Looking back on the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day action

Knight’s Choice springs Cup surprise 

A spring campaign based out of Mount Macedon has provided Sheila Laxon a second victory in the Melbourne Cup with Knight’s Choice winning Australia’s great race at Flemington. 

Now training on the Sunshine Coast with partner John Symons, Laxon became the first female trainer to win the Melbourne Cup when Ethereal scored in 2001. 

Symons was instrumental in setting up Mount Macedon in the late 1990s and Laxon used the training facilities to win the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups double. 

A move to the Sunshine Coast seven years ago with a view to retirement was put on hold after a big-race win at the Magic Millions Carnival and the pair now has 23 horses in work and a Melbourne Cup trophy to add to the cabinet. 

Ridden by Irish jockey Robbie Dolan, $91 longshot Knight’s Choice defeated Japanese raider Warp Speed ($26) by a half-head with Okita Sushi a further three-quarters-of-a-length away third. 

Symons pointed to the success he had at Macedon Lodge before leviathan owner Lloyd Williams purchased the property from where Efficient, Green Moon and Almandin were all prepared to win the Cup. 

In the early days of the property, Symons trained a Blue Diamond winner, a Thousand Guineas winner while Laxon produced her Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double. 

“Sheila asked if we could be at Macedon Lodge (for the campaign),” Symons said. 

“We've got to thank Mark Player and, I haven't met the owner, Bruce Dixon for letting us stay there. 

“Everyone knows the success going back 20-odd years that we had from there, Blue Diamonds, Thousand Guineas, Caulfield, Melbourne Cups. 

“We just love the place and we know how to use it.” 

Dolan said winning the Melbourne Cup was an incredible feeling, one that he can’t put into words. 

“Well, pinch me. I think I'm dreaming,” Dolan said. 

“It's incredible. I just can't believe it. 

“This is the biggest race in the world, and to win it is just incredible.”

Lindsay Park trifecta to start the day

Ben, Will and JD Hayes started Lexus Melbourne Cup Day with a career first when Tycoon Star lead home a stable trifecta in the $200,000 Maribyrnong Plate.

The Lindsay Park trainers produced the Written Tycoon colt to win the Group 3 event on debut, defeating stablemates Bacash and Shining Smile.

“We have before, but never in a Group 3,” Hayes said of the family’s history of training trifectas.

“So, it's a big thrill and it's a great way to start the day.”

A $350,000 National Weanling Sale product, Tycoon Star was bought by Lindsay Park for $400,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is the first foal from Equiano mare Miss Iano, which makes him a relation to Caulfield Guineas winner Kenwood Melody.

The $18 chance travelled just behind the leading division before unleashing a powerful burst when asked from the 300m to go on and score by one length from Cosmic Force colt Bacash, who nosed out Shining Smile, a son of Spirit Of Boom, for the quinella spot.

“If you're winning this race, you can normally be very competitive in races like the Blue Diamond,” Hayes said.

Missed Derby run works for Howley 

The decision to bypass the Victoria Derby paid a dividend for trainer Liam Howley and the connections of Opening Address. 

Instead of heading to Saturday’s 2500m Group 1, Howley decided to freshen the gelding for the Listed TAB Trophy (1800m). 

After running second in the Group 2 The Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day, the normal course of action would be to head to the Derby but being the first campaign of Opening Address, Howley wanted to look after the gelding for longevity in his racing career. 

While associated with many Melbourne Cup runners in his time at Mount Macedon with Lloyd Williams, Howley said Tuesday’s victory was a proud moment. 

“It’s a really proud day to be honest. I’m proud of the team at home who have done a super job, and I thought his run in the Vase was enormous,” Howley said. 

“He seemed to get forgotten because we didn't go to the Derby, but he freshened up really well. 

“The number of messages this morning was unbelievable, so to get a win like that with a nice horse is pretty special.” 

J-Mac continues Carnival run 

After a treble on Victoria Derby Day, James McDonald struck early of Australia’s greatest race day with a race-to-race double. 

After guiding Opening Address home, McDonald combined with the Kris Lees-trained Cloudland to claim the race for grey horses – the MSS Security Subzero Handicap (1400m). 

The race was named after Subzero, a grey, who won the Melbourne Cup in 1992. 

Cloudland made his way down from Lees’ Queensland stable, after being placed twice from his past three starts. 

“It's been a good start to the carnival and these horses are perfectly placed,” McDonald said. 

“Krissy Lees is a very astute trainer, and he’s placed this horse to perfection from Queensland and it was a pleasure to pick up the ride.” 

Freedmans back in Cup Day winner’s stall

It was not quite as big as the race they won on Melbourne Cup Day last year, but Anthony and Sam Freedman made a return to the winner’s stall in the first half of the card.

The father/son training team, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup with Without A Fight but did not have a runner in this year’s race, took out the $150,000 Schweppervescence Plate (1000m) with Manolo Bling.

The daughter of Grunt, who started $8.50, finished strongest in the field of 19 under Ben Melham to register a three-quarters-of-a-length win over $26 chance Hedonist, the second win of a five-start career that began with victory at Caulfield in July, which Sam said underlined her class.

