Melbourne Cup 2019: Vow and Declare wins but interference rocks race
The Melbourne Cup was engulfed in controversy as drama before the line saw the finishing order reshuffled and a huge whack to one jockey's prize money.
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November 5, 2019 - 6:20AM
There were claims of a robbery at the Melbourne Cup after Vow and Declare saluted in a thrilling finish.
Jockey Craig Williams finally won the biggest race in Australia at his 15th attempt, fighting back late to hand victory to trainer Danny O'Brien.
But interference from Master of Reality, which prevented late-charging Il Paradiso from challenging Vow and Declare for the lead, drew an official protest from race stewards which was upheld.
Il Paradiso was promoted from fourth to third. Prince of Arran was promoted from third to second.
Master of Reality looked set to give jockey Frankie Dettori his first win but in a desperate finish involving four horses, Vow And Declare took an inside run and put his head down when it counted to win in a photo finish.
Il Paradiso attempted to move between the two leaders but saw his opening disappear as Master of Reality cut across his path.
Updates
Six punters arrested at Cup
Victoria Police have announced that just six spectators at Flemington Racecourse were arrested on Melbourne Cup Day
While many others are believed to have been evicted from the venue, Victoria Police say only six arrests were made.
Four punters were arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. One arrest was made for drug possession and another arrest was made when one punter was found to have an outstanding warrant against him. Police and AFP will also investigate a drone which was seized due to unauthorised entry into airspace.
Akari salutes in final race on Cup Day
Jockey James McDonald became the eighth rider to taste victory on Cup Day when he piloted Akari to win the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes.
McDonald's runner finished ahead of Betcha Flying and Xilong in a race where all three positions needed a photo finish.
— Australian Bloodstock Updates & Media (@ausbloodstock2) November 5, 2019
Jockey banned for illegal whip use
Melbourne Cup runner-up jockey Michael Walker has been suspended for excessive use of the whip during the race that stops the nation.
Walker's Prince of Arran was promoted from third to second in the final finishing order after Master of Reality's protest was upheld.
However, Walker's celebrations were soured somewhat when a Racing Victoria stewards hearing found him guilty of excessive whipping.
He has been handed a seven-meeting ban and a $10,000 fine, which cuts into his prize money of around $50,000 for piloting the second horse in the Cup.
Stewards found he applied the whip 12 times before the final 100m – far exceeding the five whips allowed.
He admitted he was guilty at the start of the hearing.
“I broke the rules that we have in place,” he said.
“I’m not one that generally breaks the rules with regards to whip.
“It’s the Melbourne Cup. I was just throwing everything to see if I could win the race. It’s not like it was a maiden at Echuca. It’s the Melbourne Cup.”
Cup runner suffers serious injury
Melbourne Cup runner Rostropovich has been transported to stables in Werribee after suffering a serious injury.
The David Hayes trained horse finished fifth in last year's Cup, but limped to the finish in last place in 2019.
It emerged after the race exactly why Rostropovich struggled so much – with reports claiming the five-year-old runner suffered a cracked pelvis.
The reports were confirmed on Tuesday evening.
After being assessed at the Equine Centre, Rostropovich connections announced the injury is not life-threatening.
Rostropovich has pulled up with an injured pelvis. He is in terrific hands at the U-Vet Werribee Equine Centre. The prognosis for a full recovery is good
Vets at Werribee confirm Rostropovich has fractured his pelvis, but the prognosis is positive. He’s in the best care and the current outlook is not life threatening at this point @Racing
Earlier, trainer Hayes admitted it didn't look good. “He couldn’t weight bear,” Hayes said. “But I think with a bit of painkillers, he’s relieved. It’s a sad story, anyway.”
Jockey Dwayne Dunn appeared to ease Rostropovich to the finish line during the Melbourne Cup in a bid to minimise injury complications.
He said after the race it was obvious that Rostropovich has suffered an injury during the run.
