Melbourne Cup 2009, Flemington Australian Spring Carnival

Aidan O'Brien<br>Photo by Racing and Sports

Aidan O'Brien
Photo by Racing and Sports

Wednesday, 5 November 2008: Champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien had to defend the disastrous Melbourne Cup tactics of his three stable jockeys when Flemington stewards conducted a lengthy inquiry into the dismal failures of his three runners Septimus, Honolulu and Alessandro Volta.

Shocked by the abject failures of his three runners, O'Brien's day got worse when stewards recalled him back to the course to attend the inquiry after he had left to prepare for a flight home to Ireland.

Stewards spent more than an hour inquiring into the tactics John Murtagh (Septimus), Wayne Lordan (Alessandro Volta) and Colm O'Donohue (Honolulu) adopted in the first 1600 metres when they set an unprecedented pace that could not be sustained for 3200 metres.

The expectation that the Irish trio would try to break the hearts of their rivals by setting a fast pace proved correct, but the tactics were overdone to the extent that their mounts were spent forces on the home turn.

The O'Brien trio faded badly to finish 18th (Septimus), 20th (Alessando Volta) and 21st (Honolulu), a severe embarrassment to trainer who has won 22 Group One races around the world this year.

It was a stunning sight to see the three Coolmore-owned stablemates charging clear of the field to race in the first three positions turning out of the straight the first time to lead by several lengths.

Yet it was soon evident they were running at a pace no previous winners have ever sustained over two miles at Flemington.

At the inquiry into their tactics the stewards told Murtagh, Lordan and O'Donohoe they had run the first half of the race at a pace five seconds faster than last year's Melbourne Cup. The final time for the 2008 Cup was 3.20.40.

Lordan was seen as the major offender for setting the fast pace when he went to the front on Alessandro Volta at the 2000m but stewards decided they could not sustain a charge of failing to give his mount all reasonable and permissible chance to obtain the best possible finishing position.

Murtagh and O'Donohoe stayed close on his tail and they were also criticised by the stewards for their tactics although O'Brien jumped to their defence when he was questioned about his riding instructions.

"I think I told the whole world (what the tactics would be)," he told stewards.

"If you think you have to punish the lads or me, I can't see the sense in it.

"All we wanted was fair ground. The ground was like concrete.

“My horses all felt the track.”

Vet examinations of the Irish horses supported O'Brien as Septimus and Honolulu both pulled up lame and the trainer said he also expected to Alessandro Volta to be sore.

While the Irish jockeys escaped a penalty there was one careless riding suspension arising from the Melbourne Cup with Stephen Baster outed for causing interference 200m after the start on Barbaricus.

Baster's suspension will start after Thursday's Oaks meeting and covers nine meetings until midnight on November 14.

And winning jockey Blake Shinn copped a warning that his whip use had come under notice and that it would be in his best interests to not hit a horse every stride.

Kerrin McEvoy and James Winks also incurred suspensions for their winning rides on Neroli and Secret Flyer.

McEvoy survived a protest from third horse Jewelled Gate to claim victory on Sydney filly Neroli but he was later found guilty of shifting ground on the winner in the last 200m and will miss seven meeting from midnight on Thursday until midnight November 13.

Winks received the same penalty over the same time frame as McEvoy after he was found guilty of allowing Secret Flyer to shift in near the 1000m in the final race.

Gallopin, who failed to complete the course in the Melbourne Cup after being pulled up by his rider, was found to have choked down while vets found Kiwi mare Boundless to be suffering from heat stress.