Rain fails to dampen Cup fever
Cross Counter hands Britain and racing giants Godolphin a first
Rain that sent punters ducking for cover and threatened to derail the Melbourne Cup eased in time for a thrilling chase in Australia’s most glamorous horse race. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy won the “race that stops two nations” for a third time and racing giant Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum broke his Cup drought in a famous day of Australian racing at Flemington. Cross Counter won the 158th Melbourne Cup, edging to a thrilling win ahead of Marmelo and A Prince of Arran to claim the A$4 million ($4.3m) prize as the winner of the A$7.3m, 3200m classic.
The race that stops two nations and now maybe more has finally been won by England on a day of historic firsts. Charlie Appleby’s lightly weighted three-year-old Cross Counter, given a wonderful ride by Kerrin McEvoy, handed Britain and racing giants Godolphin a first success in the Lexus Melbourne Cup yesterday, reports the Racing Post.
The first international winner came 25 years ago when Irish trainer Dermot Weld’s Vintage Crop proved it could be done. It has taken Britain another quarter of a century to master the art, but when they finally did they did so en masse.
In the final 300m first Charlie Fellowes and then Hughie Morrison thought A Prince Of Arran and Marmelo were going to make them the first Brits to train a Melbourne Cup winner, but McEvoy still managed to come from near last to win going away at the line by a length.
Upon straightening up McEvoy was left with no option but to angle out and circumnavigate the field. With 200m to run he still had several lengths to make up but having got into the race on a light weight he absolutely flew home.
For Appleby it was an incredible way to cap a dream season. When he started training five years ago he named the English Derby and Melbourne Cup as the two races he most wanted to win. In a stellar year in which he has won 11 major group or graded races he has lifted the two prized assets.
“This is everybody’s dream,” he said before thanking the man whose 30-year mission to win the Melbourne Cup he had finally realised.
“This is all down to Sheikh Mohammed. He’s the one that’s given us all the encouragement to take the chances in what we do internationally. We’ve campaigned over here the last three years now.”
Two weeks ago Appleby had three hopes. Hamada lost his life in a freak training accident, Emotionless was ruled out and Cross Counter had a setback.
Cross Counter was given a brilliant ride by McEvoy, who said: “Oh, what a thrill — to do it for Sheikh Mohammed and Charlie Appleby. What a thrill to do it in the blue colours and win a Melbourne Cup. Well done to Charlie, well done to this little horse.”