The greatest Cup and a great book

Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter has assembled what he regards as the greatest 24 winners of the Melbourne Cup.

Carpenter has handicapped his fictional 24-horse field – including barriers drawn by the Racing Victoria stewards – featuring Phar Lap as the top weight with 60kg.

The “race” was unveiled as part of the launch of the magnificent book, The Story of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s Greatest Race, which was edited by Stephen Howell and published by the Slattery Media Group.

The book has been released as part of the celebrations leading into the running of the 150^th Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November.

Melbourne Cup winning jockeys Roy Higgins (two wins) and Glen Boss (three wins) – pictured with Phar Lap in the background at the Melbourne Museum – were just some of the special guests at the book launch.

The Greatest Cup Never Run will, in fact, be run at Flemington on Cup day when the digital simulation of the race, with race call, will be presented on the big screen.A panel of 22 experts have analysed the race and their thoughts will go into the simulated race to produce the result. Punters will be able to participate for prizes in a soon to be announced promotion.

The Story of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s Greatest Race will be available in all good bookstores for $99.95, or can be ordered through the Slattery Media Group’s website.

FIELD FOR THE GREATEST MELBOURNE CUP NEVER RUN:

Melbourne Cup (3200m), Flemington

Comments courtesy of the Herald Sun.

S’cloth No. – Horse – Trainer – Jockey – Barrier – Weight

1. PHAR LAP - Harry Telford – Jim Pike – 21 – 60kg: 1930 Equine freak. Won with 62.5kg. Only odds-on winner

2. CARBINE – Walter Hickenbotham – Bob Ramage – 16 – 59kg:
1890 19th century champ who carried 65.5kg, a weight carrying record

3. MAKYBE DIVA – Lee Freedman -  Glen Boss – 14 – 58kg:
2003-05 Only Cup threepeat winner. Viewed as modern-day equivalent of Phar Lap

4. PETER PAN – Frank McGrath -  Darby Munro – 13 – 58kg:
1932 & 1934 Dual winner in Phar Lap era

5. GALILEE – Bart Cummings – John Miller – 1 – 57.5kg:
1966 Won Toorak Hcp, Caulfield-Melbourne Cup and Fisher Plate in spring of ‘66

6. POSEIDON - Ike Earnshaw -  Tom Clayton – 3 – 57.5kg:
1906 Won Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup, VRC and AJC Derby as a 3YO

7. RISING FAST – Ivan Tucker – Jack Purtell – 11 – 57kg:
1954 Capped a stunning spring when he won Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup – the only horse to win the triple crown.

8. RAIN LOVER – Mick Robins – Jim Johnson – 7 – 56kg:
1968 Eight-length winner of the Cup then carried 60.5kg to win successive Cups

9. COMIC COURT – Jim Cummings – Pat Glennon – 24 – 55.5kg:
1950 Trained by Bart’s dad, just one of five original top weights to win Cup in 1950

10. GRAND FLANEUR – Tom Brown -  Tom Hales – 4 – 55.5kg:
1880 Only Cup winner never to be beaten. Won nine from nine.

11. MIGHT AND POWER – Jack Denham – Jim Cassidy -  12 – 55kg:
1997 Modern-day champ who defied 3.5kg penalty from Caulfield Cup win to win the big one

12. ARCHER – Etienne De Mestre – Johnny Cutts – 22 – 54kg:
1861-62 Started it all. Won first Cup by six lengths and the second by eight

13. VINTAGE CROP – Dermot Weld – Michael Kinane – 10 – 54kg:
1993 First European-trained Cup winner and introduced DK Weld to Cup folklore

14. DELTA – Maurice McCarten – Neville Selwood – 9 – 53.5kg:
1951 Won 11 of his 14 starts as a 5YO including ‘51 Cup with 59.5kg

15. MALUA – Isaac Foulsham – Alick Robertson -  17 – 53.5kg:
1884 Carried 61kg to win Cup one year after winning Oakleigh Plate/Newmarketnts and four years before won Grand National Hurdle

16. NIGHTMARCH – Alex McAulay – Roy Reed – 5 – 53.5kg:
1929 First horse to win Cox Plate/Melbourne Cup double defeating Phar Lap in 1929

17. POITREL – Harry Robinson – Ken Bracken – 20 – 53.5kg:
1920 Sydney-centric stayer who won with 63kg

18. SAINTLY - Bart Cummings – Darren Beadman – 2 – 53kg:
1996 Maybe Bart’s best Cup winner. One of only five to win Cox Plate/Cup double in same year

19. THE BARB – John Tait – William Davis – 18 – 53kg:
1886 Phenomenal 19th-Century stayer who won as 3YO and given highest ever handicap – 73kg as a 6YO.

20. DALRAY – Clarrie McCarthy -  Bill Williamson – 19 – 52.5kg:
1952 New Zealand champ. Only Phar Lap carried more weight to win as 4YO

21. HALL MARK – Jack Holt – Jack O’Sullivan – 23 -  52.5kg:
1933 Another champ from the Phar Lap era. Won as 3Y0

22. LIGHT FINGERS – Bart Cummings – Roy Higgins – 15 – 52.5kg:
1965 Introduced Bart Cummings to the great race he would make his own

23. DORIEMUS – Lee Freedman – Damien Oliver – 6 – 52kg:
1995 Completed Caulfield/Melbourne Cup double then gave weight to Might And Power when beaten a pimple in ‘97

24. THINK BIG – Bart Cummings – Harry White – 8 – 52kg:
1974-75 Another of Bart’s Cup winners. Dual winner, latter with 58.5kg