Viewed wins the $5.5 Million 2008 Melbourne Cup giving Bart Cummings his 12th win and 250th Group 1 and jockey Blake Shinn his first Melbourne Cup.  Viewed managed to hold onto a nose margin over the fast finishing Bauer who has just narrowly missed repeating Media Puzzle’s 2002 triumph.

The race was run at a ridiclous tempo with the Adian Obrien trio true to their word of pushing the pace out in front by the time the field turned form home both Septimus and Alessandro Volta where clearly struggling and Honolulu had already drifted off the pace all together.  They all finished embarrassingly for what they set out to achieve with Honolulu last, Alessandro Volta 20th and Septimuis 18th.  For the ‘greatest’ stayer in the world, well pfft, never had it never will.

Not that I can really talk I guess my picks of Littorio, Boundless, Perfound Beauty and Littorio were never really in it. For the record Gallopin did not finish out the race.  For my main chance Littorio the race was not run to suit, as it was for the vast majority of the field.  This is the first time in some time that I have not had a place gettor for the Cup.  Never mind I am sure that I am not alone, the first 4 in NSW paid $500K and the trifecta was close to $80K.

But thankfully in our poll, of who would win the Cup, we had 11 readers select Viewed as the winner, so hopefully you backed that up with a huge collect!

So, where did your horse finish?

Moatize gets Bart another runner in the Cup with a classic win in the Saab Quality. Winning Jockey Micahel Rodd said that you should never under estimate the Cups Kings, Bart Cummings and that Moatize will run out the two miles and only carrying 50kgs will be a massive chance to win.

Saab Quality

As for my chance Littorio, I was happy with his run, he was never really going to win and this was simply another hit out before the Cup. Interestingly in the race, Littorio gets 1 hit of the whip from Steven King at the 300m mark and that is all, whereas Newitt on Princess Coup was pounding the crap out of her and Littorio was still moving along well at the line and had a lot left in the tank. I was happy with the $16 on offer Saturday before the race and now will be taking the $31, I still think it is the best chance of the race. Barrier 17 will be no issue it will get back and wait for the straight and power home.

As for the Mackinnon, what a finish, Theseo by the closest of margins.

From, www.racingandsports/racing
Ice Chariot 5th– made some nice ground from the rear, his last 600 of 33.89 seconds is perfectly satisfactory for Tuesday.

Littorio 8th– Got back near last and on face value was average but his last 600 of 33.70 was good enough to suggest that the run in the Mackinnon is best forgotten. (ed – Simply a hit out as per trainer comments before the race in various press)

Mackinnon Stakes Replay

All The Good will need a miricle to make the Melbourne Cup field Tuesday 4th November, with trainer Saeed Bin Suroor reporting that there was no improvement on it’s foreleg leg this morning at Sandown.

At the moment my top 4 for the Melbourne Cup is:

All The Good
Profound Beauty
Gollopin
Littorio

Previously, it was:

All The Good
Sirmione
Profound Beauty
Littorio

If All The Good comes out as expected and with the Saab Quality still to be run, we are looking at

Profound Beauty
Gollopin
Littorio
Boundless

This will more then likely be my top four, I have rated Profound Beauty since it came out a G.Boss got on. Gollopin has been consistant in it’s runs and more importantly times, 18 starts for 8 wins and I think at $26 /$6 is great value. Boundless is has posted some good runs and is a great rough hope,

But the one that I really like at the odds is Littorio who has really come under the radar I think from it’s 5th in the Caulfield Cup. Everyone has been talking about Mad Rush and the way it finished, which was impressive, but Oliver sat back had a rails run and raced for luck through the middle. Littorio was 2 wide most of the race and 3-4 wide at the turn going around the likes of Ice Chariot, and still came home strongly, doing all the hard work.

Littorio is in form and a top quality horse, it has beaten Weekend Hussler, anyone recall this horse. People were talking about it taking all three major Spring races, Cox and both Cups, but was found out that it could not stay. But Littorio has proven to be able to stay, winning at 2000m, and 5th in the Caulfield Cup. It has also had a 3rd in the Australian Derby over 2400m which was won by …Nom Du Jeu, the current melbournecupguide.com readers choice.

There used to be a theory that the Melbourne Cup horse had to race on the Saturday, Derby Day, but has not really held true over the last number of years. Well we’ll get a look at Littorio this weekend racing in the Mackinnon, the last to race on the Saturday and win was Brew in 2000. It finished 2nd to Yippyio (Who then finished 2nd in the Melbourne Cup) in the Moonee Valley Cup, Brew qualified for the Melbourne Cup by winning the The Dalgety on Derby Day.

So again my top 4, each way Gollopin and Boundless, something on Profound Beauty to cover, but most of my hard earned will be on Littorio.

Profound Beauty
Gollopin
Littorio
Boundless

Varevees, the French, English trained, Australian owned mare will be racing in the colours of Archer. Rick Jamieson the owner of Varevees has the rights to the colours carried by Archer, the winner of the first two Melbourne Cups. Surprisingly the colours had been unregistereted for years and Jamieson inquired about them, simply listed as “Black”.

Not 100% sure about Varevees’ chances in the Melbourne Cup, it has beaten Yeats, but interestingly if we go back to 2007 form, it ran 1 mile, 7 furlongs + 110 yards (3118 meters) in 3:15:00, now that would put it in Makybe Diva 2003, 2005 territory probably only losing by a nose or short neck. I am however very suspicious is this time is correct as only 3 months before over 3100 it ran 3:39.10 both on good tracks…pretty massive improvement