The first Scottish trainer to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup says a bad barrier draw has cost Nakeeta from a better finishing position.
Iain Jardine saddled up Nakeeta ($41) in Tuesday’s race with the gelding beginning from barrier 19.
After settling back in the field, Nakeeta made a long sustained run under jockey Glyn Schofield to finish fifth behind Irish-trained galloper Rekindling.
The fifth placing earned Nakeeta’s connections $175,000.
Jardine chose to come to Melbourne after winning the Ebor at York in August, a race last year’s Melbourne Cup runner-up Heartbreak City won 12 months earlier.
“He didn’t have the best draw in the world but he’s come here and picked up some good prizemoney,” Jardine said.
“It was a fantastic run to finish fifth.
“We’re happy enough but it could have much better as he had to sit and suffer from where he was early on.”
Jardine said Schofield thought with a better draw and being able to take a closer position in the run he would have finished in the top three.
He said his first trip to Australia had been a positive one and a great learning experience for further trips for the Cup.
“This horse is a good horse,” Jardine said.
“His effort It gives us heart to come back with the right horse.”
