Family quinella in Cup
Fledgling Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien has denied his famous father Aidan a Melbourne Cup victory, but the pair have a rare family quinella after Rekindling beat Johannes Vermeer in the $6.6 million cup at Flemington on Tuesday.
O’Brien senior is one of the world’s most famous trainers and in the past week has set a world record for the most number of Group I victories in a calendar year, with 27.
It looked like Johannes Vermeer was going to give him No 28 but the storming run of Rekindling denied him.
Another Irish horse, Max Dynamite, who was second in the race two years, ago was third for trainer Willie Mullins.
Corey Brown, who won the cup on Shocking in 2009, was the winning rider.
‘‘I can’t believe it. I chased the ride about six weeks ago with its light weight. Joseph O’Brien, Team Williams, I just can’t believe it,’’ said an emotional Brown seconds after the triumph.
‘‘It’s so special, I’ve got my family down here for it. I’m lost for words, I can’t believe I’ve done it again.’’
Johannes Vermeer stormed to the lead with about 300m to go but was run down by the determined run of Rekindling.
Rekindling is a three-year-old by northern hemisphere time but is deemed a four-year-old in Australia.
The horse is owned by millionaire Australian Lloyd Williams, who also won the cup last year with Almandin. It was his sixth Melbourne Cup win.
‘‘I am absolutely thrilled to have done it with Aidan’s son, it’s like a dream come true.
‘‘I thought the three-year-olds were racing well there ... it’s an absolute dream,’’ Williams said.
‘‘It’s terrifically exciting. ‘‘We wanted someone who could ride the weight and a serious rider.’’
Joseph, 24, trains from Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, the property where his grandfather, his mother Anne-Marie and his father all trained before Aidan moved to Ballydoyle, about an hour away.
Rekindling paid $17.10 to win on the NZ TAB and the Irish threehorse trifecta paid $3113.70.
With Big Duke fourth, the first 4 dividend was a whopping $44,736.30.