G1 Melbourne Cup

by Kristen Manning/The Thoroughbred Report Extreme Choice (Aus) made history in the 2024 G1 Melbourne Cup by siring the longshot Knight's Choice (Aus), who stunned as Australia's top stayer. For Sheila Laxon, the first official female trainer to win a Melbourne Cup with Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm) in 2001, this victory marked a triumphant return to Flemington with her husband, John Symons. Owners Cameron Bain, Richard and Kaye Waldron watched their A$85,000 purchase become a A$5.8 million champion, realising breeder Norm Bazeley's vision, who originally acquired Knight's Choice's dam, Midnight Pearl...

Globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will skip next week's G1 Melbourne Cup and instead target the G1 Champions Stakes during the Australian autumn, Yulong's Sam Fairgray revealed on Wednesday. A title defence of the G1 Cox Plate is also in the offing for next October. Originally a 5,000gns Tattersalls December yearling purchase, the bay would go on to take the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes before changing hands for 2,700,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Now racing for Yusheng Zhang's Yulong in Australia,...

Racing Victoria will not compromise on the welfare of horses for the G1 Melbourne Cup after there was plenty of publicity about the scratching of Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), they announced on Wednesday. "I don't think the reaction's necessarily surprising," EGM - Integrity Jamie Stier told racing.com. "When the protocols were implemented, it was understood that not everyone was in agreement and was made known that they were not in agreement. And that is as it is, but the protocols were put in place to mitigate any risks that...

Sea The Stars (Ire)'s Sea King (GB) punched his ticket to the G1 Melbourne Cup next Tuesday when winning the G3 Bendigo Cup by 3 1/4 lengths on Wednesday (video). The 5-year-old took over prior to the home straight and forged clear to defeat Berkeley Square (Ire) (Territories {Ire}) in the 2400-metre feature. "It's incredibly exciting. A lot was riding on it, it's the last win-and-you're-in for the Cup, so it's an absolute dream result today," trainer Harry Eustace told racenet.com.au. "I'd just like to thank (syndicator) Terry (Henderson) ......

Delta Blues (Jpn), who made history by becoming the first Japanese horse to win the Melbourne Cup, has died at the age of 24. Old Friends Japan, where the gelding had lived out his later years of retirement, announced on Wednesday that he had "died due to complications from laminitis". The Northern Farm-bred son of Dance In The Dark (Jpn) was trained by Katsuhiko Sumii and landed his first major win in his home country in the G1 Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) of 2004. He was also third behind...

The Lexus Melbourne Cup will be at Naas Racecourse during the €300,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes Day, on Monday, Aug. 5. Besides celebrating the iconic Australian race, the course will also venerate the legacy of Kildare man Robert Cooper Bagot, whose contributions helped shape one of the world's greatest races, and the experience of the Melbourne Cup. "The Race That Stops a Nation" will be run for the 164th time this year, and will offer prize-money of A$8.4 million. The trophy itself is valued at A$750,000. The trophy travels 110,000...

All four of the stakes winners on the Thursday card at Saratoga exited their respective races in good order according to their conditioners. The Grey Wizard (Ire) (Caravaggio) took home the GII Belmont Gold Cup S. with a timely surge at the wire, which earned the 5-year-old the Golden Ticket for the G1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Nov. 5. Trainer Graham Motion said, "He looks really good, this morning. I'm very happy with him. He scoped clean and he looks really well." Motion said he will speak with [owner] Aron...

Post time for the 10-race Belmont Stakes Day on June 6 will be 12:50 p.m. (EST), NYRA announced Tuesday. The four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9. Headlined by the June 8 GI Belmont S., the festival will include 24 stakes races with purses totaling $10.25 million. Four stakes will be held Thursday, June 6, led by the GII Belmont Gold Cup offering a 'Golden Ticket' for an automatic berth into the A$8.4-million G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup Nov.5 at...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) have formed an agreement that the GII Belmont Gold Cup, slated for Thursday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course, will be a 'Golden Ticket' event offering the winner an automatic berth into the G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup, NYRA said in a Friday release. The new partnership will provide the winner of the Belmont Gold Cup, a two-mile test for older horses, a place in the starting gate for the Lexus Melbourne Cup on Nov. 5, 2024, at...

Three-time Group 1-placed Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and multiple Group winner Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will make Australian debuts for seven-time Melbourne Cup-winning owner Lloyd Williams in Brisbane with a long-term goal of targeting the 164th G1 Melbourne Cup. The former, runner-up to the globetrotting multiple Group and Grade I winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Irish Derby, was last seen in September winning the G3 Paddy Power Kilternan S. He will now be trained by Kris Lees and was in the nominations for Saturday's...

by TTR AusNZ Dual-hemisphere Group 1 winner Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}--Patineuse {Ger}, by Peintre Celebre), who won the 2014 G1 Melbourne Cup for Australian Bloodstock, died recently at 13. Australian Bloodstock, who raced Protectionist later in his career, said via X, "Sad to hear of the passing of 'our champ' Protectionist. A remarkable horse with such a strong character who meant a lot to so many people. #Lifechanger." Bred by Dr. Christoph Berglar, the bay won the G2 Hansa-Preis and G2 Prix Kergorlay for his breeder and trainer Andreas Wohler...

The Joseph O'Brien-trained Valiant King (GB) (Roaring Lion) will not take part in the G1 Melbourne Cup on Nov. 7, and has instead been sent for a spell after suffering a setback, co-owner Ozzie Kheir confirmed on Friday. The grey was most recently sixth in the G1 Caulfield Cup and was found to be lame in his left front leg earlier this week after a Racing Victoria vet inspection. ''After this morning's RV inspections where Valiant King was found to be mildly lame post his work, we had our own...