Cross Counter wins Cup
Godolphin has finally broken its Melbourne Cup drought with the victory of lightly weighted threeyear-old Cross Counter, trained at Newmarket in England by Charlie Appleby.
The win brings to an end a wait of more than 20 years for Cup success for Godolphin, the global empire run by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy leader of the United Arab Emirates.
Second home was another English-trained galloper in Marmelo, ridden by Winx’s regular rider Hugh Bowman, for trainer Hugh Morrison.
Third place went to yet another English-trained horse in A Prince of Arran, from the Newmarket yard of young handler Charlie Fellowes. He was partnered by expatriate New Zealander Michael Walker, who has called Melbourne home for most of the past decade.
The first Australian-trained runner to finish was fourth placed Finche, prepared by Chris Waller, although that must be marked with an asterisk. Finche was formerly trained in France and only went to Australia a few weeks before the Cup to be prepared by the man who has guided superstar Winx’s career.
Our Charles Road, trained by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Matamata, fought bravely for seventh place, earning his owners A$150,000 which was paid out down to 12th. The other Kiwitrained runner, Zacada, from the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable, just missed out on that, finishing 13th. Who Shot Thebarman, which is Kiwiowned, was 17th in his fourth run in the race.
The winner was only carrying the feather weight of 51kg (the same as fifth-placed Rostropovich) and was partnered by the rider many regard as the best jockey in Australia when it comes to staying races, Kerrin McEvoy.
This was his third Cup win, having first succeeded as a youngster aboard Brew in 2000, landing the great prize again for Lloyd Williams on Almandin two years ago. Williams owned The cliffsofmoher and the favourite Yucatan, but the latter never looked like featuring in the finish.
Neither did the heavily-backed Magic Circle, whose owner, Dr Marwan Koukash, had threatened to pick up the prize in a thong if he had won.
Cross Counter continued the trend for lightly weighted northern hemisphere three-year-olds to do well in the Cup.
Last year victory went to a similar aged horse, Rekindling, while the only other northern hemisphere three-year-old in this year’s race, Rostropovich, did
well to finish fifth.
McEvoy had ridden for Godolphin with distinction in Europe for some 10 years, so it was appropriate he who was on board their first Cup winner.
Saeed Bin Suroor first, and latterly Appleby, had been trying to give Sheikh Mohammed a winner in the one big race that had escaped him for more than 20 years.
Appleby gave the sheikh his first Epsom Derby winner in the royal blue silks this year when Masar won, and he will always hold a special place in the Godolphin record books now.