MELBOURNE COUP!
Cross Counter makes breakthrough for British as O’Brien suffers blow
CHARLIE Appleby and Godolphin rewrote the history books in style when Cross Counter led home a stunning British 1-2-3 in the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
Superbly ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, himself partnering a third winner of the prestigious staying event, the son of the former Jim Bolger-trained superstar Teofilo produced a stunning late charge to swoop past fellow northern hemisphere raiders Marmelo and A Prince Of Arran and win going away at the line.
It is the first time in the race’s history that a British-trained horse has won the Cup. For Appleby the victory represents a climax to a stellar season which has seen him win the Derby with Masar, a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with Line Of Duty and secure an impressive haul of 12 top-tier events.
He said: ‘For me it’s obviously very special, but for the team it’s just fantastic. I’ve spoken to His Highness (Sheik Mohammed) and he’s over the moon about this result — it’s a challenge that’s been a long road. It’s a day I will never forget.’
McEvoy added: ‘What a thrill — to do it for Sheik Mohammed and Charlie Appleby. Well done to Charlie and this little horse.’
Hugh Bowman, rider of Marmelo, was hit hard by the Flemington stewards following the race, being handed a 35-meeting suspension relating to three separate issues.
He was given 12 meetings for a careless riding offence, eight meetings for using his whip excessively and 21 meetings after he weighed in more than half a kilogram over his prescribed weight of 55kg.
While the respective bans totalled 41 meetings, the stewards used their discretion to let the suspension to stand at 35 meetings, meaning that while Bowman will miss some high-profile rides on the likes of Irish Derby hero Latrobe in Saturday’s Mackinnon Stakes, he will be free to ride at the Hong Kong International meeting in December.
Five other jockeys, including winning pilot McEvoy, were fined for breaching the whip rule in the ‘race that stops a nation’.
McEvoy was fined A$3,000 after using the whip nine times in the final two furlongs — four more than what is permitted under the rules — on Cross Counter.
Aidan O’Brien fielded three contenders with Rostropovich faring best in fifth, but the race was overshadowed by a fatal injury sustained by The Cliffs of moher passing the post for the first time.
Joseph O’Brien was representing his father and said: ‘Unfortunately these things can happen to a horse galloping around a field at home.
‘It’s very sad but it could have been worse. Ryan (Moore) could have had a fall or someone else could have got injured.’
Yucatan was among the favourites for the Ballydoyle team but he finished 11th, with pre-race rain resulting in a less than ideal surface for him.
O’Brien added: ‘James McDonald said he travelled good, but the ground was a bit loose for him. He travelled good in the race but never really threatened in the straight.
‘In Europe, whenever there is some juice in the ground he struggled so it was something we were quite worried about pre-race.’
Racing Victoria vets found Yucatan was lame in the near foreleg after the race.