Clockbusters: Snooze button left on in Caulfield Cup casual stroll

SLOW talking was the constant theme from just about every jockey who rode in the Caulfield Cup, with most riders complaining that their mounts weren’t suited by the speed.

Jockey Pat Cosgrave was suspended for 11 meetings for his winning Caulfield Cup ride.

THERE was a constant reply from just about every jockey who rode in the Caulfield Cup which was their mounts weren’t suited by the slow speed.

GODOLPHIN GLOWING: SECOND CUP TRIUMPH

CUP DAY REWIND: ALL THE ACTION AS IT HAPPENED

HOW THE RACE WAS WON: WHAT THE JOCKEYS SAID

This wasn’t a surprise as the time of 2min33.72sec was the second slowest Caulfield Cup this century, with only Descarado’s win in 2010 — 2min35.6sec — on a heavy track the slowest.

This column is called Clockbusters but in terms of this race the snooze button was firmly on until 800m to go.

Between the 2000m and the 1000m with Damien Oliver dictating in front on Ace High he recorded 1min07.12sec for that 1000m, which is close to a working gallop.
No wonder Pat Cosgrave was able to slot in on Best Solution from the outside barrier.

Luckily James McDonald took the initiative on The Taj Mahal at the 800m mark as it appeared no one else was going to.

He recorded 11.31sec between the 800m and the 600m which was the fastest 200m split for the race.

With the field dawdling around the first turn jockey Pat Cosgrave sends Best Solution (far right) forward as the widest runner with minimal fuss.

His effort to finish fourth was a good one.

What were the best runs in terms of the Melbourne Cup from the Caulfield Cup?

Obviously Best Solution. He carried a big weight and covered ground. He’s now won three Group 1 staying races in a row and is in a rare vein of form.

Third placegetter The Cliffsofmoher was held up on a couple of occasions and wasn’t suited by the slow speed.

Pat Cosgrave and Best Solution creep forward from their wide gate as the field crawls down the home straight the first time.

The fastest closing sectionals in the race was recorded by Youngstar, which finished the race off in 12.05sec — the fifth fastest last 200m for the meeting.

The best closing sectionals for the day was recorded by comeback mare Aloisia when she finished third behind Shumookh in the Tristarc Stakes.

On a day which played to on-pacers she flew home from close to last recording her last 400m in 23.43sec, which was the second fastest for the meeting and her last 200m in 11.88sec — the fastest for the day.

She Knows, who finished second in the Caulfield Sprint, recorded the fastest last 400m for the meeting running home in 23.43sec.

MONDAY RACEBOOK

STRONGEST EVER

LONG before Werribee’s gates burst open at the start of the spring carnival, the vibe was loud and clear: This is the strongest international contingent ever.

And so it has proved.

With the visiting Godolphin and Ballydoyle armies massed at the quarantine centre, three Group 1s — Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, Caulfield Stakes and Caulfield Cup — have already fallen to the raiders.

Best Solution was chased home in the Caulfield Cup by fellow visitors The Cliffsofmoher (third) and Duretto (fourth) with only Macedon Lodge-owned Homesman stopping a clean sweep.

Factor in the luckless run of Red Verdon and the current state of the TAB Melbourne Cup market — nine of the first 12 are internationals — and the potency of the northern hemisphere firepower is clear.

As effective as Jungle Cat, Benbatl and Best Solution have been, the latest batch to arrive is reputedly stronger still.

Those still to appear include Latrobe, Marmelo, Nakeeta, Idaho, Rostropovich, The Pentagon and Withhold, all regarded as being serious players.

That being so, the Melbourne Cup could again land in the hands of a foreign trainer.

ALMOST — AGAIN

Ben Melham is rightly regarded as one of the brightest talents on the Australian riding scene.

But he must be wondering when his Cups fortunes will change.

Melham was third aboard Johannes Vermeer in last year’s Caulfield Cup before finishing second on the import in the Melbourne Cup.

The theme has continued this season with Melham’s half-head second on Homesman in the Caulfield Cup.

Racing Victoria stewards questioned Melham whether he had lost his balance near the finish line when, in a desperate attempt to win, he resorted to vigorous hands and heels riding.

Melham told stewards Homesman laid in under pressure, affecting his ability to extract his best from the horse.

Sooner than later, his luck will turn.

Jockey Pat Cosgrave was suspended for 11 meetings for his winning Caulfield Cup ride.

STEWARDS ROOM

FEATURE race days invariably come with a long tail, and not merely because of on-track action.

Caulfield Cup Day was no different with stewards deliberating long after the last of 10 races, meting out 11-meeting bans to winning Cup jockey Pat Cosgrave and Japan’s Ryusei Sakai.

What started as a sedate afternoon for integrity officials changed quickly with the Coongy Handicap scratching of Trap For Fools.

Stewards took the action after discovering the horse had allegedly been stabled at Darren Weir’s Warrnambool base instead of his trainer Jarrod McLean’s Yangery stables.

The matter has been adjourned to a date to be fixed.

On the subject of stewards, those who speculated Robert Cram would be a soft touch following the departure of Terry Bailey are quickly learning otherwise.

Cram’s empathetic style is markedly different to Bailey’s, but the new sheriff — like Bailey — has no time for fools, cheats or time-wasters as those who choose to take him on are swiftly learning.

HOODOO — FACT OR FICTION?

CAULFIELD’s status as the graveyard of vaunted Sydney visitors is seriously imperiled by recent results.

A week after The Autumn Sun rendered the Heath’s quirks redundant, Thinkin’ Big, From Within and Shumookh all had no trouble negotiating their way around Caulfield.

What seems obvious is Sydney’s best is more than capable of nullifying imagined negatives, at Caulfield and elsewhere.

As has become the norm during the spring, when Sydney stables head south it is usually with a fair degree of confidence.

THE WEEK AHEAD

WEDNESDAY’S $350,000 Geelong Cup shapes as a vintage edition with the spring aspirations of several horses hinging on strong performances.

The race has traditionally proved to be a strong Melbourne Cup launching pad — and could be again this year with Withhold, if trainer Roger Charlton decides to run.

All roads lead to the The Valley on Friday and Saturday with 18 races over the night/day program.

The Group 1 Manikato Stakes is the Friday night highlight in what shapes as something of a re-run of The Everest with Redzel, Viddora, US Navy Flag, Santa Ana Lane, Le Romain and Shoals, among others, slated to run.

Of the 10 races on Saturday, seven are Group affairs and include the Moonee Valley Cup, Vase, Classic and Tesio Stakes.

The pinnacle, however, is the $5 million Cox Plate and Winx’s tilt at history.

The full house sign will go up early this week after the scramble for the few remaining tickets.

With interest at fever pitch in Winx, the spin-off for country meetings at Yarra Valley, St Arnaud and Alexandra should be positive.