Hotham Handicap: Great House secures spot in Melbourne Cup

Great House was on the borderline for the Melbourne Cup but made it official after taking out the Hotham Handicap.

Great House sealed his spot in the Melbourne Cup after winning the Hotham Handicap at Flemington. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

Great House was spared a weight penalty for the Melbourne Cup after James McDonald steered the Chris Waller-trained contender to victory in the Group 3 Hotham Stakes.

The Irish import and dual Group 3 winner now, after claiming the Newcastle Cup three starts back, will carry 50kg in the Cup on Tuesday.

McDonald timed the run on Saturday to perfection, cruising up and digging deep to overrun Mankayan.

Waller’s Melbourne representative Jo Taylor lauded McDonald’s composure late in the race.

“There’s a reason that he’s the champion that he is with rides like that,” Taylor said.

“Absolutely timed to perfection.”

Chris Waller and James McDonald are off to a flyer on #DerbyDay. ✌

The race was set up perfectly for Great House who didn't let punters down. 👌@[e-mail]/6AdajB5ZGY

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 30, 2021

Great House, who ran fifth in the Caulfield Cup the start prior, was strong through the line.

“Today, we certainly made sure that we’re in it,“ Taylor said.

“With 50kg, it is obviously a nice light weight to go into a race like that.”

Waller told News Corp Australia in Sydney shortly after the race that Great House would definitely back-up Tuesday.

Great House, a five-year-old son of Galileo, has been a model of consistency for Waller and the owners.

Great House timed his run perfectly to run down Mankayan. Picture: Getty Images

“He’s been a nice sound horse and he’s been honest,” Taylor said.

“Every time we’ve raised the bar he seems to have stepped up to the plate so why not keep doing that?”

A breathless McDonald, who started Derby Day with a running double, was happy to get the job done.

“He got the first half beautifully relaxed, chimed into it and I actually thought that he was going to win a bit easier but with a tough horse inside me (Mankayan), he got the job done,” McDonald said.

“It was a lot tougher than I expected, if I knew it was going to be this tough I wouldn’t have put my hand up for the job.”

Originally published as Hotham Handicap: Great House secures spot in Melbourne Cup