NEIGHBOURS

148TH MELBOURNE CUP
150,000 people on hand as city stops for race


Veteran thoroughbred trainer Bart Cummings wins 12th Melbourne Cup

Canadian Press..

MELBOURNE, Australia — Veteran trainer Bart Cummings won his 12th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday when Viewed hit the front on the turn to home and held on to beat Bauer in a photo finish in Australia's richest thoroughbred race.

Jockey Blake Shinn moved 40-1 shot Viewed to the front 400 metres out in the 3.2-kilometre race and then led by three lengths at stages before Bauer chased him down on the line.

C'est La Guerre was third in the 5.65 million Australian dollar (C$4.45 million) Group 1 classic, with Master O'Rielly finishing fourth and Profound Beauty in fifth.

Bauer, trained in England by Luca Cumani, and C'est La Guerre both started at 20-1.

"To win a race like this - a race that everyone in Australia likes to win ... It happens to be a nice win," said Cummings, who will turn 81 next week. "I thought it was almost over for 300 yards, then I wasn't sure. I couldn't tell from where I was."

Cummings, who won his first Melbourne Cup in 1965, said he was thrilled to see the Australian horses hold off the international raiders from Europe, having expected a dead-heat when the leaders crossed the finish.

"What a great day it's been. I do make a habit of winning this race, somebody told me - 'it's a good habit to get into,' I said."

He has seven more Melbourne Cup titles than the next closest trainer.

Shinn, 21, said the narrow win "nearly made me cry."

"It's one of the greatest moments in sport, to ride the Melbourne Cup winner," he said. "It's something I've dreamed of for a long time, since I was a young kid.

"To win the Melbourne Cup for a living legend in the sport in Mr. Cummings is a great thrill."

Shinn said he had no choice but to lead the runners home after travelling perfectly for most of the race.

"I hit the front earlier than I would have liked to but he had the going," Shinn said. "The last 10 seconds was long. I thought, 'I've gone too early, I'm going to get beat.' But the horse kept his momentum. It's an unbelievable feeling."


And now a not-so-happy trainer from yesterday's race...from sportal.com.au


Trainer Aidan O'Brien may never come back to Australia after fuming with stewards who had questioned the tactics employed by one of his jockeys and the 'concrete' state of the Flemington track.

After watching Septimus and Honolulu pull up lame in a race where his three runners finished in the last four, a seething O'Brien was called back into the stewards' room after the final event to explain the instructions he had given his hoops.

Stewards did not charge jockey Wayne Lordan for failing to give his mount Alessandro Volta the best possible chance of winning the race but expressed 'grave doubts' about his ride.

Asked after a 45-minute hearing whether he would return for another tilt at the Cup, O'Brien, who had previously been enthusiastic about coming back, said: "Hopefully we will."

Concerned that O'Brien believed he was being singled out, Bailey told the Irishman it was common practice in Australia for trainers to give evidence before stewards should there be concern about the performance of one of their horses.

"Whether it be Mr O'Brien or a one-horse trainer from Colac (a western Victorian town) that's what we do and that's why you're hear to clarify these matters," he said.

The drama started after O'Brien's highly-rated trio flopped behind Viewed - a horse that had previously run his best in wet going - finishing 18th (Septimus), 20th (Alessandro Volta) and, in the case of Honolulu, a distant last on a track which O'Brien described as even firmer than Saturday's.

Connections of Septimus had labelled the track on Derby day unsafe.

Stewards quizzed Johnny Murtagh (Septimus), O'Donoghue and Lordan for their rides after the three led by as much as six lengths mid-race only to fold like a deck of cards well before the finish.

According to vets, Septimus and Honolulu pulled up lame which explained their poor performance, chief steward Terry Bailey said, but not so Alessandro Volta.

Irish mare Profound Beauty, which finished fifth, was also found to be lame.

In order to maximise the staying strength of his trio, O'Brien instructed his jockeys to 'set an even, building pace'.

But the plan went awry when the three-year-old failed to quicken at the mile due, according to O'Brien, to the firm nature of the track.

"At the mile he started to increase which was the right thing to do but when the horse started to get tired he started to curl up," he said.

"And do you know what? I don't blame him on that ground. I didn't think it was going to happen before the race because if I did none of the three wouldn't have run."

O'Brien said he could have withdrawn all three of his runners when the track was upgraded to a Good 3 following the second race but did not 'for the good of the race'.

"We were promised all the time that the ground would be safe. Everybody knows the ground went like concrete today. It was faster than it was on Saturday," he said.

http://sportal.com.au/horseracing-news-display/obrien-fuming-59885

HERE'S THE RACE AS FOUND ON YOUTUBE..











