Lloyd Williams’s sixth Melbourne Cup but young Joe the star
REKINDLING has given Lloyd Williams a record sixth Melbourne Cup but the owner says it is not him but a young shy Irishman who will change racing.
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IN the heady afterglow of yet another Melbourne Cup win, Lloyd Williams deferred to Joseph O’Brien’s precocity, predicting the shy Irishman would change racing.
At 24, O’Brien turned Cup convention on its head when Rekindling, ridden by Corey Brown, triggered a spree of records in an unprecedented father-son quinella.
O’Brien’s father and mentor Aidan was a long neck away from landing his 309th Group 1 and his first Cup with Johannes Vermeer.
WINNING JOCKEY: COREY GLORY
FINISHING ORDER: WHERE YOUR HORSE CAME IN
DETTORI SLAMMED: ‘ALMANDIN BUTCHERED’
PUNTING TREASURE: PUNTER BECOMES MILLIONAIRE
In a coup for Irish trainers, Willie Mullins’ Max Dynamite was third. Eight internationals finished in the top 10.
And, for the first time in 23 years, a raider won the Cup without a lead-up run here.
The last horse to manage that accomplishment was also from Ireland — Vintage Crop.
Brushing aside personal disappointment, Aidan rang his son to congratulate him on achieving a feat Williams deemed preternatural.
“It is extraordinary, close to being able to walk on water,” Williams said.
“It’s an amazing achievement. You’re going to see a career kicked off here that’s going to include Breeders’ Cup and all sorts of things.
“He will be one of the leading trainers in the world — and I have thought that for 18 month or so.
“He has a pedigree better than Galileo; he is the next Aidan O’Brien.
“I’m very egotistical and I have been saying for some time he would be the leading trainer in the world.
“I won’t be here long enough, unfortunately. I’m in the last quarter (of my life) — in fact they have me on the interchange bench — but you are going to see a career kicked off here, seriously.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet." @JosephOBrien2 becomes a #MelbourneCup winner at the age of 24. pic.twitter.com/aKzvCgNfCZ
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 7, 2017
“We are going to see this young man doing all sorts of things. He will emulate his father, maybe more. His father has won 308 Group 1s, something pretty minor.”
A former top jockey, Joseph O’Brien has been training for only two years.
This season, he has five Group 1s — more than some trainers manage in a career.
Speaking in a whisper, he struggled to comprehend the magnitude of his achievement.
“To be honest, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” O’Brien said. “Dad was over the moon. He was delighted and I would have been if his horse had won.
“I can’t quite believe it yet.
“I just so thankful to Lloyd and Nick (Williams), they suggested bringing him down and that he’d have a good chance.
“Corey gave him an unbelievable ride and I’m just so delighted for all the team and the lads at home.
“The lads that have been with him out here have done a tremendous job.
“So much more goes into training than riding a winner — the kick you get as a trainer is so much bigger.”
Regarded as a four-year-old here, Rekindling is still only three by European time.
No horse so young has won the Cup since Skipton in 1941.
For Williams, a record sixth Cup as an owner was validation on multiple fronts.
Williams and son Nick originally owned Rekindling between them.
Recently, they sold about 30 per cent. The new shareholders include Gerry Ryan, who raced 2010 Cup winner Americain.
Melbourne businessman Phil Mehrten had an interest in seven horses yesterday, and, like Ryan, got the quinella.
"It's a dream for me, absolute dream." Lloyd Williams becomes a six-time Melbourne Cup-winning owner. pic.twitter.com/mFJUHm3tID
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 7, 2017
Brown registered his second Cup win, after Shocking in 2009, with an expertly executed ground-saving ride.
Despite an impressive resume, Brown has struggled for rides since returning to Sydney from Singapore in January, but started chasing a lightweight Cup mount two months ago.
“My manager and I started to scout the lightweight rides and this was the horse we targeted first,” Brown said.
“This seems so much more surreal second time around.
INCREDIBLE! REKINDLING has WON the 2017 #MelbourneCup. pic.twitter.com/94LyrWP7bv
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 7, 2017
“Five or six weeks ago we did the form and Rekindling’s credentials stood out more than the others with 51.5kg.
“Limited senior riders can ride that weight, so I put my resume forward.
“I felt the winner a long way out.
“I dragged him out three or four wide on the home turn and I wasn’t worried as I had only 51.5kg on my (his) back.
“I was confident, not that you can be too confident in a Melbourne Cup, that I was travelling so well that he was going to be very hard to beat.”
leo.schlink@news.com.au
“His preparation went really good. Corey gave him an unbelievable ride. For everyone and the lads at home and the lads here have done an unbelievable job.
“All the lads at home, all year round, have done a great job with him. I can’t quite believe it. This is unbelievable. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR FOR JOHANNES
By Lauren Wood
IT was Johannes Vermeer’s best shot.
And Aiden O’Brien’s, too, according to his right-hand man.
The O’Brien-trained Lloyd Williams import fell a long neck short of Rekindling in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, leaving the Irish trainer’s travelling foreman TJ Comerford shattered.
“I thought if he just had to hold onto him for a good bit longer (we’d have had him),” Comerford said. “But we’d rather have horses to chase at then have them chase at us.
“I thought the horse ran his heart out … I just thought we were a shade unlucky. We were in front a long time.”
It finished as a case of son beating father.
Comerford had stood alongside Aiden’s son Joseph as the race unfolded, both screaming at their respective horses. He thought luck would come back his way after falling short at Caulfield – twice – over the last month.
