Twilight in the zone
PROMINENT owner Nick Williams rates Spanish Mission – and not raging favourite Incentivise – as the “biggest danger” to reigning Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment.
Twilight Payment cleared quarantine on Saturday night but must stay at the Werribee International Horse Centre at least until after the Cup on November 2 under new Racing Victoria regulations.
Williams has shared in four of father Lloyd’s record seven Cups, including three in
the past five years. Incentivise throttled Australia’s best stayers with a breathtaking Caulfield Cup performance and will now square off against world-class opposition for the first time, albeit a smaller contingent than in recent years.
“I’m leaving the favourite out, it might just come out and win by five lengths. I’ve got no idea about it, only looking at exposed form,” Williams said.
“Spanish Mission is a very good stayer, no question about that. They’ve got 57 (kg) and 58 (kg) for a reason,
the two of them deserve it.”
Twilight Payment has top weight 58kg in the Cup, a kilogram more than Incentivise and Spanish Mission.
“He’s an amazing horse this, staggers me, so tough old Twilight,” Williams said.
“He’s a three-year-old colt (at Werribee) he’s that enthusiastic and it’s not as if he’s (lightly raced) … been to every dance and seems to love it.
“In April-May I thought it would be a waste of time even thinking of bringing him back … as the year has gone I’ve really warmed to it and I’ve got to the point now I think he’s
as good a chance winning as any.
“With all due respect … it’s not nearly as good a race as it was last year … it’s a substantially narrower race, and I think the way it’s fallen into place he actually looks attractively weighted in it.
“It’s a wonderful thing to try and chase a bit of history and try and win something back-to-back.”
Twilight Payment joined Toryboy (1865) and Catalogue (1938) last year as the equal oldest winners of the Cup as an eight-year-old.
If successful again he
would be the first Macedon Lodge contender to defend the race that stops a nation.
Almandin and Rekindling gave the Williams’ family back-to-back Cup success in 2016-17, for trainers Robert Hickmott and newly minted Cox Plate-winner Joseph O’Brien.
“I pinch myself with him (Twilight Payment) and I wish the race was tomorrow,” Williams said.
“It’s hard to believe he could be better than last year but all the reports are saying he is. We keep our fingers crossed and we hope.”