Marmelo my greatest chance, says Bowman
SUPERSTAR jockey Hugh Bowman needed only two words to reveal how he feels about Marmelo being the horse that can give him a breakthrough in Australia’s greatest race tomorrow.
Having steered Winx into history in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley last month, Bowman goes into the $6 million Emirates Melbourne Cup believing he is finally on the right horse.
He had the choice of riding two other imports in the Cup, but opted for Marmelo and rode him for the first time under race conditions when sixth in the Caulfield Cup.
Asked if Marmelo’s barnstorming finishing effort in that race had him excited about the Melbourne Cup, Bowman’s response was telling.
“Very excited. Yes. In my opinion, going into the race this is my best winning chance. He is definitely the right horse for the race,” he said.
This will be Bowman’s seventh Melbourne Cup ride. His best finish was last year when Who Shot Thebarman ran fifth as a $26 chance. Marmelo is likely to start the shortest of his Cup rides, with Protectionist (20th) his most fancied to date at $9.
Marmelo’s trainer Hughie Morrison said that Bowman was “on the radar” as soon as the Australian trip had been confirmed.
“He came and rode the horse, obviously liked him, rode him three times before he went to Caulfield and his confidence has helped my confidence,” Morrison said.
“He’s a good part of the team.”
Morrison arrived in Australia – his first time here – last Monday.
The Melbourne Cup has been a 15year quest for him, trying to find a horse good enough to make a tilt
“Given the focus on it here, it’s astronomical. It would be a dream come true. If this is the one pinnacle of my career, I would sleep happily on that one,” he said.
“We had a top-class horse 10 years ago, but he wasn’t the soundest,” he said. “[Marmelo] is young, relatively progressive.”