A great day for the Irish in Melbourne
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 yesterday.
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.
‘‘I just can’t quite believe it,’’ said Joseph O’Brien.
‘‘His prep went really well and [jockey] Corey [Brown] gave him an unbelievable ride.
‘‘It’s not often in a big race that everything goes so well. Over the moon.’’
Aidan O’Brien has made a number of bids to win the world’s richest two-mile handicap over the past decade, with his best result being a third with Mahler in 2007.
‘‘I’ve spoke to [my dad] and he’s delighted,’’ Joseph O’Brien said
Brown, who won the cup on Shocking in 2009, was delighted.
‘‘I can’t believe it. I chased the ride about six weeks ago with its light weight,’’ 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 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 three-horse trifecta paid $3113.70. With Big Duke fourth, the first 4 dividend was a whopping $44,736.30.
Following the scratching of Who Shot Thebarman on Sunday, Humidor was the only Kiwiowned interest in the race.
Part-owned by former All Black Mark Carter and his siblings John and Rachael Carter, the former Kiwi stayer, now trained by champion Victorian trainer Darren Weir, finished back in 19th place.
The five-year-old Teofilo gelding started the race as the third favourite ($10). Blake Shinn settled Humidor well back in the field and he never looked a winning chance.
‘‘He just doesn’t run two miles (3200m), it’s as simple as that. He gave me a nice ride throughout but when the pressure went on he didn’t respond, Shinn said.
Cory Parish was first of the Kiwi jockeys home in 15th aboard his Caulfield Cup-winning mount Boom Time. Michael Walker (Bondi Beach) finished 22nd and Michael Dee (Gallante) was last of the 23 runners.
Famous Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira was denied a start in the race, when he and his horse Regal Monarch fell in an earlier race. Moreira was shaken up so stood down from his other rides and Ben Allen rode Thomas Hobson into sixth placing in the cup. Kiwiowned mare Fanatic won the race that Regal Monarch fell in.