Master trainer’s method of preparing Cup winners resonates in this year’s race through Serpentine

The Robert Hickmott-trained Serpentine is looking to give Lloyd Williams an eight Melbourne Cup and he has followed tried and true path of Bart Cummings.

Serpentine heads into the Melbourne Cup off a second behind Surefire (left) in last Saturday’s Lexus Archer Stakes at Flemington. Picture: Getty Images

The legendary Bart Cummings will always be remembered for his 12 Melbourne Cup wins — and the blueprint he developed to win the nation’s greatest race.

Cummings had a tried and proven formula for the Melbourne Cup that stood the test of time comprising:

• Up to seven preparatory races during the spring;

• These races needed to have an aggregate distance of at least 10,000m; and

• A final lead-up on Derby Day in either the Mackinnon Stakes or the Lexus Archer Stakes.

The Bart Cummings-trained Viewed (right) contested the Mackinnon Stakes before winning the 2008 Melbourne Cup with Blake Shinn.

Most of Bart’s 12 Melbourne Cup winners followed this program with Light Fingers (1965), Galilee (1966), Red Handed (1967), Think Big (1975), Gold And Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Let’s Elope (1991), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008) all contesting the Mackinnon Stakes before winning the Cup.

Cummings’ other Cup winners, Think Big (1974) and Kingston Rule (1990), won the Cup after using the Lexus Stakes as a final lead-up run.

His only Cup winner which didn’t race on Derby Day, champion Saintly (1996), won the Cox Plate and didn’t start again until the Melbourne Cup.

Other trainers tried to emulate the “Bart Blueprint” and it became almost mandatory to follow the great trainer’s proven Cup formula.

In fact, in a 20-year period from 1975, 17 Melbourne Cup winners raced in either the Mackinnon Stakes or the Lexus Archer Stakes on Derby Day.

But with the internationalisation of the Melbourne Cup in 1993 when Irish stayer Vintage Crop scored a historic win, the nature of Australia’s great race changed.

Since Vintage Crop, only five Cup winners raced on Derby Day, the last being Shocking in 2009.

It is almost as if the “Bart Blueprint” has become an anachronism because only one horse in Tuesday’s big race exactly fits the criteria – Serpentine.

Shocking is the last Cup winner to have raced on Derby Day. Picture: AAP Image

The Robert Hickmott-trained Serpentine has had five starts this preparation, racing over a total distance of 11,610m.

Serpentine is extremely race fit with his last four starts over 2500m including the Moonee Valley Cup and then his back up in to the Archer Stakes last Saturday when he ran second to Surefire.

Lloyd Williams, already a seven-time Melbourne Cup winner, races Serpentine whose Archer Stakes placing was his best result since winning the English Derby in 2020.

But who would have thought, even a decade ago, that Derby Day would become almost irrelevant as a Melbourne Cup guide with Serpentine the only Cup entry to race at Flemington on Saturday.

You could argue Stockman does fit the criteria as he has had six starts this spring over a total of 12,000m including his eighth placing in the Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) last Saturday.

Trainer Joe Pride, who will be represented by his first Melbourne Cup runner with Stockman, revealed on Sunday he has unashamedly followed the “Bart Blueprint”.

“I’m convinced I’m doing the right thing starting Stockman on the quick back-up from Saturday,” he said.

Joe Pride has taken a slightly different path to the Melbourne Cup with Stockman who raced at Rosehill on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

“This was my plan from the start and until the European horses starting coming here for the Cup, it was always the go-to move to run on the Saturday before the Cup, and this horse is a bit of an old-school stayer.”

Of course, the location of Stockman’s final Cup lead-up run at Rosehill is about 1000km from Derby Day at Flemington.

But the Mackinnon Stakes is no longer run on Derby Day with the VRC shifting the weight-for-age race to the final Saturday of the Cup Carnival.

There are only three other Cup starters that come close to fulfilling the Cummings criteria – Arapaho, Smokin’ Romans and High Emocean.

Arapaho is trained by Bjorn Baker and he has clocked up the most “mileage” in his legs this preparation with 14 starts and racing over a total of 28,550m.

Baker would never have thought Arapaho could be lining up at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November after the gelding was beaten in the Muswellbrook Cup first-up back on April 1.

But Arapaho has kept improving through the year, winning the Grafton Cup and Premier’s Cup and finishing among the placings in the Caloundra Cup, City Tattersalls Cup and Newcastle Gold Cup.

The Bjorn Baker-trained Arapaho (right) has the most miles in his legs this campaign leading into the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Getty Images

Arapaho goes into the Melbourne Cup after beating all but Stockman in the St Leger at Royal Randwick on October 15. Baker said Arapaho has continued to thrive despite his lengthy campaign.

“I know I will have the fittest horse in the Melbourne Cup,” Baker said.

“But seriously, I couldn’t be happier with how this horse is going, he looks fantastic.

“I guess it’s a bit surprising how he has kept going but even though he has had plenty of racing, we are very easy on him between runs.

“He’s also the type of horse that loves being in the stable, he likes to keep to his routine,

“The only unknown is the 3200m and although you are never quite sure until they try it, I’m confident he will stay the trip.

“I think he’s as good a chance as any to run the trip.”

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable have five starters in the Melbourne Cup including Smokin’ Romans and High Emocean.

Smokin’ Romans won the Naturalism Stakes and Group 1 Turnbull Stakes before starting favourite in the Caulfield Cup. He had no luck finishing seventh.

The Caulfield Cup was Smokin’ Romans fifth start this campaign, clocking up 10,040m in total race distance.

Smokin' Romans meets some of the criteria of the Bart Cummings blueprint for the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Getty Images

High Emocean has also had five starts this Cup campaign, racing over an aggregate distance of 11,940m. She is a last start Bendigo Cup winner.

But the remaining 19 Cup starters have had comparatively light campaigns going into today’s race.

This is a reflection of the northern hemisphere influence where their stayers do not race as frequently and usually are given longer breaks between runs.

Vintage Crop set the standard with a 45-day break between his Irish St Leger win and Melbourne Cup triumph.

But Godolphin’s Cross Counter went 76 days between his second in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at England’s York racecourse before winning the 2018 Melbourne Cup.

There are four international raiders in the Melbourne Cup with favourite Deauville Legend, Without A Fight, Camorra and Hoo Ya Mal are attempting to win the race without a lead-up.

Vintage Crop (1993), Rekindling (2017), Cross Counter and Twilight Payment (2020) all won the Melbourne Cup without a lead-up run in Australia.

The other northern hemisphere-trained stayers to win the Melbourne Cup, Media Puzzle (2002), Delta Blues (2006), Americain (2010), Dunaden (2011) and Protectionist (2014) raced at least once before going to Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.

Originally published as Master trainer’s method of preparing Cup winners resonates in this year’s race through Serpentine