“She’s been racing so genuinely throughout this preparation and, really, she’s been up since the winter, so the staff at home at Pinecliff have done a great job and kept her very fresh,” he said.

“She's ultra consistent, she tries so hard. Big thanks to Rob Cummings and Yulong, and all the owners in her. She' s a lovely filly and she's certainly up to black type.”

Bel Air brings up a double

Sam Freedman was back doing post-race interviews after the final event when frustrating gelding Bel Air claimed the $150,000 Chanel 9 Trophy over 1400m.

It was the fifth win for the five-year-old son of Written Tycoon, who has promised more and Freedman was pleased to see him stick his head out in a driving go to the line.

Bel Air, who started $13 with Ben Melham in the saddle, defeated Is It Me by a head with Warnie third, just a short-half-head away, but had to survive a protest from Warnie’s jockey Ethan Brown for interference over the concluding stages.

“He’s not the easiest horse to train, he’s a bit tricky, he doesn’t want to hit the front too soon and that was the instruction for Ben,” Freedman said.

“I was a little bit worried he would get run down but he fought on hard and it was a nice win.

“He was a horse that we’ve had a good opinion of a for a long time and hopefully he is starting to achieve that.”

Garachico scores longshot Cup Day win 

Young Ballarat-based trainer Dominic Sutton showed his prowess with stayers when Garachico took out the ‘second’ staying race on Melbourne Cup Day. 

The Australian Heritage Cup (2800m) at Flemington on Tuesday was the race Sutton had aimed Garachico at since taking over the gelding’s training earlier this year. 

Garachico ran third in last year’s edition behind The Map when trained by Leon and Troy Corstens, a stable Sutton was an assistant trainer with at the time. 

Branching out on his own earlier in the season, Garachico is part-owned by Sutton’s father and followed the newly licenced trainer, firstly to Pakenham and then to Ballarat. 

Ridden by Billy Egan, Garachico ($61) scored a half-length win from the $5.50 favourite Newfoundland with Whisky On The Hill ($6) the same margin away third. 

“It's been a long time coming,” Sutton said. 

“He's been a promising stayer throughout his time here and we've just been waiting to get him out to these extended trips. 

“He ran third in this race last year and it was nice to go two better today. 

“We’ve always had this race sort of circled. When you get these horses that love these types of trips, there’s limited options for them and it's a great race.”

Nolen ensures Bay has his day

Luke Nolen denied Arran Bay in the Sale Cup, but he lifted the gelding to a thrilling win in the $175,000 Listed Furphy Plate.

The 1800m event was Nolen’s first ride aboard the Phillip Stokes-trained six-year-old, whom he defeated aboard Pounding at Sale, but the pair lasted to score a short-half-head victory over Unspoken.

“Luke knows his horse very well, he obviously beat him the other day in the Sale Cup and he knew what to do on him.

“He's ridden him at track work, he gave him a lovely ride, and we’re very happy because Luke does a lot of work for us.”

Stokes issued most of the credit for the win to breeder and part-owner Alan Jackson, who encouraged the Pakenham trainer to run at Flemington instead of tackling an easier option at Morphettville.

“I had him in at Morphettville today, and he was a $2 chance there, and I said, ‘let's go to Morphettville’, so I've got to give credit to Alan Jackson.

“He said, ‘nah, let's run it here’, so lucky I did, and everyone's very happy.”

One for the Blues fans in the Amanda Elliott

There were no shortage of Carlton fans who cleaned up in the race that followed the Melbourne Cup with horses named after a couple of Blues cult figures from the 1980s fighting out the finish.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Catoggio, who named after Vin Catoggio, defeated the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained colt Bosustow, who is the namesake of Peter Bosustow.

Catoggio started $41 with Bosustow a $19 chance but the quinella on SuperTab paid $38.10.

In NSW, the quinella returned $185, while the dividend in Queensland was $114.10.

Making the result even more fitting was that it happened in the $175,000 Listed The Amanda Elliott (1400m), a race name after the VRC’s first female chairperson who was once married to late former Carlton president John ‘Jack’ Elliott.

Fancify does it for SA

Things did not go to plan for South Australia’s representative in the Melbourne Cup, with The Map beatin home just two rivals, but the Croweaters got to celebrate Melbourne Cup Day success thanks to the Michael Hickmott-trained Fancify.

The daughter of Niagara enhanced her already-impressive record with an all-the-way win in the $200,000 Group 3 Hog Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1800m).

Former SA hoop Joe Bowditch partnered the five-year-old to her three-quarters-of-a-length win over Tiz Invincible, which took her career record to seven wins from 13 starts, and Hickmott was thrilled to see her continue his good results when pinch-hitting in Melbourne.

“One of my big selling points to the owners is you can have your horses in work in Adelaide at Adelaide fees,” he said.

“You can go around for decent money there and when they're ready they can come over here.

“It's a great place if you strategically come over here. I think last season we had maybe 16 runners over here last season, and maybe seven winners.

“We're venturing back across the border with selected horses and we’re really enjoying it.”