English Counter-attack awesome but young raiders’ days may be done

The English spring of the International Cup, run at Flemington yesterday and taken by Cross Counter, promises to be brief.

Perhaps its chasing the whinging Aussie tag but Cross Counter got in light, a point accepted by the chief Racing Victoria handicapper, Greg Carpenter. “Northern hemisphere four-year-olds have now won the last two Melbourne Cups and will have to be reassessed,” he admitted.

Rekindling scored last year with 51.5kg while Cross Counter had 51kg yesterday. Both made Australian debuts, another negative for local betting turnover, but being prepared by Charlie Appleby at Newmarket gave the Poms their first Melbourne Cup with an awesome effort. “Cross Counter came from so far back,” Carpenter enthused. “What a strong run.”

The four-year-old gave Godolphin the major spring Melbourne double. Best Solution notched the Caulfield Cup but didnt get hot against Cross Counter yesterday in what was a slather and wack second leg.

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At least the influence of jockeys, headed by Kerrin McEvoy, saved the day for the locals and was the only point in comparison with my first Melbourne Cup in 1965 – when it was truly an Australian race.

In most aspects of life the first is usually the most memorable and thats how this Big One stands with me. Light Fingers won, ridden by Roy Higgins, from Ziema, benefiting from the urging of John Miller, and gave Bart Cummings his first Melbourne Cup and the quinella.

Did I have any indication of what was to come? How could you figure a meteorite called Bart would explode into 12 Melbourne Cups?

Northern hemisphere four-year-olds have now won the last two Melbourne Cups and will have to be reassessed.

Racing Victorias chief handicapper, Greg Carpenter

Despite her beauty, Light Fingers wasnt the star of the day. A leggy Jean Shrimpton, the only real Brit influence in 65, stole the headlines. It wasnt so much the race that stopped the nation but Shrimptons pins. “The iron-clad conventions at fashionable Flemington in a dress five inches above the knee, NO hat, NO gloves, and NO stockings!" screamed Melbourne newspaper The Sun regarding the model in more modest times.

Yesterday, we had the international owner Dr Marwan Koukash, who threatened to break tradition had his stayer, Magic Circle, been triumphant, cutting down to what has been described as “ultimate underwear, or g-string”.

In 1965, it would have been called it a jock strap. Mercifully Magic Circle never had him in danger of stripping, finishing 16th. “He never gave me a kick at all,” jockey Corey Brown explained.

No doubt our horses in 1965 were better. Light Fingers was an outstanding mare while only Youngstar, of the same gender and highly promising, ended up sixth – but she is no Light Fingers.

Against Light Fingers the field included Tobin Bronze, who raced successfully in the US, Craftsman, Bore Head, Prince Grant and River Seine, all seasoned in what were to become group 1 events.

Alas, like yesterday, there was a fall at the half-mile, involving three horses – Matloch, River Seine and Bore Head. They fared better than The Cliffsofmoher, who was euthanised.

As good as Higgins and Miller were they were no better in Melbourne Cups than McEvoy. Few if any have ever ridden the 3200 metre race at Flemington better.

With Cross Counter, McEvoy joined Glen Boss, and Damian Oliver on three wins in the Melbourne Cup and trails Harry White by one in the modern day tally for the Big One.

Hugh Bowman on Marmelo was good, too, even if he gave the whip rule a flogging. But on reflection Bowman was not as severe on Marmelo as Higgins was on Light Fingers, a mare he loved, in 1965.

The major disappointment was Yucatan (11th.) James McDonald put it down to “sticky ground”. The question of Yucatan was whether he was good as his Herbert Power demolition. You wouldnt think he was the same horse.