Dubai: It does not matter just how long Emirati handler Saeed Bin Surour has waited to win the A$6 million Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup, the world’s richest handicap and single richest race run on turf.
What matters is whether Cavalryman and Willing Foe, his two representatives in the 3,200m contest at Flemington, Australia, on Tuesday, are good enough to deliver the goods.
Bin Surour brushed aside any doubts when he told Gulf News: “We would not be here unless we believed that we could win. No matter what the experts say, what the form book reveals, we have faith in our horses and believe that they have much as good a chance as any of the other 22 horses in the race.
“We are under no illusions that it’s a very tough race to win, we know this from past experience, but we also know that if your horse is good on the day and come up with something special, he can win and we’re hoping to see that tomorrow [Tuesday].
Cavalryman is attempting to win the Melbourne Cup at the second time of asking having finished 12 to Green Moon at odds of 30/1 in 2012, while Willing Foe is making his first appearance in the race which has never been won by a horse trained in Britain.
But Bin Surour is not losing any sleep over historical statistics and reiterated that ‘all that matter is the run your horse gets in the race, which is customarily run at a fast pace, and the acceleration he can find in the final two furlongs.’
“Cavalryman maybe nine years old but he is in the form of his life,” Bin Surour added. “He won the Goodwood Cup over the Melbourne Cup distances (3,200m) and has been doing some smart work the last couple of weeks. His last piece of work was particularly good and I could not be happier with him.”
Reacting to news in a section of the media which reported that Cavalryman has a swollen fetlock, which needed to be assessed by the Racing Victoria vets, Bin Surour said: “He is fit and ready to run. This is an old injury which crops up now and again. But it’s not a concern at all to us. He’s good to go and I don’t know that all the fuss is about. We’re not afraid to run him in the race because we know that it’s not an issue at all.”
Cavalryman and Willing Foe faces 22 rivals headed by Admire Rakti and Lucia Valentina, who were first and third in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup, Group 2 Darley Prix Kergorlay scorer Protectionist, dual Caulfield victory Fawkner and Group 3 Lexus Stakes winner Signoff.
British handler Ed Dunlop, who saddles Red Cadeaux, named Cavalryman, Germany’s Protectionist and the Japanese favourite Admire Rakti, as the main challengers.
“It’s an enormous horse race. As a spectacle, it’s one of the greatest I will ever go to. Even four days out, Melbourne was going barmy for the Melbourne Cup. It’s simply amazing,” he told BBC, “We’ve won some big races but this would probably go down as the biggest day for us, because of where he’s come from.
“It would be an incredible achievement but we’re under no illusion. It’s a very tough ask. We hope it’s a truly run race. Many horses have tried, and we’ve tried, and failed.”
