King Charles III might have spent a successful term at school near Geelong over half a century ago and it was thought that the horse who carried his colours may earn a spot in the Melbourne Cup with a win in the Geelong Cup, but it wasn’t to be after Celine Gaudray took a step towards fulfilling a dream with Torranzino on the first Tuesday in November.
Gaudray will look to become the second female jockey to win Australia’s most famous race and follow in Michelle Payne’s 2015 heroics aboard Prince Of Penzance with a stayer who Horsham trainer Paul Preusker describes a tricky but fit towards the 3200-metre target.
Torranzino ($10) took out the Group 2 Geelong Cup (2400m) and earned a golden ticket into the Flemington feature by a ½-length margin over the royal runner Gilded Water ($1.80 favourite) with regular country cups performer Berkeley Square ($7) a neck away in third.
“It is so surreal,” Gaudray said post-race.
“Ever since I was a little girl I watched the Melbourne Cup – as does everybody else – and to get a ride is unbelievable and this horse really deserves his spot.”
“The whole race I was giggling to myself. He was travelling really well and I thought at the 600 (metre mark) that I’d pop out and let him come into it.
“I had so much horse underneath me and he took me to the line.”
The gelding firmed from $51 into $34 for the Melbourne Cup after the win.
Earlier on the card, New Zealanders Mark Walker and Michael Dee combined with Azazel ($6.50) to win the Listed Geelong Classic (2200m) en-route to the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m).
In a slower run affair than ideal for the gelding, stable representative Ben Gleeson said that the son of 2009 Melbourne Cup winner, Shocking, could improve further over the next nine days.
“He toughed it out,” Gleeson said.
“When I saw them slacken the pace and make it a sit-sprint, it was never going to suit this horse.
“He’ll love the 2500 (metres of the Victoria Derby). We bought him with that profile in mind (and) hopefully we get a strongly run 2500 and a true staying test.”
Azazel is rated an $8 chance across markets for the November 1 blue riband.
