Makybe Diva by Trevor Marshallsea

Author:Trevor Marshallsea
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC Books
Published: 2019-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

25

An International Event

IN ITS FIRST DECADE of internationalisation, Australia’s race grew as a target for European horses, and not just because of a $2-million purse that outstripped most races in the world. It became a grand adventure for some, who were amazed to discover an atmosphere matched nowhere else.

Many formidable stayers made the journey. Vintage Crop came twice more. In 1994, he ran a decent seventh, as 5-1 favourite with a 60-kilogram topweight, behind imported European Jeune. The stallion was the first Cup winner for Colin Hayes’ son David. (As major a trainer as David Hayes has become, he still hasn’t nailed a second one.) In 1995, Vintage Crop, now like a much-loved old friend to many Australians, returned for a third attempt. He came a meritorious third under 59 kilograms at 8-1 to Doriemus, the first of three Cup winners for jockey Damien Oliver.

But as with the vast majority of Australian and New Zealand trainers, the finest from Britain and Ireland would find the Cup a damned elusive thing to win. One fact soon became clear: with every step in a months-long preparation needing to go right, and with 23 rivals on the day, it was hard enough to win one. How on earth had Think Big, Rain Lover, Peter Pan and Archer won two?

The British and Irish were renowned for breeding mighty stayers. But aside from the rigours of transit, they’d often be brought undone by a style of racing far different to back home. Rather than rolling along at a strong speed throughout, the Australian style was to travel more slowly before a sprint at the finish. Many a highly rated foreigner, and its jockey, would go too fast early and be out-sprinted at the end. Flemington’s surface was often blamed as well. Though attractively soft for its 1840 founders due to its riverside location, it was still hard by European standards.

In 1995, Ascot Gold Cup winner Double Trigger started 7-2 favourite but finished 17th. The following year, Oscar Schindler came with a big reputation. He started 4-1 favourite, and came 15th. But while these were scorned as foreign flops, others performed well enough, finishing in the placings or close enough to keep more Europeans coming.

Meanwhile, the hope that the locals could repel the raiders became another juicy aspect to the Cup. That was achieved three times in a row from 1995–97 and, enhancing the race’s reputation again, it took three superb stayers to do it: Doriemus, Saintly and Might And Power.

Finally, in 2002, nine years after Vintage Crop, came another victory to reinforce the open-door policy, orchestrated by the canny Dermott Weld again. This time, he took a different approach, giving his six-year-old gelding Media Puzzle a warm-up in the Geelong Cup. He won comfortably, before scoring at Flemington by two lengths, at 13-2, with jockey Oliver blowing a kiss to the sky on passing the post to his recently departed brother Jason.

Aside from that main, emotional, storyline, the importance of a second foreign winner for the Cup’s internationalisation was major.

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