Cup not among best in world

ONE of the world’s richest people – the breeder of Caulfield Cup winner Durston – has questioned the status of the Melbourne Cup as one of the world’s great races.

Kirsten Rausing, who has been named as the 150th richest person in the world by Forbes, also queried why Australian breeders are failing to produce horses for rich middle distance and staying races which are increasingly being plundered by imports.

Rausing, the owner of Lanwades Stud in England, bred this year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista and could claim Melbourne Cup glory next Tuesday with Durston.

But the Swedish-born breeder, who owns a third of packaging giant Tetra Laval, said the Melbourne Cup is not near the top of the pops of the world’s great races.

“I would obviously be very happy if Durston could win the Melbourne Cup, but no, as a handicap it doesn’t compare with the world’s foremost weight-for-age races,” Rausing told News Corp from the UK.

“As an illustration, in Europe no handicap is permitted to be a Group race.

“The winning of Group races is all-important to establish the ability of the runner who then runs at identical weight to his competitors.

“The Melbourne Cup cannot really be compared to the world’s best races. However, it is of course a massive cultural event in Australia and a very significant representation of Australian racing.”

Rausing, who counts Zaaki among the horses she has bred, has been on record as saying “some fairly ordinary European horses win Group 1 races in Australia”.

Rausing is baffled as to why many Aussie breeders are seemingly not interested in breeding horses to compete in lucrative races over a mile and a half or further.

Rausing said it means it will probably be a once-in-a-blue moon event when a locally bred stayer wins the Melbourne Cup in the future.

“This development would seem relatively recent, within the last 12-15 years or so?” Rausing said.

“There is patently a market in Australia for long-distance horses, which – in the main – is supplied by overseas imports.”

Durston, a son of Lanwades home stallion Sea The Moon, won the Caulfield Cup in terrific fashion when sneaking into the field as an emergency.

It propelled the Chris Waller-trained gelding up the Melbourne Cup betting charts, currently the equal third favourite as a $13 chance.

But Rausing is not entirely convinced Durston has the pedigree to win.