Brian Ellison's Northumberland Plate winner Onesmoothoperator (Dialed In) put himself in contention for a tilt at the G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup with an emphatic victory in the G3 Geelong Cup on Wednesday.
Four horses have completed the Geelong Cup-Melbourne Cup double, with the first being Dunaden (Fr) for Mikel Delzangles in 2011. Onesmoothoperator needed to pick up a penalty at Geelong to be guaranteed a run at Flemington on Tuesday, November 4, but Ellison can now look forward to saddling another runner in 'the race that stops a nation' after his six-year-old cruised to victory by two and a quarter lengths in the hands of Craig Williams.
Ellison will be hoping for better luck in the Melbourne Cup than when saddling two runners in 2011, with Moyenne Corniche (GB) (Selkirk) and Saptapadi (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) both finishing unplaced. He was also due to saddle Carte Diamond (Theatrical {Ire}) in the 2005 edition following an encouraging run in the G1 Caulfield Cup, before a freak training accident forced him to miss the race.
“He was brilliant,” Ellison said of Onesmoothoperator “He's been working great out here and he's adapted to it really well. You could just tell that he's enjoyed being here. He's been on the go a heck of a long time, but I was almost worried he was doing too well–he was eating so much!
“Craig jumped off and said he'll improve for that run. He should get in now and he's paid for his trip–that was worth £160,000 to the winner. I've been out here with four others, Carte Diamond, the two that ran together and Bay Story. He ran well in a couple of races and we even sent him to Perth were he was second.”
He added, “I think if you've got the right horse and your owner is willing to pay the money, it's worth coming over. They have to adapt in a short time, but I knew very quickly he had. He's just thrived, but then Saptapadi didn't handle it at all.
“It's a freebie now, going for the Melbourne Cup. Obviously, it's a different ball game taking on Vauban and the like, but we'll see. He's at least proven he can win on grass now–that's his first win!”
Williams is set to maintain the partnership with Onesmoothoperator in the Melbourne Cup and the jockey, who guided Vow And Declare (Aus) (Declaration Of War) to victory in the 2019 renewal, is confident that his mount has the right attributes to run a big race.
“I think he's well placed for this year's race and that's all you're ever asking for,” Williams told racenet.com.au. “You're looking for the best horse in that year and he ticks good boxes. He stays really well. He's been on a synthetic track and a very firm track today. He's won on soft and he runs over long distance. Today it was like riding on cotton wool, the way he was.
“Brian Ellison and his team have done a great job. He's a really fit horse and a healthy horse. I think he's only got improvement to come from him.”
That's Onesmoothoperator 😎
The import makes a mess of them in the 2024 Geelong Cup 🏆 @BERacingLtd @CWilliamsJockey pic.twitter.com/OtrkUC6ka9
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 23, 2024
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