitive on the first Tuesday in November.
Last Saturday at Flemington, South Australian stayer The Map booked herself a ticket into the Melbourne Cup by overpowering her rivals in the Ramsden.
But it begs the question: Should a race that provides automatic entry to the Cup be a two-mile race?
SENTrack's Luke certainly thinks so.
“The Andrew Ramsden is a wonderful story, I love golden-ticket races and I love the great narrative of the South Australians and all the connections of The Map,” Luke told SENTrack.
“But, the Andrew Ramsden should be 3200m. If you’re going to have a golden-ticket race that isn’t into the same preparation it has to be 3200m.
“It has to be a two-mile race, The Map can run two miles I get it, but if we want golden-ticket races we need to make sure that the horses that win them for the next 150 years run two miles out.”
The Ebor Handicap (2700m), The Lexus Roy Higgins (2600m), The Lexus Bart Cummings (2500m), the Caulfield Cup (2400m), the Cox Plate (2040m) and the Lexus Archer Stakes (2500m) are the other win and you’re in races for the Cup.
The Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne Cup are the only 3200m races in Australia.