Is Europe’s Love Affair with The Melbourne Cup Over?
From its 1861 inauguration the Melbourne Cup has stopped the Australian nation on the first Tuesday in November. For the first 132 years of its existence the world outside of Australia never took much notice. Only a few paragraphs appeared in the UK’s racing press when Robert Sangster, the Vernon’s Pools magnate from England, owned the 1980 winner Beldale Ball.
But in 1993 the race would become top of many owner’s wish-lists after the Irish-trained Vintage Crop had his name etched on to the trophy. He made headlines across the world and became a national hero in his homeland.
In 1993 Vintage Crop and jockey Mick Kinane become national heroes. Immortalized in bronze and displayed at The Curragh the horse lived until he was 27 and spent his retirement at the National Stud.
©Ryan Pierse
Europe’s Cup Six Times Since 2010
International success was hardly immediate. It was another nine years before a horse trained outside of Australia or New Zealand scored in the two-mile handicap. Four more years past before a Japanese trained horse, Delta Blues, won the race and in 2010 the French-trained Americain landed the valuable contest.
There was more success for France in 2011 and Germany got their turn in 2014 when Protectionist won under Ryan Moore. However, it was not until 2018 that the UK claimed the race with Cross Counter scoring for Charlie Appleby. With an Irish runner also taking the title in 2017 and most recently in 2020, the Melbourne Cup has finally become truly mastered by European trainers.
In fact, it has been monopolized by European trained horses in recent times. In 2018 the first three horses’ home – Cross Counter, Marmelo and Prince of Arran – were all trained in Europe. In 2019 they claimed three of the four place-paying positions with Prince of Arran placed again. Last year, Prince of Arran earned more plaudits – and took his prizemoney beyond £2 million – when being one of the two European horses to finish in the frame.
Just 15 Entries for The UK and Ireland
So, could 2021 be the year the European’s take all four each-way places? Probably not. When the list of 174 entries for this year’s renewal of the $8 million race were announced on Tuesday race fans were aghast at the lack of European representatives.
Just 15 English and Irish horses have been entered for the Lexus Melbourne Cup. There are no entrants from France, Germany, Japan or any other racing jurisdiction outside of Australia or New Zealand.
To quantify that, in 2020, at the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic, there was a total 30 European horses entered in the turf contest. The Irish training duo of Joseph O’Brien and his father Aidan were responsible for 16 of the entries alone. Amongst those was 2019 Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.
Anthony Van Dyck did not feature in the finish of last year’s contest as he suffered a fractured fetlock during the contest. It was an injury considered so bad he was humanely euthanized after the race. A review followed and its findings has led to heightened veterinary requirements and medical imaging for overseas horses hoping to contest the race.
Increased pre- and post-travel checks on international travelers is not the only change to the rules. There is also a new cap on the numbers allowed at the principal quarantine facility used by visiting trainers. Additionally, this year international horses are not permitted more than one race in Australia prior to contesting the Melbourne Cup.
While the love affair is not over, after a 25-plus year honeymoon, Europe’s obsession with the Melbourne Cup is diminished in 2021. It took the UK over 100 runners to finally win the race. This year Charlie Appleby, the trainer who ended that sequence, doesn’t have a single entry in the contest.
Prince May Never Become the Cup King
Just seven of this year’s 174 Melbourne Cup entries come from the UK. They are headed-up by the three-time placed Prince of Arran. However, he is far from certain to make the long journey to Melbourne after misfiring three times in 2021.
Speaking to SKY Sports Prince of Arran’s trainer indicated his performance in his next run at Kempton could be decisive.
“I think September Stakes is D-Day, proper D-Day – because I think, if he doesn’t fire at Kempton, I’d probably suggest that we’ll be looking at retirement full stop. “The facts are that he is not in good enough form at the moment to warrant a trip to Australia – and he’s going to have to prove his well-being up here before I even think about sending him on a plane down there.”
Consequently, Europe’s best hope looks to be 2021 Yorkshire Cup winner Spanish Mission. Irish Derby runner-up Lone Eagle is in the field as is last year’s winner Twilight Payment. The former is a three-year-old and they have a poor record in the Cup. The later will doubtlessly be allotted more weight than last year and, like Prince of Arran, has put in three poor displays this season.
Latest Melbourne Cup Betting
The latest 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup betting odds courtesy of William Hill are: 14/1 Incentivise, 16/1 Realm of Flowers, 20/1 Explosive Jack, 20/1 Prince of Arran, 25/1 Selino, 25/1 Amade, 25/1 Surefire, 25/1 Dawn Patrol, 25/1 Gold Trip, 33/1 bar.
