Aidan O’Brien up in the Air

FLYING time from Melbourne to London is some 24 hours, so having left Melbourne early this morning, Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien must still be up in the air somewhere possibly over Europe.
Cruising at around 30,000 feet, or about three times the distance of the Melbourne Cup, he might possibly be thinking what went wrong with his campaign to win the great race this year,
As he possibly sips on an expensive brandy he might well chortle that the track was like concrete, I should have taken the horses out (scratched them).
Well Aidan, when the plane finally comes down to earth (like you should), you might want to go and have another look or two at the video replay.
What absolutely insane tactics were those employed by your jockeys on your three representatives – Honolulu, Alessandro Volta and the “great” Sepitimus.
Were they all on instructions to go out at that pace?
We have a rich Group 1 1200 metre sprint race at Flemington called the Newmarket Handicap but it is on in the autumn.
The early sectional times returned by the O’Brien trio may have stood them in good stead in a race like the Newmarket, but this was the Melbourne Cup over 3200 metres on a good – not rock hard fast – track.
Honolulu gave Septimus cover for a good distance before he caved in before the home turn then Alessandro Volta who had set off like a pacemaker also collapsed in the home straight.
For half a stride Septimus, after his “dream run” behind the leader, looked a winning chance but then he too said enough and punctured.
Then a mass of horses all ridden much more sensibly, stampeded past the fading O’Brien trio.
Ignore the call that two of the three pulled up sore, after a tough race like the Melbourne Cup nearly every runner pulls up sore.
In the field of 22, O’Brien’s horses finished: Septimus (18th), Alessandro Volta (20th) and Honolulu (21st),
And that was after what many considered a failed attempt of team riding to give Septimus cover.
After being called back to an inquiry at the track O’Brien was asked “Was Alessandro Volta ridden in a manner that gave the horse every chance?”
Obviously in an ordinary mood after the performance of his team he debated the point with the Stewards before he was allowed to leave unpunished.
But as Chief Steward Terry Bailey said later: “If Septimus had kicked and won the race, it might have been a different matter altogether.”
O’Brien may not have been punished by the Stewards, but in his absence he has been verbally assaulted by many.
The bloke can obviously train horses but he has still got a lot to learn about Australian racing.