Charlie Fellowes proud of Prince Of Arran but Michael Walker frustrated with another Melbourne Cup placing
Prince Of Arran’s gallant effort in the Melbourne Cup drew contrasting emotions from jockey and trainer. Michael Walker heartbroken after another placing but Charlie Fellowes was full of pride.
SuperRacing
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperRacing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Michael Walker was distraught. Charlie Fellowes was beaming with pride.
A second Melbourne Cup placing in as many years for Prince of Arran drew the contradictory emotions in equal parts from the jockey and trainer of the gallant stayer.
READ MORE
Aussie fights off raiders to win Cup
Where every Cup runner finished
Positive signs for injured stayer
Walker threw his gear on the ground in the jockey’s room after the race, having guided the Geelong Cup winner to within a nose of collecting the biggest prize in Australian racing,
Third in last year’s Cup, Walker drove Prince of Arran up the middle of the Flemington straight, avoiding the rough and tumble on his inside, which eventually elevated him to second after a protest lifted him from finishing third again.
But for Walker, close wasn’t good enough.
“Charlie and the team have done a great job. I love the horse and I just wanted to win it, you know,” Walker said.
“I feel like I’ve let him down.”
Walker was so desperate to get the seven-year-old over the line, he lost $10,000 of his $55,000 prizemoney, fined by stewards for overusing his whip in the closing stages.
He copped a seven-meeting suspension too.
“It’s the Melbourne Cup. I was just throwing everything to see if I could win the race,” he told stewards after apologising for breaking the rules.
“It’s not like it was a maiden at Echuca. It’s the Melbourne Cup.”
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
English trainer Fellowes, certain Prince of Arran will be back again next year, said the connection Walker has with the seven-year-old was one of the key reasons behind a performance he couldn’t have been more proud of.
“He’s such an intelligent horse, he’s very perceptive and he gets Michael’s confidence,” a chuffed Fellows said.
“Michael is a very confident jockey and when he sits on this horse he believes he is going to run well and I’m convinced that has a difference.
“He’s never given him a bad ride, and he did a peach today. He did exactly what he said he would do, sat exactly where he said he would sit, and done an unbelievable job.
“You can’t come here and finish so close in an $8 million race and be disappointed. To have a horse do that, two years in a row, is an amazing achievement.”
Even the overwhelming praise for Walker from Fellowes, and the elevation to second after the protest, which doubled Prince of Arran’s prizemoney to $1.1 million, couldn’t raise Walker’s spirits.
“We still didn’t win,” he said.
But Fellowes said that could be their destiny next year, guaranteeing that, should all go well with Prince of Arran, they’ll all be back for a third tilt.
“That will be the No.1 target,” the English trainer said.
“We came so close, again, and he’s improved. He’s six years old now and he’s still improving. He’s a really laid back horse, who only ever does enough, so hopefully we have a few more years out of him.”
FINCH FAILS BUT WALLER WON’T GIVE UP
Chris Waller remains determined to chase a Melbourne Cup after race favourite Finche finished in seventh place in a feature that left its jockey lamenting the slow pace.
The French import – ridden by last year’s Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy – “had every chance” according to the Kiwi trainer, who now must wait a year for another crack at the famous race.
Waller has four Cox Plates thanks to champion mare Winx, but is yet to taste victory in Victoria’s two other key Cups. Finche had started the race as favourite at $8 but was left in seventh place in the frenzied finish.
Despite yesterday’s disappointment, Waller remains hopeful of what the future could hold.
“It was a great international race, an Australian horse won it, but we’ll win one one year,” Waller said.
“He loomed up, had every chance. All the jockeys are saying it was a slowly run race, but hey. It didn’t stop the winner. And full credit to the winner.”
Waller said the victory of Vow And Declare was a fillip for the Australian racing industry, that he said showed “we bloody have” got what it takes to win the country’s greatest race.
McEvoy said he was left wanting in what was considered by most jockeys to be a slowly-run race.
The winning time was eight seconds slower than the track record, at 3:24.76.
“The pace wasn’t that strong and I would have liked them to go a little bit quicker,” McEvoy said.