News: Events could be conspiring against a fairytale outcome to Vinnie Roe's Melbourne Cup farewell but the Dermot Weld team are determined to look on the bright side as the final countdown begins to the race that stops a nation.
In the early hours of tomorrow morning Weld will seek a third success in Australia's most famous race and emotions will run high if Vinnie Roe, who will begin a stallion career afterwards, can follow in the hoof-prints of Vintage Crop (1993) and Media Puzzle (2002.) The race is scheduled to start at 4am Irish time and can be seen live on the attheraces channel on digital television.
Vinnie Roe came agonisingly close to victory in Melbourne last year but was out run in the final stages by the local superstar Makybe Diva. She is back again for what might be an unprecedented third Melbourne Cup win in a row and over the weekend both her trainer Lee Freedman and Weld were united in concern about the state of the ground at Flemington.
"I'm urging the Victoria Racing Club to review its watering policy," urged Freedman, while Weld announced he will walk the track on the morning of the race to make sure the going is safe for Vinnie Roe.
"He has been a wonderful servant, a wonderful racehorse and his record speaks for itself," Weld said.
Sure enough the VRC have been watering the Flemington course although temperatures on the day are expected to soar into the high 20's.
"I just hope there is some ease in it as he won't let himself down properly if it is really fast," said Vinnie Roe's jockey Pat Smullen, who got roasted by the local media last year for committing the cardinal Australian error of racing wide in the race.
This time round Smullen doesn't appear to be in a position to do anything else as he has been handed the absolute outside draw in stall 24 of 24. However, that is not regarded as being the death rattle for the old horse's chances.
"It could turn out to be an advantage. A European horse would not like the inside draw where they would be battered around on the run to the first turn," Weld's son Mark told The Age newspaper. "Ideally we would like a middle barrier but it's two miles and in Europe you wouldn't really care what barrier you got."
Other international interest will come from the British pair of Distinction (Michael Kinane) and Franklins Gardens (Darryll Holland) as well as Eye Popper from Japan and Greys Inn, who is trained by the South African Mike de Kock.
Kieren Fallon and Aidan O'Brien were out of luck in the Breeders' Cup and in yesterday's Criterium International at St Cloud where Poseidon Adventure could manage only fourth to the favourite Cartomix.
The partnership are back at Leopardstown this afternoon where Fallon is on the Newbury third Frost Giant in the featured Group Three Killavullan Stakes. Seamus Heffernan is on his stable companion Major Commitment.
This race has thrown up the classic winners Footstepsinthesand and Grey Swallow in the last two years and, even though the filly Abigail Pett has the same weight as the colts, the Rockfel third does have experience which will be vital on testing conditions.
The other Leopardstown highlight is the Listed Trigo Stakes which could see the high-class hurdler Power Elite translate his quality to the level against last year's winner Cairdeas.
Ruby Walsh returns from an elbow injury at Galway where Southern Vic runs in the Beginners Chase while Adarma can take the handicap chase despite being 2lb out of the weights.
