Melbourne Cup

[repent]

dont see any threads about it. so i will start this.
its Monday night I believe.
will be on HRTV.
my Cox Plate picks were horrible.
Would like to know what some of you guys think of this race.
entries:

The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, and trainer:

1. Ice Chariot (Semipalatinsisk), Jim Byrne, 115, Ron Maund;

2. Railings (Zabeel), Darren Beadman, 122, John Hawkes;

3. Maybe Better (Intergaze), Chris Munce, 110, Brian Mayfield-Smith;

4. Yeats (Sadler's Wells), Kieren Fallon, 130, Aidan O'Brien;

5. Kerry O'Reilly (O'Reilly), Cameron Lammas, 115, Jim Gibbs;

6. Land 'n Stars (Mtoto), John Egan, 117, Jamie Poulton;

7. Mahtoum (Suave Dancer), Corey Brown, 117, Kim Waugh;

8. Efficient (Zabeel), Craig Newitt, 108, Graeme Rogerson;

9. Tawqeet (Kingmambo), Dwayne Dunn, 122, David Hayes;

10. Geordieland (Johann Quartz), Frankie Dettori, 119, Jamie Osborne;

11. Delta Blues (Dance in the Dark), Yasanuri Iwata, 124, Katsuhiko Sumii;

12. Pop Rock (Helissio), Damien Oliver, 117, Katsuhiko Sumii;

13. Art Success (Pentire), Anthony Pattillo, 114, John Collins;

14. Mandela (Ebony Grosve), Craig Williams, 112, Richard Yuill;

15. On A Jeune (Jeune), Darren Gauci, 117, Peter Montgomerie;

16. Zabeat (Rhythm), Olivier Doleuze, 115, Donna Logan;

17. Short Pause (Sadler's Wells), Noel Callow, 118, David Hayes;

18. Dolphin Jo (Dolphin Street), Aaron Spiteri, 110, Terry and Karina O'Sullivan;

19. Headturner (Anabaa), Greg Childs, 119, John Hawkes;

20. Zipping (Danehill), Glen Boss, 116, Graeme Rogerson;

21. Dizelle (Zabeel), Blake Shinn, 115, John Hawkes;

22. Activation (Zabeel), Michael Rodd, 117, Graeme Rogerson;

23. Demerger (Saithor), Stephen Baster, 112, Danny O'Brien; and

24. Glistening (Sadler's Wells), Scott Seamer, 112, Luca Cumani.

[_ed_]

For me:

Tawqeet
Zabeat
Geordieland

[Pedigree Ann]

So Efficient is going to try it? That's ambitious for what amounts to a Northern Hemisphere 3yo in May. We haven't seen anything like it around here since Stagehand beat Seabiscuit to win the Santa Anita H as a 3yo back in the 1930s. Of course, he gets a significant weight-break for his age (Stagehand carried only 100 lbs to Seabiscuit's 130).

[Hwjb]

Yeats is the best horse in the race, and if he could produce his Gold Cup winning form he would take a lot of beating. His weight is fair I would say and, more importantly, the ground is on the soft side which will be to his advantage. The slight concern is that he seems best fresh and it remains to be seen if he is able to reproduce his best at the end of a season (his form tends to tail off) for all that he's only had three runs.
Geordieland is interesting. He is 7-lb better off with Yeats for a 5 length beating in the Goodwood Cup. He has the stamina, a decent draw, and can run a big race at around 14/1.

[my miss storm cat]

Efficient has been ruled out. (Soreness).

Yeats / Delta Blues / Headturner or Maybe Better (can't decide!).

* * *

If anyone needs these.....
http://www.rsb.net.au/PUBLISHING/DOW...asp?racenum=07

[Pedigree Ann]

Anybody else up watching the race streaming?

[Pedigree Ann]

WHat an incredible finish for the Japanese! And my old favorite Sunday Silence. Delta Blues noses out Pop Rock, pulled clear of the rest. Yeats got to the lead at the head of the straight, but couldn't keep going.

As the interviewer on horseback came up to try to talk to the Japanese jockey, Delta Blues put his ears back and took a bite at the interviewer's pony, twice. "Get out of my limelight, you impertinent hack!'

[Pedigree Ann]

Actually, now that I see him close up, Delta Blues looks more like a Nijinsky than a Sunday Silence, although he's got a funny little squiggly blaze. Pop Rock has more of the SS black coat. Commentator was remarking that this was the first win by an entire horse in quite a while.

Maybe Better, who won his way into the race with a score in the Saab Quality (aka the Hotham) last Saturday, finished third. Yeats faded to seventh.

[my miss storm cat]

Congrats to Japan and NICE 3rd by Maybe Better with Munce
(pleasewhateveryoudodoNOTgobacktoHongKongorthey'll throwyourassinthebighouse) up.

Hey V..... tell me again about Delta not hitting the board?

Poor Yeats.....

[Pedigree Ann]

Did these Japanese connections learn from the experiences of Heart's Cry and Deep Impact? Both looked a bit short in their big races, coming off of lengthy layoffs. Delta Blues and Pop Rocks had each had a run in Australia in the Cup runup.

[brockguy]

Japs have prep race and run 1-2.. oh boy, if only Hearts Cry and Deep Impact did that??

[Scurlogue Champ]

I was at the cup and backed Pop Rock pretty heavy to win only with the bookmakers....

I got $7.50 and lost by just a nose.

The Melbourne Cup doesn't compare with The Kentucky Derby in my opinion.

Not even on the same map