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Gold Journey successful 2022 Melbourne Cup. (picture courtesy Sky Racing World)
Instantly after a profitable Breeders’ Cup in California, English jockey Ryan Moore pointed his international compass Down Underneath. On Monday evening, the world’s top-ranked jockey will bid for a second Melbourne Cup, aboard scorching favourite Vauban, within the “race that stops a nation.”
Moore’s international credentials however, the most important storylines are the excruciating alternative between two high possibilities for Mark Zahra – and the farewell Cup trip of an all-time Australian nice, Damien Oliver, aboard final 12 months’s winner Gold Journey, who seeks a record-equaling fourth victory in his nation’s most well-known race, earlier than retiring at 12 months’s finish. The 2-mile handicap is the seventh on a 10-race card at Flemington Racecourse. The large discipline of 24 will spring from the gate at 11:00 p.m. Japanese (8:00 p.m. Pacific) and might be broadcast by FanDuel TV and Sky Racing World.
Vauban (5-2) has maintained a outstanding place in future e-book wagering since cruising round Royal Ascot along with his ears pricked to win (beneath Moore) by seven lengths at 1 3/4 miles. After beginning his profession in France, Vauban was purchased by the identical connections who completed second and third within the Melbourne Cups of 2015 and 2017 with a horse named Max Dynamite.
Irish coach Willie Mullins has adopted the identical uncommon method, racing Vauban (very efficiently) over jumps earlier than reverting to “flat” racing. The 6-year-old gelding turned heads throughout a strong morning exercise at Flemington final week, prompting rival Australian coach Mick Worth to concede that Vauban “would be the hardest, fittest soundest horse within the race … I felt drained simply it!” Vauban is feeling so hungry for achievement that he left assistant coach David Casey with a large, kaleidoscopic bruise on his hip. Proprietor Wealthy Ricci will get too nervous to look at reside regardless of being on-track, “but when he wins, I might be delighted to look at the replay just a few instances.”
Vauban’s stiffest opposition is anticipated to return from final 12 months’s winner, Gold Journey (7-2) and up to date Caulfield Cup winner With out a Struggle (6-1), who’ve offered jockey Mark Zahra with a large conundrum. Gold Journey gave Zahra his first Melbourne Cup win (watch replay) and has displayed superior lead-up kind to this 12 months’s renewal. Even after Zahra steered With out a Struggle to victory in an exhilarating Caulfield Cup, traditionally the best prep race for the Melbourne Cup, he was nonetheless anticipated to stay with Gold Journey.
Zahra described his determination to desert Gold Journey as “a particularly robust alternative that was 60/40 in With out a Struggle’s favor.” Probably the most vital issue was the climate forecast. Final 12 months, Gold Journey had his most well-liked mushy footing in his final two prep races in addition to within the Melbourne Cup. Zahra believes “it is a totally different kettle of fish this 12 months. He is had two exhausting runs on agency tracks, he’ll get a agency observe once more on Cup Day and I believe With out a Struggle is a greater trip.”
Connections of Gold Journey will lose nothing with the providers of James McDonald, who landed his first Melbourne Cup in 2021 aboard Verry Elleegant. Thus, the final two successful riders are pitted in opposition to one another in an intriguing subplot to the 2023 renewal of the good race.
Whereas Mark Zahra’s alternative of mounts has generated appreciable consideration, the sentimental favourite amongst Australian racing followers might be 51-year-old Damien Oliver, who will trip in his final Melbourne Cup earlier than retiring subsequent month. Oliver’s glittering profession has netted him 129 Group 1 victories, together with three Melbourne Cups. Within the race’s 162-year historical past, solely two jockeys have gained the race 4 instances.
“Ollie” will try for a farewell present that leaves an enduring reminiscence when legged up aboard 70-1 longshot Alenquer, whose coach Mike Moroney completed second final 12 months with 25-1 shot Emissary (and who skilled the winner in 2000). Damien Oliver’s first Melbourne Cup win was in 1995 and his newest in 2013, however his most particular and memorable got here on Media Puzzle in 2002 – only a week after elder brother Jason was killed in a trackwork accident. (Oliver’s father Ray, additionally a jockey, died in a race fall in 1975.)
If Gold Journey’s highweight of 128 kilos appears vital, spare a thought for the favourite in Sydney’s characteristic race on Monday evening. Cepheus (3-1) should lump 136 kilos in a $3 million race referred to as the Huge Dance (the fifth at Royal Randwick). Victorious in three of his previous 4 begins, Cepheus carried the identical weight successful a race in July and will not spend a penny from gate 1 within the 20-strong discipline.
The Flemington card might be broadcast on FanDuel TV this Monday evening (First Put up: 6:45 p.m. ET / 3:45 p.m. PT) alongside playing cards from Randwick, Eagle Farm and Ascot. All races might be live-streamed in HD on the brand new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and main ADW platforms reminiscent of TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, FanDuel and AmWager. Wagering can be accessible by way of these ADW platforms. Followers can get free entry to live-streaming, previous performances, and professional picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
About Michael Wrona
A local of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has referred to as races in six nations. Michael’s huge U.S. expertise contains; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a nationwide radio community and the 2016 Breeders’ Cup on the Worldwide simulcast community. Michael additionally carried out a race name voiceover for a Seinfeld episode referred to as The Subway.
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