HOW THE JOCKEYS RATED THEIR MELBOURNE CUP RIDES
Kerrin McEvoy (Almandin) 1st : “Gee, he travelled well. How lucky am I?, the elation’s unreal. He’s been well prepared by (owner) Lloyd (Williams), he knows what to do with these staying races. It’s just a dream, it’s great to be a part of it again. I’d like to thank Lloyd and (trainer) Rob Hickmott for giving me the chance.”
Joao Moreira (Heartbreak City) 2nd : “It was a fantastic run, unfortunately we didn’t win the race. Turning for home, I thought I was going to win as I went past Hartnell easily, but when I looked on my outside, Kerrin McEvoy had his horse full of himself as well and we went for a battle. My horse is much smaller than his and he gave 120 per cent of himself but at the end, I wasn’t able to succeed. I’ll be back and I’ll win this.”
James McDonald (Hartnell) 3rd : “He ran superb. He got into a nice enough rhythm down the back. He just trucks a little bit hard for that two-mile race but he’s a good galloper and he had a good crack.”
Craig Williams (Qewy) 4th : “He was very gallant. The stable summed him up really well when they said he’s just an out-and-out stayer.”
Hugh Bowman (Who Shot Thebarman) 5th : “I was delighted with my horse. With a better draw, he may have travelled a bit closer and finished a bit closer, but no excuses, he had a beautiful run.”
Michael Walker (Almoonqith) 6th : “He ran out of his skin. I was on the back of the first two and I’d had a better run. They just had a better turn of foot.”
Damian Lane (Beautiful Romance) 7th : “She ran super. She nearly fell on her head out of the barriers. If she could have held a positive spot, she might have been right in it.”
Damien Oliver (Exospheric) 8th : “He ran really well. Moved into it nicely on the turn but probably didn’t have the sprint.”
Mark Du Plessis (Pentathlon) 9th : “I just got back a bit far but he was relaxed. I couldn’t cut the corner and had to go around them but I think they (the owners) may have got their money back so it’s good.”
Jamie Spencer (Big Orange) 10th : “(The) pace and (his) weight (beat him).”
Ben Melham (Grand Marshall) 11th : “He ran as good as he can go on that surface. He probably needs it wetter to be more competitive in this grade.”
Chad Schofield (Oceanographer) 12th : “He just didn’t back up. I had the first two horses around me in the run but he was very one-paced up the straight.”
Ryan Moore (Bondi Beach) 13th : “He was a bit disappointing. He never really travelled.”
Glen Boss (Grey Lion) 14th : “He give me a great ride. He just didn’t run the distance.”
Nicholas Hall (Jameka) 15th : “Just didn’t stay the trip this year. She’s still a young mare and probably needs a bit of grounding. I knew at the 600 metres she was out of petrol.”
Vlad Duric (Excess Knowledge) 16th : “I decided to go forward from the barrier and got across nicely, but you’re running into a stiff head breeze basically for 1100 metres coming down the straight so I think that probably told on him at the finish. He straightened up in front then he was a beaten horse.”
Dwayne Dunn (Our Ivanhowe) 17th : “Had a super run but the track’s too firm for him.”
Blake Spriggs (Sir John Hawkwood) 18th : “He just really felt the track. We got a bit further back than what we wanted to but we had to ride him quiet to make sure he’d get the trip. From the 1000 he travelled really well, but inside the 600 he started to feel his legs a little bit but I’m very proud of him.”
Katelyn Mallyon (Assign) 19th : “He didn’t go too bad. I sort of came in to the race nicely at the half-mile but he’s probably come to the end of his prep.”
Blake Shinn (Gallante) 20th : “He was disappointing. He was gone a long way out.”
Stephen Baster (Secret Number) 21st : “He ran OK. I thought he felt the ground.”
Frankie Dettori (Wicklow Brave) 22nd : “He was flat.”
Tommy Berry (Curren Mirotic) 23rd : “Had a beautiful run in the race, he didn’t put in today.”
Ben Thompson (Rose Of Virginia) 24th : “I had a nice run on the back of Big Orange and then Qewy from the 1800 (metres). Hartnell was there on the outside for me to get on the back of but there must be something (wrong) there. I’m sure it’s the end of her prep.”
