Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien is preparing to pursue his third Melbourne Cup victory with a robust selection of five runners.
O’Brien has assembled a team brimming with talent for the 3200-metre race scheduled for Tuesday at Flemington.
His contenders span the age spectrum, from the youngest, Northern Hemisphere three-year-old James J Braddock, to the oldest, Northern Hemisphere seven-year-old mare Goodie Two Shoes.
The remaining three horses in his strong contingent are Kizlyar, Sons And Lovers, and Trustyourinstinct.
O’Brien’s two prior Melbourne Cup triumphs were achieved with horses at opposing ends of the age range: Rekindling, a Northern Hemisphere three-year-old like James J Braddock, and Twilight Payment, a Northern Hemisphere seven-year-old, mirroring Goodie Two Shoes.
Kevin Blake, the race planner for O’Brien, shared that the team was disappointed to lose Defiantly from the Cup field due to a veterinary inspection deeming the stayer unfit. However, he expressed satisfaction with having five runners, despite the varied barrier draws.
This year’s group represents the largest number of horses O’Brien has ever entered in the race.
“We’ve had horses at Werribee before being by themselves and have had to do all their work by themselves, but there’s a big team of horses, a big team of top-class people this year,” Blake said.
“It definitely helps. It’s a great atmosphere down there.”
Blake noted that getting a horse like James J Braddock into the Cup field has become more challenging with the current veterinary protocols.
A strategy was established after the gelding, partly owned in Australia, finished third in the Epsom Derby back in June.
“After his run in the Derby, the official rating he was given put him in the perfect zone that if you thought he was suitable, then this was the place to come,” Blake stated.
“There is 10 million reasons to come here but it’s been tricky to get Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds through the process here, but we committed, we came and he’s ticked every box.
“He’ll enjoy some rain, but the draw (24) will give us nightmares, but it is what it is.”
Goodie Two Shoes is set for her second Melbourne Cup appearance, having finished second last year under jockey Wayne Lordan, who will ride her again.
“She had 20 last year, 19 this year, same man riding,” Blake commented.
“Hopefully he can do the exact same thing as last year, keep it nice and simple.
“Wayne has had a wonderful year, and the mare is little bit older with a quirky profile running over fences 18 months ago, but the team seem particularly happy with her.
“They feel she is in a better place this year than she was last year.”
Blake suggested that Sons And Lovers is currently overpriced at $23 and is pleased with its barrier three draw.
“We wanted a soft draw,” Blake remarked.
“He wants to be covered up, relaxed, and stall three is perfect for him and Dylan Browne McMonagle rides him well.
“Trustyourinstinct, he’s a horse with a lot of ability.
“He’s a high achieving horse and we would have loved a lower draw as he’s a horse that will be ridden with a bit of patience.
“But when you need a magic act, you need a magician and we think we have one in JMac, not just James McDonald, but also J P McManus, two JMacs.”
The fifth runner for O’Brien is Kizlyar, who finished 11th in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) at Flemington on October 24. Blake indicated that, in hindsight, the horse might not have needed to race before the Cup.
“We brought him for the Melbourne Cup, and it wasn’t planned to run before,” Blake explained.
“We felt he was right on the cusp to get in, so we tried to run to win and guarantee it, but as it transpires, we should have sat on our hands.
“It would have been some sweat if we did, but he’s in.
“He’s a strong stayer, he’s a forward goer, but a typical Aussie style race last time didn’t play to his strengths.
“People will rule him out because of what we saw last week, but I would be expecting a different horse on Tuesday.”
Blake stated that a strongly run 3200m race on Tuesday would be beneficial for all the Irish-trained stayers.
“Trustyourinstinct has a wicked turn of foot, James J Braddock has shown a wicked turn of foot over shorter trips,” Blake said.
“Goodie Two Shoes is probably more of a grinder, Kizlyar more of a grinder and Sons And Lovers can quicken off a quick pace.
“I think it favours the internationals when there’s pace in the race because the locals are so good when the gears drop and they rev up again.
“We find them very hard to beat doing that, so we would be delighted to see pace in the race whether it’s us pushing it or someone else and we would love a true two-mile test and we feel as a bunch, that would suit our horses better.”
For those keen to back a runner in the Melbourne Cup, checking out the latest racing odds on leading sports betting platforms is a must.