High praise for valiant Vinnie as Diva delights in Melbourne
Makybe Diva took advantage of a perfect rail position throughout, and a traffic-free run off the final bend, to sprint clear of her rivals and become the first mare to record back-to-back victories in the history of the 144 year old race which is now worth $Aus 4.6 million (US$3.5 million).
But in many ways Vinnie Roe’s achievement in finishing second was equally worthy of superlatives. True, the rain which Dermot Weld had prayed for came, and with a vengeance - some media hacks were calling the rainstorm ‘Hurricane Vinnie’, however the six-year-old, who recently won his fourth consecutive Irish St Leger was shouldering top weight of 58 kilos in ground which, by off time, had been downgraded to ‘dead’ and which had left many of the top fancies trailing well before the straight.
When Vinnie Roe, who had travelled three deep in mid-division for much of the race, was asked to quicken by jockey Pat Smullen two furlongs out the response was immediate. He picked off his rivals one by one to momentarily hit the front before Makybe Diva executed her decisive move on the rails and bounded away for her one and a half length success.
“That was a great performance against a brilliant mare in those atrocious conditions,” said Smullen as he walked, resignedly, to the weigh room, while behind him the media surrounded winning jockey Glenn Boss and trainer Lee Freedman.
“If he is not retired to stud we could consider bringing him back next year,” said Dermot Weld of his runner up, while acknowledging that the victor was a ‘super mare’.
Media Puzzle, Weld’s other runner, who won the race in ’02, finished down the field, having weakened in the straight .
In finishing second Vinnie Roe picked up $Aus 730,000 for his owners Jim Sheridan (who watched the race from the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles where he is currently working on a commercial), Mike Watt and Dermot Weld.
The trainer, who was attempting to win the race for a third time following the successes of Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle, has become an intrinsic part of the build-up to the nation’s biggest sporting event.
“The Melbourne Cup was dead-in-the -water before Dermot rejuvenated it and turned it into a truly international event,” a senior Melbourne racing journalist told me.
However there are still those, including 11 times cup winner Bart Cummings, who object to what they see as the Victoria racing Clubs over-eagerness in courting the overseas contingent. This year he pointed to a perceived leniency in the allocation of weight to Vinnie Roe (he was carrying one kilo less than he carried in 2002).
But the critical voices are increasingly being drowned out by those who see the ‘International factor’, as critical to the establishment of The Cup as not just a nation-stopping spectacle but the most important staying races in the world.
Makybe Diva had to break a host of long-standing records to win the gruelling event. The previous horses to win the 3,200 metres race back-to-back were Archer (1861-62), Rain Lover (1968-69) and Think Big (1974-75). Peter Pan also won it twice, in 1932 and 1934.
No mare had ever won the race twice and her weight of 55.5 kilograms was the most carried by a mare. She also became the first horse since Carbine in 1890 to complete the Sydney Cup-Melbourne Cup double in the same year.
“She has given me the best ride. I just felt so good, she just felt brilliant underneath me,” said Boss, who was almost paralysed after a heavy fall two years ago.
Makybe Diva was trained last year by David Hall but switched to Lee Freedman’s stable after Hall moved to Hong Kong, giving Freedman his fourth victory in the annual handicap.
“She’s one of the greats, a fantastic race horse,” said Freedman.
