Sheikh Mohammed has broken his 30-year Melbourne Cup drought with the victory in Australia's greatest race of lightly-weighted three year old Cross Counter, trained at Newmarket in England by Charlie Appleby and ridden by Sydney-based jockey Kerrin McEvoy.
Second home was another English trained galloper in Marmelo, ridden by Winx's regular rider Hughie Bowman, for trainer Hughie Morrison.
Third place went to yet another English-trained horse in A Prince of Arran, from the Newmarket yard of young handler Charlie Fellowes. He was partnered by expatriate New Zealander Michael Walker, who has called Melbourne home for most of the last decade.
Cross Counter wins the Melbourne Cup.Credit:Justin McManus
Advertisement
The first Australian trained runner to finish was fourth-placed Finche, prepared by Chris Waller and ridden by the former Queenslander and current Hong Kong champion Zac Purton.
However, Finche's local status should be marked with an asterisk: he was formerly trained in France and only came to this country a few weeks before the Cup to be prepared by the man who has guided superstar Winx's career.
One of the well fancied horses, the Aidan O'Brien-trained The CliffsofMoher, broke down soon after the start and had to be euthanised. The well fancied Avilius, another Godolphin candidate but this time one prepared by James Cummings, copped severe interference as his rival stopped in front of him, ruining his chance almost before the race had begun.
The winner was only carrying the feather weight of 51 kilos (the same as fifth placed Rostropovich from the Aidan O'Brien stable) and he was partnered by the rider many regard as the best jockey in Australia when it comes to staying races, McEvoy.
McEvoy was winning his third Cup having first succeeded as a youngster aboard Brew in 2000, landing the great prize again for Lloyd Williams on Almandin two years ago when he got up in a driving finish to deny Heartbreak City.
This win was a lot easier. A Prince of Arran – who had only won his way into the field on Saturday with his win in the Lexus Stakes – had gone for home and had the rest of the field in trouble, with Michael Walker and his young trainer hoping for victory.
But Marmelo came up on his inside under Bowman and looked to be heading for glory until McEvoy pounced down the outside on Cross Counter and the son of Teofilo accelerated away to a length and a half win.
Lloyd Williams had won the past two Cups and looked to have a strong hand this year, but he never looked likely to be involved this year.
The CliffsofMoher and the favourite Yucatan ran in his colours. The first met a sad end, while the latter never looked like featuring in the finish. McEvoy said he had followed him hoping Yucatan would take him into the race but said the favourite had ''begun to empty out at the 500''.
Another who did not figure was the heavily backed Magic Circle, whose owner, Dr Marwan Koukash had threatened to pick up the prize wearing only a thong if he had won. Sadly for those who lumped on and pushed him into near favouritism in the lead up to the race, he never figured in the finish.
Cross Counter continued the trend for lightly weighted northern hemisphere three year olds to do well in the Cup.
Last year victory went to a similar aged horse, Rekindling, while the only other northern hemisphere three year old in this year's race, Rostropovich, did well to finish fifth.
McEvoy had ridden for Godolphin with distinction in Europe for some 10 years, so it was appropriate that it was he who was on board their first Cup winner.
Saeed Bin Suroor first, and latterly Appleby, had been trying to give Sheikh Mohammed a winner in the one big race that had escaped him for decades.
Appleby gave the Sheikh his first Epsom Derby winner in the royal blue silks this year when Masar won, and he will always hold a special place in the Godolphin record books now.
It was a day of changeable weather patterns, with heavy rain bucketing down early in the morning. Track manager Liam O'Keeffe had to look on and see the surface he had prepared inundated with some 50 millimetres of rain between 8am and the early afternoon, turning the going heavy early on.
But so well drained is Flemington that by the time the Cup was run the track was rated as a soft 6 – a significant upgrade.
Sheikh Mohammed had his first Cup runner in 1988, when Authaal carried his then purple and white colours. Since the late 1990s his runners have been clad in royal blue and run under the Godolphin banner. They had endured many near misses – until Cross Counter came along, adding to the squad's success in the Caulfield Cup earlier in the spring with the Saeed Bin Suroor trained Best Solution.
Kerrin McEvoy (left) and Charlie Appleby (right) celebrate their success.Credit:Justin McManus
Michael Lynch, The Age's expert on soccer, has had extensive experience of high level journalism in the UK and Australia. Michael has covered the Socceroos through Asia, Europe and South America in their past three World Cup campaigns. He has also reported on Grands Prix and top class motor sport from Asia and Europe. He has won several national media awards for both sports and industry journalism.
