In 1993 Racing Victoria made the bold move of trying to attract the best international stayers to Melbourne. That year two made the journey, with English stayer Drum Taps and the Dermot Weld-trained Vintage Crop from Ireland lining up in the Cup.
The much loved Vintage Crop, who recently died aged 27, changed the Melbourne Cup forever when he took out the 1993 Cup. The Irish stayer was the first European-trained runner to head to Australia to attempt the raid, and his success opened-up the race to Europe and the rest of the world.
In the same week as the death of Vintage Crop, 2011 Cup winner Dunaden retired from racing. Like Vintage Crop, Dunaden won the Melbourne Cup at his first attempt and then came back for two more cracks at the race. Vintage Crop and Dunaden are right at the top of the honor roll of European-trained horses that have competed in Australia’s greatest race.
While there have been a number of successful raiders, there have also been a number of runners that have landed in Australia amid much fanfare and hype, but failed to produce on the first Tuesday in November.
Oscar Schindler - 1996
No horse has come to Melbourne with a bigger boom on it than Oscar Schindler. The Irish stayer was trained by Kevin Prendergast, who had spent time working in Australia for Sydney trainer Frank Dalton.
Oscar Schindler came in to the ’96 Cup off the back of a win in the Irish St Leger and a third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Bart Cummings had Saintly in the race and despite being confident with his chance, Cummings reflected in his biography that all the hype was around Oscar Schindler. Cummings said Lee Freedman was the only one listening to him about Saintly, with Freedman commenting he ‘felt sick’ after he had seen Saintly gallop in the lead-up.
Cummings though was one of a number of trainers that thought Oscar Schindler was thrown-in at the weights with 56.5kg.
But there were others who were even more bullish about the prospects of Oscar Schindler in the Cup.
Les Benton was Racing Victoria’s racing manager and responsible for attracting the European stars down under. Benton said in the lead-up to the Cup that it had been unthinkable only years earlier that they would be able to attract the likes of Oscar Schindler to Australia. He would then go on to utter what would become a famous line when he described Oscar Schindler as “the reincarnation of Phar Lap”.
He wasn’t alone with the plaudits. Gai Waterhouse believed the race would be no contest and the 4-1 favourite would have 50 lengths on his rivals!
These claims proved to be a bit outlandish. Oscar Schindler, who perhaps felt the effects of a firmer ground than he was used to, ran a disappointing 15th.
It left Prendergast to proclaim “Vintage Crop must have been some horse”.
Double Trigger - 1995
A year before the big spruik on Oscar Schindler came English raider Double Trigger for outspoken trainer Mark Johnston.
His form that year included wins in the Group One Ascot Gold Cup over 4000m and a win in the Group Two Goodwood Cup over the two miles.
Johnston had brought a runner to Melbourne the previous spring with Quick Ransom who finished 23rd, but the trainer felt he had learnt some lessons from his first attempt.
"We got egg on our face,” Johnston said.
"What I should have done was train him in the European style, but I left him a bit fat and underdone, thinking he'd lose weight on the trip, but this didn't work out.
"Double Trigger is a class above him, and don't forget he's the best stayer seen in Europe for a long time."
There were big wraps on Double Trigger, with a feeling in the United Kingdom that he was one of the best stayers in the past decade. After his win in the Doncaster Cup in September he was installed favourite for the Cup.
Johnston was confident with Double Trigger, stating in a television interview that "Australia's never seen a horse like this one before".
He would start the 7/2 favourite but failed to fire a shot finishing 17th, well behind fellow European Vintage Crop who finished third at his third run in the race.
Mamool - 2003
International powerhouse Godolphin have been regular visitors from the Northern Hemisphere since 1998 with a number of runners highly fancied in the Cup, none more so than Mamool.
He arrived in Australia on the back of two victories at Group One level in Germany.
Both trainer Saeed bin Suroor and jockey Frankie Dettori were confident with the globe-trotter, who along with the wins in Germany had claimed Group victories in America and England.
"Mamool is a great horse," Dettori said.
``His form is black and white. He always runs a good race. You need the right horse for the race and Mamool is very uncomplicated.”
Mamool was well-supported late, pushing him in to $6.50 and outright favourite ahead of Makybe Diva at $8 and the Bart Cummings-trained Frightening.
Unfortunately for Godolphin the race didn’t go to plan. He rolled forward early to sit fourth, but on the turn for home he was under immense pressure before dropping right out to finish a long-last. Post-race he was found to be lame and was one of three international horses injured during the race.
Mamool returned again in 2004 with an improved performance, finishing seventh as a $26 chance.
Faithful Son - 1998
Before Mamool’s much-vaunted attempt at the race for Godolphin was Faithful Son in 1998.
The hype was strong around Faithful Son given he had come out early to Australia for the Caulfield Cup and run particularly well, finishing strongly for fourth.
He had started an $8 chance in the Caulfield Cup and made-up a stack of ground in the final 400m behind fellow European Taufan’s Melody.
The favourite for the Cup was Jezabeel at 6-1 but only narrowly from Faithful Son who was 13-2.
Stable jockey for Godolphin Frankie Dettori had ridden in the Melbourne Cup before but felt this was his best chance.
"He's the best horse I've ridden in the race. The last three have been outsiders," he said.
"The horses I've been riding have been too slow."
While Faithful Son was far from disgraced in the Cup, finishing seventh beaten 4.4 lengths, his performance didn’t quite match the pre-race confidence. It was a Cup however where the Europeans performed particularly well, with four runners finishing between third and seventh.
Septimus - 2008
It was a three-pronged attack from Aidan O'Brien in 2008, bringing out the highly-fancied Septimus who was joined on the journey by Honolulu and Alessandro Volta.
Septimus was installed as an early favourite in Melbourne Cup betting after he demolished his rivals in the Irish St Leger two months before the Cup, winning by the incredible margin of 13 lengths.
Even before his dominant St Leger victory leviathan owner Lloyd Williams, a keen observer of European staying talent, had Septimus as the horse he wished he owned.
He told reporters three months before the Cup he was the horse to beat.
"He's the best stayer in the world and I think you'll find he makes the trip across (to Melbourne)," Williams said.
His jockey in Melbourne was Johnny Murtagh, who had plenty of experience on the Irish stayer.
Murtagh described the highest-rated stayer in Europe as a "truly great horse."
"We hope that's good enough to come over here and win your biggest race," Murtagh said.
But there was drama in the lead-up to the race, with owners of Septimus threatening to scratch their runner if the track was too firm following the release of the barriers. The draw had been kind to Septimus though, coming up with barrier 10 and drawing alongside stablemate and renowned pacemaker Alessandro Volta.
By the time the field of 22 made its way in to the back straight during the race, the O'Brien runners took-up the first three positions with Alessandro Volta out in front setting a blistering tempo. Soon the three runners put half-a-dozen lengths on the rest of the field.
The pace the trio had set was crazy. Honolulu was first to crack before the 800m. Alessandro Volta was the next to drop away before reaching the turn for home, with Septimus following suit not long after. It was inglorious race for Aidan O'Brien with Septimus the first home in 18th, beaten 20 lengths by Viewed.
Septimus and Honolulu pulled up lame.
To rub salt in to the wounds O'Brien was called back to the racecourse to face questioning over the tactics used, a line of questioning O'Brien was far from impressed to have to answer.
"Everybody knows the ground was like concrete," O'Brien said.
He has yet to return to Melbourne with a runner since.
This story was originally published on punters.com.au
