When 24 horses are sprung from the starting gate, there’s no telling what could happen in the time it takes to run nearly two miles on the turf at the Melbourne Cup (G1), also known as “The Race That Stops A Nation.”
So much unfolded in Monday night’s 165th Melbourne Cup (Tuesday afternoon in Australia), that it took another day to sort out what occurred during the race.
Yes, the winner was clear: Half Yours out-jostled a few rivals in the stretch and drew away for the victory at Flemington with Jamie Melham becoming the second female jockey to win the $4.5 million race and first in 10 years.
But blatant interference went on during the race, there was tight going among the leaders in the stretch, and there was blood coming from the mouth of the winner.
In the end, a ban was levied against jockey Jye McNeil aboard Valiant King; Half Yours emerged from the tight squeeze with the lead about 100 meters out, and the bleeding was caused by a “mild laceration.’’ Melham was later reprimanded for careless riding.
Half Yours, a 5-year-old gelding and the only Australia-bred in the field, won by two lengths over Ireland-bred Goodie Two Shoes. The winning payoff averaged about $8.60 on a $2 wager.
The other horses considered top contenders were Riffa (seventh), Valiant King (16th), Prestige Nocturne (19th) and Buckaroo (24th).
The win completed a rare Coulfield Cup (G1)-Melbourne Cup double for Melham, the 29-year-old Australian rider.
“Oh my God, this is what we do it for,” Melham told Channel 9. “This is why we get up out of every morning at 4 am … it’s tough. It’s not all glorious and perfect, as everyone can see sometimes.
“I’ve had an amazing year. Got married, had some really great days on the track, but nothing ever, ever compares to this feeling right now I’m feeling.”
Meanwhile, after the winner crossed the finish line, blood could be seen coming from his mouth. There were many questioning posts on social media, but a post-race exam by the veterinary team said it had “found that Half Yours had sustained a minor laceration to the inside of its left cheek. The horse is fine, and no veterinary treatment was required.”
During the race, at about the 2,500-meter mark (racing on a straightaway), jockey Jye McNeil’s Valiant King clearly interfered with two horses (Presage Nocturne and Vauban). Valiant King nearly fell to the ground. Racing stewards charged McNeil with careless riding and banned him for 18 race days, stating that the maneuver resulted in the horses racing “unnecessarily tight for some distance.”
"In assessing penalty, account was taken of his guilty plea, good record, that it was a Group 1 event, the Feature Race Penalty Guidelines and that the incident was in the mid-range," the stewards’ report said.
And for the first time, a U.S. entry competed: Parchment Party, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, finished 20th under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, riding in his first Melbourne Cup.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
