Owner Lloyd almost sold Caulfield Cup champion Fawkner

AFTER years of trying, owner Lloyd Williams finally won his first Caulfield Cup with a horse he nearly sold 12 months ago.

AFTER years of trying, owner Lloyd Williams finally won his first Caulfield Cup with a horse he nearly sold 12 months ago.

Fawkner silenced the doubters who said he wouldn't stay a strong 2400m when he stormed to a famous win in the $2.5 million race at Caulfield yesterday.

"It's quite an amazing situation where this horse was very closely beaten in the Emirates Stakes and we decided to take him to Perth for the Railway (Stakes) and someone rang up and wanted to buy him,'' Nick Williams said.

"We'd agreed to sell him but they didn't stump up the money and I had said to dad that at a mile he was probably handicapped out of the big miles because he'd had a great spring last year.

"Dad said he was glad the bloke didn't pay because he'd been thinking about it and thought we could win the Caulfield Cup with this horse."

Lloyd Williams has owned a record four Melbourne Cups with Just A Dash (1982), What A Nuisance (1985), Efficient 2007) and Green Moon (2012) but the closest he had come to Caulfield Cup success was in 1989 when Nayrizi ran second to Cole Diesel.

But Fawkner ($11) secured the Caulfield Cup for Team Williams and trainer Robert Hickmott when he finished powerfully to beat international raider Dandino ($11) by one-and-a-quarter lengths with Dear Demi ($26) a nose away third.

Fawkner jockey Nicholas Hall signs a camera after returning to scale. Picture: Jay Town

It was a typically action-packed Caulfield Cup, run as the last race of the day at 5.45pm under brilliant sunshine and before a bumper crowd of 33,056, the main news included:

#Fawkner became the first grey to win the Caulfield Cup since Cole Diesel.

#Fawkner is likely to become part of Team Williams formidable Melbourne Cup army that already includes Green Moon, Sea Moon, Seville, Masked Marvel and possibly Mourayan.

#Trainer Robert Hickmott is the new "Cups King'' preparing the winners of the Melbourne Cup (Green Moon), Sydney Cup (Mourayan) and now the Caulfield Cup, plus The Metropolitan (Seville) all in the last 12 months.

#Dandino has been elevated to Melbourne Cup equal favouritism with Fiorente at $6 with Fawkner into $7.50.

#Caulfield Cup favourite Hawkspur ($4.20) endured a rough passage through the race but finished hard for seventh.

#Chris Waller's four Cup runners all finished in the top 10 - Royal Descent (fifth), Hawkspur (seventh), Kelinni (ninth) and Moriarty (10th).

#Jet Away's effort to run fourth after pulling his way to the front 1000m out was arguably the run of the race.

#Early leader Julienas tired badly from the 800m and finished last in the 18-horse field.

"I think this is the hardest race to win in Australia,'' Nick Williams said of the Caulfield Cup. "By nature of the way this race is run there are always a lot of hard luck stories and it's a very hard race to win.

"We've had a lot of runners over the years and it's just great that we've managed to win it and I'm sure all the Australian breeders will be happy because we've managed to do it with an Australian bred horse."

"We're pretty big on setting horses for their grand finals and this was his grand final and he's done a great job."

Greg Hall celebrates in the mounting yard after Fawkner's Caulfield Cup.win. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Craig Williams had ridden the previous two Caulfield Cup winners on Southern Speed (2011) and Dunaden (2012) and believes Dandino's wide barrier prevented him from completing a hat trick of wins.

"I'd say barrier 10 won Fawkner the race,'' Williams said. "Nick Hall did a great job on the winner and it was amazing that the three placegetters were all in about the same spot at the 600m.

"Nick went for the gaps, I played the percentages and went wide, and Dear Demi was ridden to pattern and went back to the fence.

"As a Melbourne Cup trial, Dandino's effort was great and he doesn't get a weight penalty. He has put himself right into the Melbourne Cup.''

Clarry Conners, trainer of Dear Demi, also felt the extreme outside barrier was detrimental to his mare's winning chances.

"We had to ride her for luck from out there,'' Conners said. "She has run a mighty race and we will go to the Mackinnon Stakes and then the Melbourne Cup.''

Trainer Chris Waller's four stayers all ran very well but a combination of a firm track and wide barrier cost his two most favoured runners, Royal Descent and Hawkspur, dearly.

"Royal Descent looked the winner at one stage but probably didn't let down on the hard track,'' Waller said.

"The barrier didn't help Hawkspur, he didn't have much luck, Moriarty ran up to his best and Kelinni was much better.

"That's racing and we will live to fight another day.''