Homegrown stayer Vow And Declare, was no match for international raiders, winning the prestigious A$8m Melbourne Cup over 3,200m for trainer Danny O’Brien with a gutsy performance.
Australia is known for its home-grown sprinters. The last Australian-bred horse to win the race was Shocking in 2009.
Champion jockey Craig Williams, added The Cup to his already impressive CV of Group On with his brilliant ride in the feature event, leading as the field went past the post for the first time before handing up to Twilight Payment to sit in the box seat, third behind the leader. He saved ground and in the final stages pushed ahead winning by a neck.
Joseph O’Brien trained-Master Of Reality was second past the post under Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, while Prince Of Arran ran third. However, the final finishing positions were changed following a post-race protest, lodged by stewards.
We speak to O’Brien about his champion stayer and their journey with started with his Vow And Declare’s half-brother who is also trained by O’Brien.
Q: How did Vow and Declare come to you?
A: As a yearling, he was passed in the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. I was already working with Paul Lansky training his older half-brother Lycurgus. His owners, a collection of people from the east coast, agreed to take him on because of the success they had on the track with his half-brother. One of the owners, Geoff Corrigan purchased half the horse, Paul retained some of the horse and the rest was divided among the other owners.
Q: What gave you the confidence that Vow and Declare were ready for the A$8 million Melbourne Cup?
A: As a 3YO he won the Listed TCL TV Stakes (1800m), he was second in the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) and later won the 3000m Gr.1 Tattersalls Cup. We were very happy with his progression and decided that we would aim for the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Q: Did you have any concerned about the weather on Cups day?
A: The track raced well despite the weather. It was a nice surface on Cup day.
Q: What are your plans for Vow and Declare over the next 6 – 12 months?
A: Currently, he is off for a spell. Once he returns, we will plan for his 2020 campaign. But he will be staying at home to compete in the 2020 Melbourne Cup against top international & local horses. This year he was carrying only minimum weight and we will need to develop him further for the next one.
Q: Who are some of your other stable stars currently?
A: We have a top-class filly, Miami Bound who won the Gr.1 Kennedy Oaks. We have really high expectations from our import Russian Camelot whom we purchased in the UK last year. He is a really nice horse.
Q: Which yearling sales do you attend annually?
A: We buy from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, The New Zealand Karaka Sale, Melbourne Premium Sale and then the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.