Fruit market king Noel Greenhalgh identifies Melbourne Cup contender and other spring hopefuls
Greenhalgh was a part-owner of 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip and finished runner-up and third the following year with Soulcombe and Sheraz.
He was also in the ownership of Finche who finished fourth in 2018.
It is European import Birdman, trained by Chris Waller, who has Greenhalgh up and about as a 2025 Cups contender.
Earlier in the week, Waller said he was impressed by Birdman's two recent Sydney trials and said he had clearly matured since arriving in Australia as a northern hemisphere three-year-old.
Birdman, co-owned by other heavy hitters including Ozzie Kheir, Brae Sokolski and Neil Werrett, hasn't won in five Australian starts but did finish runner-up in a 20-horse Group 2 Chairman's Quality (2600m) field during the Sydney autumn carnival.
Greenhalgh said only now is the penny starting to drop for the promising stayer who he believes can turn potential into performance this spring.
'Birdman was purchased with the intention of being a Melbourne Cup horse,' Greenhalgh said.
'He has really needed the starts he has had in Australia so far, as coming from the northern hemisphere he is basically a year behind.
'His trials have been huge, for a stayer, and he is going really well.
'He has fully acclimatised now and there won't be any excuses for him this spring.
'He will be a Caulfield and Melbourne Cup horse.
'I've had horses run first, second, third and fourth in Melbourne Cups.
'It's quite amazing really, I don't know too many owners would have done that.'
Birdman, who has been accepted for a 1400m handicap at Rosehill on Saturday, is currently a $51 Melbourne Cup chance and a $26 to win the Caulfield Cup in TAB's early fixed odds markets.
Asked for another galloper from his squadron of horses that punters could follow during the spring, Greenhalgh nominated three-year-old maiden filly Enviable.
Enviable, who races in Greenhalgh's distinctive colours with a green shamrock, has only had two starts and hasn't won.
But Greenhalgh said the daughter of Frankel, who resumed when finishing third in a Warwick Farm maiden last month, has terrific ability.
'We have got a big opinion of her,' he said.
'She has shown us plenty and she could even be a (Group 1) Flight Stakes type of horse.
'Keep an eye on her during the spring.
'But whatever she does in the spring, she will be even better in the autumn.'
Enviable is a $26 chance in early markets for the Flight Stakes.
Wootton Verni, a Waller-trained French import who trialled exceptionally well at Randwick last week, is another that Greenhalgh has flagged with exciting potential.
'He could potentially even be an Epsom horse, but Chris (Waller) will wait and see,' Greenhalgh said.
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