The Age - German stayer Protectionist simply ran away from his rivals to win the $6.2 million (AUS dollar) Melbourne Cup by an easy four lengths under star international jockey Ryan Moore.
Second home - for the third time in his illustrious career - was English trained warhorse Red Cadeaux, piloted by French rider Gerald Mosse.
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Sydney-trained ex-New Zealander Who Shot Thebarman, partnered by Glen Boss - the man forever associated with triple winner Makybe Diva - came in third.
The well fancied Signoff, from the Darren Weir stable, was a brave fourth in front of the Godolphin hope Willing Foe.
The Japanese trained Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti, was prominent early but was one of the first beaten as the field turned into the home straight and, perhaps anchored by his 58.5 kilo burden, fell back through the field to finish last.
But this race was all about Protectionist, a five-year-old by Monsun, who was also the sire of last year’s winner Fiorente.
Moore has long been regarded by many as the best jockey in the world, and the 31-year-old Englishman showed he had few peers with a nerveless ride on the lightly race stayer, prepared by Germany’s leading trainer Andreas Wohler.
Moore had shown his class two Saturdays ago with a classic ride on the Irish-trained Adelaide to take out the Cox Plate, and the Englishman has now landed two of the four great races on the Australian calendar in the space of a fortnight.
Protectionist’s victory means that the top three races of the spring carnival have all gone to overseas raiders from Japan, Ireland and Germany, with only one Australian jockey - the Hong Kong based Zac Purton - getting on the scoresheet.
English mare My Ambivalent was fresh and made the running at a quick tempo. Moore bided his time out the back of the field and made use of his horse’s superior stamina and turn of foot to simply run away from his rivals.
Red Cadeaux surely deserves to have a race named after him at Flemington even though he is trained in England.
The now nine-year-old is an international globetrotter of renown, and this was another magnificent effort by the Ed Dunlop trained gelding, who was trying to give the winner half a kilo.
Who Shot Thebarman, a dour Kiwi stayer, was the best of the locals, just ahead of the lightly-raced Signoff, whom Brazilian superstar Joao Moreira guided into fourth spot.
Moore afterwards said: ‘’they went a strong pace, he was struggling for a position, but once I got into it I had so much horse under me’’.
Wohler said of Moore: ‘’he is a superstar ... He was so patient. As they came round the last bend I said he just needs the right gap and he got it’’.
| Results |
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