MELBOURNE CUP
15 YEARS AGO 2011 DUNADEN
WORDS JOE MCGRATH
(Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
The 2011 Melbourne Cup produced the closest finish in Flemington history since photo-finish technology was introduced in 1946. While the two-mile handicap took just 3 minutes and 20 seconds to run, it took judges over five minutes to declare Dunaden the winner by a mere nose – or two pixels.
The victory was a distinctly French affair, with Dunaden trained by Mikel Delzangles and ridden by Christophe Lemaire. Delzangles, a former assistant to 2010 Cup-winning trainer Alain de Royer- Dupré, successfully emulated his mentor’s program by securing the Geelong Cup- Melbourne Cup double.
Owned by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani – who at 22 was among the race’s youngest winning owners – Dunaden further confirmed his legacy by returning the following year to win the 2012 Caulfield Cup.
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