BACK HOME IN Rosewell House it will be four o’clock on Tuesday morning when the tape goes up on “the race that stops a nation.” An ungodly hour on a school night but you can rest assured that nobody connected to Dermot Weld’s yard will be sleeping a blink.
Nineteen years after he saddled Vintage Crop and made history as the first international trainer to win Australia’s legendary Melbourne Cup, and 10 years on from an equally impressive raid with Media Puzzle in 2002, Weld is bidding for an unprecedented treble at Flemington Park.
Much like his challenger’s namesake, Weld was looking to the skies ahead of Galileo Choice’s run in the €5m showpiece. There was rain on Monday, with a hint of more to follow, but that was all it took for the whispers of another famous Irish shock to seem that little bit more plausible.
Galileo’s Choice faces a competitive 24-horse field headed by French stayers Dunaden, unbeaten in three starts down under, and last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Americain, bidding to become only the second horse to regain the 2m handicap title in its 151-year history.
No fewer than 14 Group One winners from four continents go to post, but those looking for reasons to favour the Irish invader have found plenty since the seven-year-old’s arrival last month.
Slight concerns about transit fever quickly subsided when he put in an impressive piece of work last week, prompting a flood of bets at generous odds of 25/1. Now into 12/1 in places, Galileo’s Choice could be shorter still by the off time if the rain continues to fall.
English-based Italian trainer Luca Cumani knows how difficult it is to win the race with two of his horses, Purple Moon and Bauer, both finishing second. Cumani has two starters this year, Mount Athos and Quest For Peace (renamed My Quest for Peace while in Australia).
English trainer Ed Dunlop has brought last year’s runner-up Red Cadeaux back to Australia for a second tilt at the Melbourne Cup. Red Cadeaux was beaten in a photo finish by Dunaden but has a big weight advantage this year.
“No one paid us any attention last year. We were a 40/1 shot. We wandered in and we nearly won the Cup,” Dunlop said.
“If he runs the same way this year, we’ll be very happy. If he wins, it’s a bonus.”
Italian jockey Frankie Dettori will be having his 11th ride in the Melbourne Cup and his likely last big race for Godolphin on Cavalryman following the recent announcement of his split from the Dubai-based stable after 18 years.
– Additional reporting by AFP
