Melbourne Cup: Emissary places in historic race

Less than two weeks after a Geelong Cup triumph, Emissary defied the odds and had a fast-finishing second place in the Melbourne Cup.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 01: Mark Zahra riding #1 Gold Trip leads Patrick Moloney riding #17 Emissary and Teo Nugent riding #22 High Emocean to win race seven, the Lexus Melbourne Cup during 2022 Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 01, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Geelong Cup winning trainer Mike Moroney said he had great faith in Emissary to challenge for the Melbourne Cup, but he was still worried coming into the race.

The fast-finishing gelding tested Gold Trip across the line of the race that stops a nation, ultimately claiming second place in the $8m event, just two weeks after winning the Geelong Cup.

Moroney said on Racing.com’s broadcast the rain had worried him before the race.

“We knew we had a really nice horse, but we were a little bit worried,” he said.

“I said to the owners before the jockey (Patrick Moloney) came out … we were one chance of 22 and better odds at lotto because if the rain had come we were a bit worried about that.

“But up until then we thought that if the track had stayed our way we were right in it because he’s a really promising horse.

“I thought he had run through the line of the Geelong Cup that he would be a good chance to get two miles but you don’t really know until you really try them and he ran it out all but the last 50 metres of it, he got a little bit tired late but we’re really proud of him.”

Emissary came from the clouds on the final straight at Flemington Racecourse, overtaking heavy favourite Deauville Legend and almost hauling in Gold Trip in the final seconds of the race.

Moroney said the run in Geelong was perfect preparation for the assault at the Melbourne Cup.

“We prepared him in the right way as far as the space between races went,” he said.

“I think he’s a horse that, this year that’s all he could take to get ready for this race, but I think next year he’ll be a stronger horse and we can take a little bit of a different approach.

“I thought that was enough for him going into it, that he only has four runs coming into the Cup he hadn’t quite done some of the mileage but I think if he had he would’ve been a bit tired than the way he was.

“12 months is a long time to wait but we’ll be back here hopefully, and try to go one closer.”

Originally published as Melbourne Cup: Emissary places in historic race