Melbourne Cup 2019: Glen Boss appeal adds to pre-race drama
The timing of Glen Boss’s appeal against a careless riding suspension could impact on the Melbourne Cup in farcical circumstances as he bids to retain the ride on race favourite Constantinople.
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The timing of Glen Boss’s appeal against careless riding could impact on the Melbourne Cup in farcical circumstances with the possibility of Joao Moreira being stranded in Australia without a Cup ride.
Boss is booked to ride Cup favourite Constantinople with Moreira on standby, but the NSW Racing Tribunal appeal won’t be heard until Monday morning.
The timing means Hong Kong-based Moreira might already be in Australia as Boss bids to overturn the ban — but without a guarantee of snaring the Constantinople ride.
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And although it is unlikely Boss will win his appeal, there is also another twist.
If triple Cup winner Boss loses his appeal bid, the tribunal has the discretion to delay the start of the six-meeting suspension by two days, meaning Boss could still ride in the Cup and then start the ban the following day.
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If such a scenario unfolded, HK officials are unlikely to be impressed given their reluctance to release high-profile jockeys to other jurisdictions.
As it stands now, Boss will be declared as Constantinople’s rider on Saturday’s final Melbourne Cup acceptance stage.
Boss was booked to replace Luke Nolen after Constantinople’s luckless Caulfield Cup fourth.
The Queenslander was banned at last Saturday’s Randwick meeting.
The suspension starts after he rides in the Golden Eagle this Saturday.
Boss rode Constantinople in an impressive gallop on the course proper at Flemington on Tuesday.
Trainer David Hayes is happy to have the Melbourne Cup favourite as he prepares for his last spring before returning to train in Hong Kong. “But I’d rather have the winner,” he said.
Hayes, who will also have Rostropvich in the Cup, said he had “no idea” how Boss’s appeal would go. The riding situation didn’t cloud the trainer’s enthusiasm for the $7 favourite, who ran a huge fourth on his Australian debut in the Caulfield Cup.
“He was the unlucky runner in the Caulfield Cup, and that’s always a good pointer [to the Melbourne Cup],” Hayes said. “He’s got a light weight, and Glen Boss is very keen on him.
“I’m very happy with his fitness levels and I think we’re in a good space.”
Hayes said there wasn’t any more emotion attached to this year’s Cup, despite the fact it will be the leading trainer’s last Flemington carnival in some time, having handed control of the Lindsay Park operation to his son Ben, and nephew Tom Dabernig.
“It’s a family business, and I’ll be just looking forward to watching their journey after me,” he said. “And I’m only in Hong Kong, not on Mars.”
Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2019: Glen Boss appeal adds to pre-race drama