"He hasn’t pulled up too well," Dunn said.
"He’s obviously sustained an injury somewhere in the run."
Despite being able to finish the race, Rostropovich was taken to Werribee Equine Centre to receive medical treatment.
Champion trainer Peter Moody told Network 10 the Hayes camp was looking to get more information about the injury to Rostropovich.
"Rostropovich, has pulled up with a little bit of an injury and has been transferred to the vet clinic for further examination," Moody said.
"He did complete the race, but they want to seek further information on that."
Insane bet on Cup winner
A thrifty punter has been revealed to have made a Nostradamus-like punt on Vow and Declare to win the Melbourne Cup back in June.
A genius punter is grinning from ear to ear after the insane decision to place a $1000 each-way bet on Vow and Declare to win and place paid off dramatically.
The TAB says a punter put $100 (at odds of $201) on Vow and Declare to win the Melbourne Cup and $900 (at odds of $51) for the horse to place all the way back on June 8.
The punter collected a cool $66,000 from the bet.
The bet came after Vow And Declare finished second to Mr Quickie in the Queensland Derby five months ago.
Bizarre twist as jockey's brain snap comes with a cost
Stewards found jockey Frankie Dettori guilty of blocking stablemate Il Paradiso in the run to the line in the Melbourne Cup, dumping the second place-finisher back to fourth.
The stewards protest was upheld despite a bizarre twist at the hearing held after Vow And Declare's famous win.
Both Dettori and Il Paradiso's jockey Wayne Lordan refused to give evidence that would result in Master of Reality being penalised.
But that didn't save Dettori and after reviewing race footage, stewards needed little time to rule he had infringed on Il Paradiso.
Racing Victoria announced after the stewards meeting that Master of Reality had officially been relegated to finish fourth, while third-place finisher Prince of Arran was promoted to second and Il Paradiso officially finished third.
The protest has cost the connections of Master of Reality a whopping $750,000, dropping the ownership group from the $1.1m prize for second-place to the $350,000 prize for fourth.
More than an hour later it was announced Dettori has been smashed with a nine-meeting suspension that will follow him back to racing in Japan.
Earlier, stewards also handed out a seven-meeting suspension to Prince of Arran jockey Michael Walker for excessive use of the whip.
Lordan insisted during the hearing his horse wasn't impeded, but it wasn't enough to save Dettori.
"I didn’t have to stop riding," Lordan said of the contact from Master of Reality.
"It was very close at the line. I didn’t know how much of a difference it made. We have got tight, but I honestly don’t know how much of a difference it made.
"It was very close to the line. My horse didn’t back out of it. He’s a very tough horse and he kept running through it."
Dettori said Il Paradiso still had room to move.
"He was going left. I put both hands on the rein and straightened him up. They had plenty of room to move through," Dettori said.
OFFICIAL FINISHING ORDER:
1. Vow And Declare ($4.4 million)
2. Prince Of Arran ($1.1 million)
3. Il Paradiso ($550,000)
4. Master Of Reality ($350,000)
Vow and Declare wins the Melbourne Cup, protest launched
Vow and Declare has squeezed through a heart-stopping moment where jockey Craig Williams was pushed into the railing to win the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
The historic win was followed by a moment of "high drama" as Racing Victoria stewards launched a protest against second-finishing runner Master of Reality.
The richest ever running of the race that stops the nation has handed the connections of Aussie horse Vow And Declare as well as jockey Craig Williams and trainer Danny O'Brien a record $4.4 million payday.
The Flemington crowd were treated to a famous running of the $8 million richest handicap race on turf, where Vow and Declare gave Australia the win it was so desperately needing after a series of foreign winners.
One of the most inexperienced horses in the Cup, Vow And Declare defeated Irish stayer Master Of Reality with English-trained Prince Of Arran finishing third ahead of Il Paradiso in a photo finish. In a desperate finish involving four horses, the Danny O’Brien-trained Vow And Declare took an inside run and put his head down when it counted to win in a photo finish. Master Of Reality looked set to give jockey Frankie Dettorie his first win, shooting clear at the 200m before just failing to hold off the winner.
