To most, it's almost impossible to compile a Melbourne Cup arsenal bigger than the race's most successful owner Lloyd Williams. To Rupert Legh, this year it's about to become a reality.
The man who has been the very public face of the ownership group behind the stall stutters which forced Chautauqua away from the track will boast three Melbourne Cup runners on Tuesday. Even the leviathan Williams, who will pin most of his hopes on favourite Yucatan, only has two chances.
Cup hopes: Rupert Legh (right) has three runners in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington.Credit:AAP
Cup fanatic Williams has been known to launch an army of horses at the race every year and in 2017 boasted four starters, keeping Legh's emerging stayer Vengeur Masque out of the field at No.25. A year earlier Vengeur Masque was also the next horse in.
Third time lucky, some might say. And no one would argue it's due.
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It's been a couple of years of heartbreak for Legh and the connections of Mike Moroney's stayer, but finally Vengeur Masque will have his Cup start with Legh also part of the ownership of stablemate Sound Check and Lindsay Park's Ventura Storm.
Lloyd is entitled to have 10 or 20 in it if that's how many he's got
Rupert Legh
And it might start helping ease the pain after the Legh-owned Araldo died when taking fright at a flag-waving fan and getting his leg caught in a fence immediately after the 2014 Cup.
"Lloyd is entitled to have 10 or 20 in it if that's how many he's got," Legh said. "I've got a pretty big will to do things and that includes winning a Melbourne Cup. You've got to spread your risk a bit with a few different horses.
"You get more committed to the cause and whether it happens this year, it's something that's definitely on my bucket list. I'm making sure I've got stocks for next year and the year after. Hopefully one day an Australian or Australasian-bred horse will win it again.
"Nothing is ever going to heal that [Chautauqua] wound. You would have loved to have won a fourth TJ in the same year Winx won a fourth Cox Plate. It would have been great to have a sprinter do the impossible alongside Winx.
"I've been in racing long enough to know you'll get a good one, but I'll never get another one as good as Chautauqua."
Vengeur Masque and German import Sound Check, which had his first run under Moroney in the Caulfield Cup, won't ever reach Chautauqua's heights but can provide just as big a thrill on Tuesday.
Moroney is no stranger to winning the Melbourne Cup and bullishly described Vengeur Masque as his best chance of winning the race since Brew in 2000.
"He's just going to peak for the right day," Moroney said. "I think he's as good a chance as Brew was in the Melbourne Cup at the same time.
"The first year [Vengeur Masque missed the field] it was a little disappointing for the owners, but not for me because I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. But last year was bitterly disappointing. I think he would have run the first five somewhere.
"If we get luck in running I'm sure he's good enough."
Adam Pengilly is a Sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
