In the week his soon-to-be-retired father Luca trained a Group One winner in Italy, Matt Cumani has celebrated a win on the undercard to Australia’s most famous race at Flemington.
Cumani began his own training career at Ballarat in Victoria in 2015 and Tuesday’s fighting victory by four-year-old mare One More Try in the TAB APP Trophy (1700m) was his first during a Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.
Cumani’s father Luca, a highly successful trainer based at Newmarket in England, twice went close to winning the Melbourne Cup when second with Purple Moon and Bauer in consecutive years in 2007 and 2008.
One More Try’s win came in a handicap for mares on the undercard to Tuesday’s Cup, but was still a big thrill for her trainer.
“It’s fantastic,” Cumani said.
“What a lovely mare she is. She’s a real trooper, a real fighter.”
With his father to spend more time working at the family’s Fittocks Stud in England once the curtain comes down on his training career at the end of the year, Cumani said Luca’s win in Italy last weekend, the trainer’s 50th at Group One level, was a fitting send-off.
“What a way to finish off his career really. To win a Group One back in his home country,” Cumani said.
With his first Cup week winner ticked off, Cumani will try to add another before this year’s carnival is out.
And it could come for his parents.
“I’ve actually got a runner here on Thursday on Oaks day that they own, a mare named Tigeen,” he said.
“So I’m hoping. We’ve got Ryan Moore on board.”
