DICK POWELL’S
MELBOURNE CUP BLOG
Cup Wrap-up
I guess the only thing better than going to the Melbourne Cup (G1) is going
to the Melbourne Cup and backing the winner.
Melbourne Cup 149 was run before 102,181 racegoers on a cool, partly cloudy
day that saw a swirling wind pick up as the day went on. You could see from the
earlier races that unlike Saturday when the inside looked like the place to be,
the horses getting the best footing were running down the middle of the track.
Having picked SHOCKING (Street Cry) to win from post 21, this was a positive
development and let’s say I was not shy about putting my money where my opinion
was.
The betting was pretty crazy for most of the afternoon as the public was able
to overcome their mania for Bart Cummings and his quest for Cup win #13 and bet
Alcopop (Jeune) down to favoritism until some final late money made defending
champ Viewed (Scenic) the slight choice at odds of $5.20 to 1 compared to
Alcopop’s $5.30. One of Bart’s other runners, Roman Emperor (Montjeu [Ire]), was
third choice at $7.30 to 1, and Shocking was fourth at $9.90 to 1.
As expected, Damien Oliver sent Warringah (Galileo [Ire]) to the front and he
set a very soft pace while running unchallenged. Corey Brown, who just missed
winning his first Cup last year when the late rush of Bauer (Halling) fell a
whisker short, had Shocking in the middle of the field but three wide every step
of the way. While this was not where he wanted to be and with the wind you
definitely wanted to be covered up, it was better than being stuck down on the
inside of a slow-paced race.
Brown was able to bide his time as he pleased and able to wait for the right
moment as the field fanned out at the top of the stretch. Kerrin McEvoy made his
move with 39-1 longshot Crime Scene (Royal Applause) and Brown was able to
follow him. They struck the front and separated themselves from the pack but
Brown had dead aim on the leader.
Winner of the Lexus Stakes (G3) on Saturday to gain entry to the Cup,
Shocking wore down Crime Scene in the final 100 meters and won by
three-quarters’ of a length. Mourilyan (Ire) (Desert Prince [Ire[) rallied from
far back to finish third at 27-1 and Master O’ Reilly (O’ Reilly) finished out
the first four at 12-1. The exacta on-track paid $805.40, the trifecta paid
$18,641 and the First Four (Superfecta) paid $170,857.
Shocking rewarded his backers with a $21.80 win mutuel and he was definitely
one of the wise guy horses. On Monday, a backer put $40,000 to win on him at
12-1 fixed odds and the money continued to pour in both on-track and with the
bookies.
The Bart fairy tale came to an end as his three runners finished 7th, 16th
and 21st. In the true tradition of full disclosure, it was announced before the
day’s races that Roman Emperor was wearing “concussion shoes” which have
internal padding and are designed to ease the jarring effect of running on hard
surfaces. While attendance was down somewhat from last year, there were
indications that betting on this year’s Cup was way up. More about that when the
morning papers arrive.
Even though Godolphin ran second for the third time in the Cup with Crime
Scene, they do stand the sire of the winner, STREET CRY (Ire) (Machiavellian).
Back in the United States, Shocking was part of a mutuel field that paid off
at odds of 5-1 as the third choice in the wagering.
The third day of the Spring Racing Carnival down here is Crown Oaks Day on
Thursday. After that, I catch a plane Friday afternoon back to Sydney and then
the long flight to LAX when you amazingly make up for the day you lost coming
down here. I leave Friday at 4:15 p.m. local time and arrive at LAX on Friday at
3:40 p.m. (PT). After getting my bearings Friday evening and catching up on the
Breeders’ Cup races that I will miss by being airborne, it will be out to Santa
Anita early Saturday morning for another glorious day of racing.