Willie’s big bang theory
Irish trainer hoping preparation of Max Dynamite has horse right for Cup glory
OF ALL the miracles Willie Mullins has conjured with horses, Melbourne Cup victory would elevate Max Dynamite to the top of the revered Irishman’s list if successful today.
Second in the 2015 Cup behind Prince Of Penzance after jumping from barrier two – the same gate as today – Max Dynamite has had only four starts since.
He will attempt to become the first international to claim Australian racing’s most coveted prize without a lead-up run here since Vintage Crop in 1993, but his sizzling trackwork at Werribee suggests he is primed for a landmark performance.
Regarded as a training genius by compatriots such as Aidan O’Brien and Tony Martin, Mullins will have two other Cup runners besides Max Dynamite – Wicklow Brave and Thomas Hobson. As formidable as Thomas Hobson’s formline is and as fit as evergreen Wicklow Brave is, Mullins hints Max Dynamite is at the top of his pecking order.
“Max is out of the same box as two years ago, box two,” Mullins said.
“He’s the classiest horse of the three but he hasn’t had as many runs as the other two this year.
“We’ve had a different approach.
“We’ll find out in the Cup if it works out or not.
“I’d have loved to have got a better draw for Thomas Hobson.
“The other two have fine draws.
“I’d wouldn’t have minded putting the other two in where Thomas is but the draw is the draw.”
Mullins will chase history on several fronts. Wicklow Brave is the oldest horse in the Cup at nine.
No nine-year-old has ever won the Cup.
Thomas Hobson and Max Dynamite are eight by Australian time, the same vintage as defending champion Almandin. No eight-year-old has won the Cup since Catalogue in 1938. Mullins’ assistant trainer David Casey attributes the longevity of the stable’s flag-bearers to his boss’s training methods.
“The way we campaign our horses probably has something to do with that,” Casey said.
“We’re hard enough on them but we don’t just run them. We pick their races throughout the season and we stick to that.
“Because of that, the horses tend to last a little bit longer and they are fresh towards the end of the season.”
Like Mullins, Casey says the only potential negative with Max Dynamite is his light preparation.
“He hasn’t had as big a campaign as what we would’ve liked, he’s only had the two runs and that’s a negative against him I think,” Casey said.
“But since he’s come here, he’s actually perked up and he’s giving me the same signs he was giving me two years ago.
“I think he might surprise a few people.”
Casey is banking on another masterful ride from Brazilian Joao Moreira to alleviate Thomas Hobson’s poor draw.
“Thomas is in good form and although he’s drawn 21 (20 after the scratching of Who Shot Thebarman), Joao Moreira came from 23 last year (on Heartbreak City) and if he could do something similar this year we’d be delighted” he said.
“He’s had a very good campaign, he was brilliant at Ascot over the two days, he was just a bit keen on the second day and then he went to Doncaster last time out and was second, giving a good horse of David Elsworth (Desert Skyline) 13 pounds.
“We avoided running in the Lexus, we rolled the dice because we didn’t want to risk giving him a penalty and hopefully we were right in doing that.”