English horse St Michel to be set for Cup

Melbourne Cup hopeful St Michel will miss the Goodwood Cup with his trainer Sir Mark Prescott concentrating on the trip to Australia.

St Michel ran second to Melbourne Cup favourite Red Cardinal in the Belmont Gold Cup (3219m) in New York in June.

“St Michel is heading for the Melbourne Cup and he’ll probably have one run somewhere before he goes,” Prescott said.

“He’d get in the race in most years (with his rating). If he doesn’t he’ll run in one of the other big races down there.”

Prescott said last year’s runner-up Pallasator was also unlikely to run at Goodwood.

Big Orange, who has been unplaced in the past two Melbourne Cups, is the odds-on favourite to defend the Goodwood Cup after his Ascot Gold Cup win last month.

Red Cardinal, trained by Andreas Wohler who was successful in 2014 with Protectionist, is the TAB’s $13 favourite for the Melbourne Cup with St Michel at $51.