ONTARIO SIRE LEGAL JOUSTING!
His relatives are making noise!

There was a lot of local interest in the Melbourne Cup this year since Ontario stallion LEGAL JOUSTING appeared in the breeding of one of the runners..

PROFOUND BEAUTY, out of Legal Jousting's sister Diamond Trim, was 5th in the race yesteday after having won the Listed Challenge Stakes in track record time (while carrying
134.4lbs no less!).

Reportedly there were doubts as to whether she could make the distance, and news reports suggested that her trainer Dermot Weld thought that they might be there a year too early.

Overseas in England, MAD ABOUT YOU, out of Legal Jousting's sister Irresistable Jewel has been knocking at the door of quite a few Group 1s in Europe, with several seconds and thirds.
She became a stakes winner recently in the Listed Garnet Stakes at Naas.

For more information on the beauitfully bred LEGAL JOUSTING, click on his ad on the right.




NEW TO THOROUGHBLOG...

Some of the newcomers to THOROUGHBLOG include the province's leading feed company - NOBLETON FEED MILL (see link at right), which is growing every day and providing quality, personalized feed mixes to horses and animals all over Ontario.

USHIP offers an ideal option for Horse Transport for Canadians - check out their link at the right.

ROGER ATTFIELD has a website up and going as does THE JOCKS ROOM..THEY HAVE LINKS AT THE RIGHT.

Remember to check out all the links offered on Thoroughblog - stallions at Park Stud, Ascot Stud, Norse Ridge Farm plus LEGAL JOUSTING and the very accomplished GONE FISHIN and LAURA'S LUCKY BOY are part of the Thoroughblog family.




WOODBINE SCOREBOARD

A month left in the season - the bottom claiming level is now $8,000, the temperatures are fluctuating but it's cold at night.

Watch for stables that are winning a lot since folks will try and take an edge now as it will be time to sell off horses before the winter.

Last week Thoroughblog pondered what horses may take the Sovereign awards (with repsect to Ginger Brew and Rahy's Attorney who have 2 very big engagements still to come..)

What about people?

Certainly the trainers Sovereign Award is WIDE OPEN.

ROGER ATTFIELD won the Plate and has done some cool things with horses to win stakes this year - his NOT BOURBON will likely be champion 3yo (Fatal Bullet, another top 3yo, will be sprinter for trainer Reade Baker).

Strictly on numbers, MARK CASSE is leading by wins and purses but with twice as many starters as the other top trainers.

READE BAKER has 2 champions in his stable - BEAR NOW and FATAL BULLET and is a strong consideration for the Sovereign.

SID ATTARD continues to do big things with his stable including JUST RUSHING, MEAN GREEN, and UTTERLY COOL - to name a few.



Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings

Mark E. Casse 418 65 64 61 $4,957,253
Sid C. Attard 274 49 41 39 $2,990,489
Roger L. Attfield 213 41 27 33 $3,973,815
Reade Baker 267 40 36 35 $2,364,333
Scott H. Fairlie 196 39 33 22 $1,591,854
Steven M. Asmussen 224 35 27 30 $2,072,414
Nicholas Gonzalez 167 29 26 28 $2,143,918
Terry Jordan 75 29 15 6 $1,090,367
Daniel J. Vella 193 28 33 21 $1,596,632
Robert P. Tiller 242 27 33 33 $1,566,773
Michael J. Doyle 260 27 25 26 $1,348,814
Audre Cappuccitti 208 27 13 24 $825,762
Brian A. Lynch 96 26 15 12 $2,008,966



WOODBINE SCOREBOARD - JOCKEYS

Jim McAleney looks to be a big favourite to win his first jockey SOVEREIGN AWARD. the race for wins is getting a bit interesting and Husbands has won a bit more money.
Should be a fun last month!


James McAleney 700 138 101 98 $7,638,969
Patrick Husbands 647 126 106 92 $7,702,400
Emma-Jayne Wilson 786 99 100 126 $5,970,312
Emile Ramsammy 715 91 91 96 $4,571,349
Chantal Sutherland 584 89 69 83 $4,919,518
Tyler Pizarro 594 83 85 66 $4,203,958
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 612 83 82 69 $5,044,844
Jono C. Jones 511 71 55 59 $5,014,949
Justin Stein 537 56 74 55 $2,688,269
David Clark 449 49 51 54 $3,202,779
Robert C. Landry 363 45 47 54 $3,004,202
Constant Montpellier 422 40 47 43 $2,176,096
Slade Callaghan 381 40 32 30 $2,557,852