2008 Melbourne Cup Review

On Tuesday 4 November 2008 the Melbourne Cup was claimed by Viewed who won by a narrow margin over the English horse Bauer with C’est La Guerre third and Master O’Reilly fourth.

Viewed was one of two starters that Bart Cummings had in the race, and at a price of 40 to 1 he gave Bart his 12th Melbourne Cup victory – a feat that will probably never be repeated by any other trainer. A horse at 40 to 1 and an 80 year-old trainer combined to win the $3.3 million prizemoney for first place from the total prizemoney of $5.5 million. Not many people saw it coming. Even those punters who know you can’t ignore Bart on Cup day mainly backed his other starter Moatize who appeared to have peaked at the right time with his win in the Saab Quality a few days before earning him his place in the field with a nice light weight.

It was a year when overseas horses were expected to win, with 8 of the 24 horse field coming from the northern hemisphere. There were 4 from Ireland, 3 from England and a horse from France. In addition there were 3 horses from New Zealand along with the 13 Australian horses. The northern hemisphere has a lot more staying races than Australia and their horses were considered to have the edge over ours.

The morning of the Cup the top four horses in the betting were Septimus (Ireland), Mad Rush (England), Nom De Jeu (New Zealand) and Profound Beauty (Ireland). However favourites rarely win the Melbourne Cup and nobody told Viewed he was a long shot when he ran to the lead in the straight and managed to hold on by a nose when challenged.

The race was run unlike any other Melbourne Cup in history. Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien had three starters, Septimus, Honolulu and Alessandro Volta. When they passed the winning post for the first time Alessandro Volta raced to the front, and Septimus with his topweight went along with too, as did Honolulu. At the 1700 metre mark the trio were five lengths ahead of the main body of the field, but when the challengers came they faded to finish 18th, 20th and 21st. The stewards called in the three jockeys,and then called the trainer back to interview him more than 90 minutes after the running of the last race to explain the riding tactics.

The race dramas weren’t over then though, as Bauer, who flashed home and almost won, was later the subject of a stewards inquiry as it was alleged he had been given illegal treatment before the race. The enquiry went for almost a week and for a while it looked as if Bauer would be stripped of second place and the $835,000 prizemoney. However, as the trainer was not a fault, but a Victorian Racing official had overseen the treatment, the placings were allowed to stand.

The dramas of the 2008 Melbourne Cup have come and gone, but in the months leading up to the 2009 Melbourne Cup BackAWinner.com.au will run a series of short articles focused on the Melbourne Cup to keep you informed, and to help you back a winner.

Jo Jackson

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