Some memorable Australian Cups including the wins of Zipping and The Black Flash.
ZIPPING
Grand old warhorse Zipping finally grabbed his share of Group One glory in the 2010 Australian Cup at his 15th attempt at the elite level.
The then eight-year-old, trained by Robert Hickmott for leviathan owner Lloyd Williams and ridden by Nicholas Hall, just managed to nose out Bart Cummings’ Sirmione in a stirring finish to the time-honoured 2000m feature.
Just when Sirmione looked set to give Cummings his 14th Australian Cup, and 259th Group One success, Zipping kicked back to give Hickmott his first.
“It’s very difficult to beat Bart at the best of time,” Williams’ son Nick said.
“It just shows how great he (Cummings) is because this horse (Zipping) is in career-best form and he could only win by an inch.”
Zipping went on to win the 2010 Group One Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington and claim his fourth successive Group Two Sandown Classic (2400m) to take his record to 16 wins and 10 placings from 47 starts for prizemoney in excess of $4.5 million.
THE BLACK FLASH
He won 11 Group One races and nearly $6 million in prizemoney but undoubtedly the defining moment of Lonhro’s greatness was his Houdini-like escape to claim the 2004 Australian Cup.
With Darren Beadman aboard, and seeking to emulate his illustrious sire Octagonal who won the Cup in 1997, Lonhro was sent out the even-money favourite but appeared a million to one chance after suffering severe interference, not once but twice, in the home straight and being virtually stopped in his tracks.
But, showing the amazing acceleration and will to win which helped him to victory in 26 of his 35 starts, the Black Flash as he was known to his adoring public, got off the canvas to collar Delzao by a head in what has been described as one of the most memorable moments in Australian racing history.
THE GREATEST MARE EVER
When Makybe Diva lined up for the 2005 Australian Cup she already had two Melbourne Cups on her resume.
But weight-for-age racing over 2000 metres is the international test of the best and she had yet to win at that level.
With his confidence sky high, Glen Boss settled the mare at the tail of the field until they got to the home turn she knew so well.
As she worked around the bend, Boss had to restrain her to avoid getting to the front too soon.
They straightened up, Boss balanced the mare and it was over in a few strides with Makybe Diva surging to the line full of running.
She covered the 2000 metres in 1:58.73, faster than any horse had ever done at Flemington.
Perhaps if Boss hadn’t been so conservative, she might have run even faster.
But then again she didn’t need to.
LET’S ELOPE
Before Makybe Diva there was Let’s Elope.
And the Bart Cummings-trained supermare had a spring of 1991 and autumn of 1992 even the great Diva might have had trouble achieving.
It started with a stylish win in the Group Two Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in October 1991 and culminated in her 3-1/2-length demolition of a classy field in the 1992 Australian Cup over the same distance at the same course.
In between were consecutive wins in the Caulfield Cup, Mackinnon Stakes and Melbourne Cup before a spell, and the CF Orr Stakes and St George Stakes at her first two runs back before her Australian Cup triumph.
With champion Sydney jockey Darren Beadman aboard in the Australian Cup, Let’s Elope lobbed along at the tail of the field before unleashing a withering finishing burst to beat Shiva’s Revenge, over who she had survived a Shane Dye protest to clinch her Melbourne Cup victory in the spring, to win in two minutes flat for the 2000m, running home her last 800m in 46.6 seconds.
Let’s Elope later raced with success in America where she won at Hollywood Park and was placed in three consecutive Grade One events.
THE BOILOVER
The 1988 Australian Cup was billed as the match race of the decade.
New Zealander Bonecrusher had already earned trans-Tasman superstardom courtesy of his epic win over Our Waverley Star in the 1986 Cox Plate and was the defending Australian Cup champion.
Freewheeling Queensland frontrunner Vo Rogue had achieved cult status with his tearaway, never-say-die attitude and the fact he was prepared by lovable larrikin Vic Rail and ridden by “unfashionable” jockey Cyril Small.
Vo Rogue was the $2 favourite with Bonecrusher, seemingly the only one of his seven rivals likely to get within cooee of him, the $3.50 second elect.
Everyone forgot to tell the Dandy Andy team of trainer Jim Cerchi and globetrotting jockey Brent Thomson.
As usual Vo Rogue led and the crowd roared when he kicked away with a big lead in the straight and had Bonecrusher’s measure.
Then Thomson produced Dandy Andy, the despised outsider of the field at $126, and the roar died away.
Dandy Andy came from last approaching the turn and raced past Vo Rogue to score by 1-1/2 lengths with Bonecrusher 4-3/4 lengths away third.
VEANDERCROSS
Versatile New Zealander Veandercross will always be remembered for losing the 1992 Caulfield Cup to Mannerism after Shane Dye’s well-publicised ride had him covering more ground than the early explorers.
But that sells the Kiwi star far, far short.
He bounced back from the Caulfield Cup run by beating another Kiwi champion, Rough Habit, in the Mackinnon Stakes before his gallant second to Subzero in the Melbourne Cup.
After a spell he blitzed his opposition in the Group One Lion Brown Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa and then it was back to Melbourne where he picked up from where he had left off with a three-length stroll in the Group Two TS Carlyon Cup (2000m) at Caulfield.
Such was his dominance, Veandercross was backed from $1.50 to $1.35 favouritism in the 1993 Australian Cup and, ridden this time by Mick Dittman, powered away from his rivals in the run home to score untouched by 1-1/2 lengths.
Veandercross was odds-on again in his Group One Ranvet Stakes success in Sydney next start then was surprisingly beaten into third by Kaaptive Edition and old rival Rough Habit in The BMW at Rosehill before finishing a stellar season on a high with victory in the Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick.
AAP TURF
