Cumani Cup hopes on Lion
FROM improbable to goldplated reality, Matt Cumani’s spring carnival dream is alive with confirmation Grey Lion is assured of a start in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
Cumani, 35, will continue a rich family tradition when he saddles sparingly raced Grey Lion in the Cup after Godolphin withdrew Caulfield Cup runner-up Scottish.
The decision elevated Geelong Cup runner-up Grey Lion to No.23 in the Cup order of entry, guaranteeing him a start — regardless of the result of Saturday’s Lexus Stakes.
Following in the footsteps of his father Luca, who has twice gone close to Cup glory, Cumani said: “Very happy, incredibly excited to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup. Unbelievable really. Looking forward to it very much.
“You always hope and do everything you possibly can to do that. It did feel like buying 100,000 lottery tickets and hoping. He was quite a way down the pecking order but, for me, if it wasn’t this year’s Melbourne Cup, it would have been next year’s.”
Formerly trained by champion French handler Andre Fabre, Grey Lion was No.30 of 51 in the order before second declarations.
Attrition allowed the import to rise to No.24 of 32 survivors, but he remained in limbo because of the possibility he could be leapfrogged on Saturday by lower-ranked Lexus contenders.
But no more. Cumani now hopes Grey Lion can realise a long-held family ambition.
One of the canniest and most respected figures in international racing, Luca Cumani has become almost a permanent Flemington presence with a string of raiders. He ran second twice, with Purple Moon in 2007 and a year later with Bauer, denied by the narrowest margin in history by Viewed.