Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien is preparing to chase his third Melbourne Cup victory, fielding a substantial team of five runners.
The trainer has a wealth of talent at his disposal for the 3200-metre race at Flemington on Tuesday.
His contenders range from the youngest, Northern Hemisphere three-year-old James J Braddock, to the oldest, Northern Hemisphere seven-year-old mare Goodie Two Shoes.
The remaining spots in his formidable lineup are filled by Kizlyar, Sons And Lovers, and Trustyourinstinct.
O’Brien’s previous two Melbourne Cup victories were achieved with horses at opposite ends of the age spectrum: Rekindling, a Northern Hemisphere three-year-old like James J Braddock, and Twilight Payment, a Northern Hemisphere seven-year-old, similar to Goodie Two Shoes.
Kevin Blake, Joseph O’Brien’s race planner, conveyed the team’s disappointment at losing Defiantly, who was a late withdrawal following a veterinary inspection. Despite this, he expressed satisfaction with having five runners, even with a mixture of barrier draws.
This year’s contingent is the largest O’Brien has ever sent to the Melbourne Cup.
“We’ve had horses at Werribee before being by themselves and have had to do all their work by themselves, but there’s a big team of horses, a big team of top-class people this year,” Blake stated.
“It definitely helps. It’s a great atmosphere down there.”
Blake explained that securing a place in the Cup for a horse like James J Braddock has become increasingly challenging due to the current veterinary protocols.
Following the gelding’s third-place finish in the Epsom Derby in June, a strategic plan was put into motion.
“After his run in the Derby, the official rating he was given put him in the perfect zone that if you thought he was suitable, then this was the place to come,” Blake said.
“There is 10 million reasons to come here but it’s been tricky to get Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds through the process here, but we committed, we came and he’s ticked every box.
“He’ll enjoy some rain, but the draw (24) will give us nightmares, but it is what it is.”
Goodie Two Shoes is set to make her second Melbourne Cup start, having finished second last year with Wayne Lordan, who will again take the reins.
“She had 20 last year, 19 this year, same man riding,” Blake commented.
“Hopefully he can do the exact same thing as last year, keep it nice and simple.
“Wayne has had a wonderful year, and the mare is little bit older with a quirky profile running over fences 18 months ago, but the team seem particularly happy with her.
“They feel she is in a better place this year than she was last year.”
Blake indicated that Sons And Lovers is currently over-priced at $23 and highlighted the advantage of its barrier three draw.
“We wanted a soft draw,” Blake said.
“He wants to be covered up, relaxed, and stall three is perfect for him and Dylan Browne McMonagle rides him well.
“Trustyourinstinct, he’s a horse with a lot of ability.
“He’s a high achieving horse and we would have loved a lower draw as he’s a horse that will be ridden with a bit of patience.
“But when you need a magic act, you need a magician and we think we have one in JMac, not just James McDonald, but also J P McManus, two JMacs.”
The fifth horse in O’Brien’s team is Kizlyar, who finished 11th in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) at Flemington on October 24. Blake suggested that, in hindsight, the horse may not have needed to run in that race.
“We brought him for the Melbourne Cup, and it wasn’t planned to run before,” Blake explained.
“We felt he was right on the cusp to get in, so we tried to run to win and guarantee it, but as it transpires, we should have sat on our hands.
“It would have been some sweat if we did, but he’s in.
“He’s a strong stayer, he’s a forward goer, but a typical Aussie style race last time didn’t play to his strengths.
“People will rule him out because of what we saw last week, but I would be expecting a different horse on Tuesday.”
Blake stated that he would welcome a strongly run 3200m contest, believing it would suit all the Irish-trained stayers.
“Trustyourinstinct has a wicked turn of foot, James J Braddock has shown a wicked turn of foot over shorter trips,” Blake said.
“Goodie Two Shoes is probably more of a grinder, Kizlyar more of a grinder and Sons And Lovers can quicken off a quick pace.
“I think it favours the internationals when there’s pace in the race because the locals are so good when the gears drop and they rev up again.
“We find them very hard to beat doing that, so we would be delighted to see pace in the race whether it’s us pushing it or someone else and we would love a true two-mile test and we feel as a bunch, that would suit our horses better.”
With the Melbourne Cup drawing closer, those interested in placing bets can explore the various online bookmakers for the best racing odds.