FEATURE
A side from the ability to complete the 3200 meters with a strong finishing burst, there is no direct correlation linking all the winners of the Melbourne Cup, other than their display of immense stamina on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington. Several factors contribute to this performance, involving numerous decisions and planning, all wrapped in the inherent uncertainty of horse racing. However, there are often successful trends among winners, whether related to their training methods or breeding. At one time, the prevailing formula for success was to have a busy spring leading up to the Melbourne Cup. There have been periods when New Zealand-bred horses dominated, only to be later replaced by Northern Hemisphere-bred horses. Just when it seemed safe to say the race favoured Northern Hemisphere-bred horses – either brought over with their trainers for the Melbourne Cup or trained in
Australia – this trend has changed with the last two winners, Knight’s Choice and Half Yours, being Australian-bred and prepared. BART CUMMINGS ERA Bart Cummings developed a successful formula for winning the Melbourne Cup, achieving 12 victories. His contemporaries also embraced this strategy. Cummings’s approach involved ensuring his Melbourne Cup contenders had completed a total of 10,000 metres in their lead-up races, with their final preparatory race typically on Victoria Derby Day, often featuring a New Zealand- bred galloper. His horses usually began their campaigns in August with the Aurie’s Star Handicap and had their last lead-in race for the Melbourne Cup in either the Mackinnon Stakes (now the TAB Champions Stakes) or the Hotham Handicap (now the Lexus Archer Stakes), held just four days before Australia’s most prestigious race.
(VRC Collection)
Fancy a Gallop? | 39
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