Prince of Arran was third for the second straight year.
All 24 horses finished the race and were reportedly fit and healthy in the immediate aftermath of the race.
Video replays showed Master of Reality appeared to change its line to push in towards Vow and Declare on the railing in an action that shut the door on Il Paradiso, just at the moment jockey Wayne Lordan's runner was pushing forward for the race lead.
It was announced after the race that stewards are reviewing jockey Frankie Dettori's apparent decision to block Il Paradiso in the final 200m.
The steward's inquiry has put trainer Joseph O'Brien's Master of Reality against his father Aidan O'Brien's Il Paradiso.
"There's high drama for the Melbourne Cup," Network Ten's Michael Felgate reported.
"If you backed Vow And Declare you are safe. You have nothing to worry about, it is safe.
"It is a protest, fourth Il Paradiso against second, which is Master Of Reality.
"Jockey Wayne Lorden didn't lodge the protest because they are both trained by Aidan O'Brien. The stewards have fired in the objection.
"If the objection is upheld, Master Of Reality will be relegated and Prince Of Arran will move into second and Il Paradiso will move into third.
"The protest is ongoing."
Local hope Vow and Declare led the field as they passed the post for the first time.
Twilight Payment then set the pace as they entered the final turn.
In a four-way dart to the finish, Master of Reality surged to the lead with 100m to go, but Vow and Declare kicked again in the final 50m to win by a nose.
O'Brien and Williams had both never won a Melbourne Cup before – and they finally broke through for the elusive win with the only Aussie bred horse ridden by Aussie jockey in Tuesday's field.
Jockey Williams was clearly emotional after snapping the streak of foreign horses stealing our greatest race.
Williams has now completed the grand slam of Australian racing after winning the Golden Slipper, Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup during a decorated career.
"I was lucky enough to sit on Vow And Declare," he told Channel 10.
"A credit to Danny O'Brien. Matt has let all the people through social media get involved with the horse's preparation. Ben, I don't want to name everyone in the stable but with all their hard work, we love this horse.
"Thank you very much guys. It was a privilege to ride him today. We had a difficult barrier draw. The instructions, we trusted him. We know what we can do. Great to be associated with a great horse like this horse."
Flemington buzzing after pre-race entertainment
The pre-Melbourne Cup entertainment featured a medley of the unofficial anthems of Australia. With the support of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, Mahalia Barnes performed You’re the Voice before ARIA Hall of Fame artist John Paul Young sang Love is in the Air.
Trainer called to front inquiry over illegal race-day treatment scandal
Trainer Richard Laming will be ordered to front an inquiry into alleged race-day treatment of scratched horse Jamaican Rain.
Racing Victoria stewards ordered the horse be withdrawn from the Jim Beam Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on Tuesday after identifying a knee injury.
Racing Victoria has announced it has adjourned its inquiry into the alleged illegal race-day treatment at a date yet to be determined.
Racing Victoria's Compliance Assurance Team (CAT) reportedly ordered Jamaican Rain's scratching following a raid at Laming's Cranbourne stables.
"Racing Victoria stewards have received a report from the Compliance Assurance Team regarding their inspection at the Cranbourne stables of Richard Laming this morning," Racing Victoria said. "During their inspection, Jamaican Rain was found by the CAT with swelling to its off fore knee. "The CAT, upon subsequent consultation with Mr Laming, determined that the horse was lame and in an unsuitable condition to race. "Acting on this report, the stewards withdrew the horse at 10.11am from Race 6 at Flemington today. "Stewards have adjourned their inquiry into the matter to a date to be fixed."
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien has again voiced his displeasure over the Melbourne Cup vet protocols, casting some doubt over whether he will send his leading contenders.