“It’s great for Joseph to win it, but I thought this was the best chance we’ve ever brought here,” a crestfallen Comerford said.
“Especially because I thought we were a bit unlucky on the two days we ran in the Caulfield Stakes and Caulfield Cup … I thought we’d make up for it. But it wasn’t to be.
“Coming here, I really thought we were going to have a European win it this year. They were just so good this year – Marmelo, Joseph’s horse, our horse, the Scottish horse (Nakeeta) and Willie Mullins’ three. The first three home were European horses.
“This year we really had a go at it.”
Back in the Emerald Isle, they’d all been cheering for the younger of the duo, Aiden was said to have exclaimed post-race.
“We now know who the most popular family member is,” he told Racing Post.
Jockey Ben Melham could only descirbe the narrow loss as “heartbreaking” and said he thought that the weight — Johannes Vermeer’s 54.5kg to Rekindling’s 51.5kg — was the difference in the end.
“I pushed the button ... I thought we were home,” Melham lamented, having visibly expressed his frustration when he saw Corey Brown ahead of him as they passed the post.
“(Aiden and Joseph) have displayed they are the best in the world. “I was absolutely thrilled to have a ride for Lloyd and all the guys involved in the horse. Aiden as well. You never know ... down the track we might be able to come back and get one.”
Comerford expects to be back next year for another crack, but no matter which horse he brings along with him, he is unsure it will ever be as strong as Johannes Vermeer.
“I think Lloyd will have Johannes Vermeer for next year - I think he’s going to stay here,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll find something else to come back next year, but I don’t know whether it will be as good as this fella.”
WHERE THEY FINISHED
1. REKINDLING ($16.30, $5.90)
2. Johannes Vermeer ($4.50)
3. Max Dynamite ($5.60)
4. Big Duke
5. Nakeeta
6. Thomas Hobson
7. Tiberian
8. Libran
9. Marmelo
10. Wicklow Brave
11. Red Cardinal
12. Almandin
13. Cismontane
14. Amelie’s Star
15. Boom Time
16. Wall Of Fire
17. Single Gaze
18. US Army Ranger
19. Humidor
20. Hartnell
21. Ventura Storm
22. Bondi Beach
23 & last: Gallante
Scratched: Who Shot Thebarman
NOTABLE BETS ON REKINDLING
$3000 at $16 (to collect $48,000) (Today)
$2500 at $17 (to collect $42,500) (Today)
$2000 at $16 (to collect $32,000) (Today)
$2000 at $15 (to collect $30,000) (Today) [two separate bets]
$1550 at $16 ([to collect $24,800) (Today)
$1500 at $15 (to collect $22,500) (November 6)
$1500 at $13 (to collect $19,500) (November 5)
$1500 at $12 (to collect $18,000) (November 5)
$500 at $51 (to collect $25,500) (September 28)
$350 at $51 (to collect $17,850) (September 28)
NOTABLE MULTIS WITH REKINDLING AS THE FINAL LEG
$227 Treble at $312.80 (to collect $71,005.60) on Valentino Rossa (Goulburn Race 3 on November 5) | Ruthless Agent (Goulburn Race 6 on November 5) | Rekindling {placed on November 4}
$200 Double at $315 [to collect $63,000] on Vengeur Masque (Geelong Cup on October 25) | Rekindling {placed on October 24}
$100 Treble @ $1292 [to collect $129,200] on Valentino Rossa (Goulburn Race 3 on November 5) | Doukhan (Randwick Race 4 Today) | Rekindling {placed on November 4}
$10 Double @ $2601 [to collect $26,010] on Boom Time (Caulfield Cup) | Rekindling (Melbourne Cup) {placed on July 3}
$10 Double @ $1278 [to collect $12,780] on Boom Time (Caulfield Cup) | Rekindling (Melbourne Cup) {placed on October 17}
PLUNGE MISSES WITH ALMANDIN
By Gilbert Gardiner
THE money came for defending champion Almandin late but it was Rekindling and Johannes Vermeer that reigned supreme in the Melbourne Cup.
Almandin firmed from $9 into $7, then out to $7.50, with TAB in the final hour but failed to fire a shot.
Johannes Vermeeer, who attracted a stack of money during the day, including separate bets of $20,000 and $13,000 at $10 and $12,500 and $10,000 at $11, looked the winner at the famous Flemington clocktower only to be gobbled up in the closing stages by $15 shot Rekindling.
One Victorian TAB customer secured a $55,920 chunk of the First 4 after spending just $30 for 125 per cent of the $44,736.30 dividend.
The astute punter boxed four horses — Rekindling, Johannes Vermeer, Max Dynamite and Big Duke.
A $3000 bet at $16 was the single biggest bet placed on Rekindling for a handsome $48,000 collect.
The Lloyd Williams-owned stayer attracted about 4 per cent of win bets.
Two astute punters collected $25,500 and $17,850 respectively with separate $500 and $350 bets with TAB on September 28.
Fancied international Marmelo, who attracted 14 per cent of the win-bet market, jumped $7 favourite with Hugh Bowman in the saddle but could only sneak into the top 10.
Third-favourite Wall Of Fire ($11) finished 11th after settling well back in the field for jockey Craig Williams and never looked a winning chance.
Cup punters wagered almost $90 million on the Melbourne Cup across the NSW, Victorian and ACT TAB.
Rekindling and Johannes Vermeer are joint $21 favourites to win the 2018 Emirates Melbourne Cup.
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