Dubai: Godolphin’s Australian head trainer James Cummings is hoping that a fresh approach will bring out the best in British-bred galloper Hartnell as he takes his third shot at the A$6 million Melbourne Cup (G1) on Tuesday afternoon at Flemington Racecourse in Australia.

The Darley-bred son of Authorized finished third behind Almandin in the 3,200-metre contest last year, having previously run 15th to 100/1 outsider Prince of Penzance in 2015. Hartnell will have his first start for Cummings in a contest which Godolphin have been attempting to win since 1998.

It was only five days ago that Hartnell was given the go-ahead by Godolphin founder His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to contest the race.

And, despite being a 50/1 outsider, Cummings believes a change in they way they approach the race will see the seven-year-old run a big race.

“This is Hartnell’s third year in the Melbourne Cup and he’s got here off a different preparation than in the past,” he told the Godolphin website.

“I realised when going through his card, that his fresh performances at his last three campaigns have been top class. Getting off the plane from the UK he ran second in the G1 Chipping Norton Stakes at a mile and it’s no surprise when I look back through his record that his only win over two miles came when he was fresh.

“So we’re taking the same approach. It will be three weeks and three days after his last run in the Caulfield Stakes by the time he gets to the Melbourne Cup. It’s a similar pattern to the recent Cup winners Efficient and Green Moon who were only fair in the Cox plate but were able to turn it around in the Melbourne Cup,” Cummings added.

The grandson of the legendary Bart Cummings is hoping that Hartnell will bring his ‘A’ game to Flemington on Tuesday.

“I hope it’s going to give His Highness Shaikh Mohammad and the whole stable a great thrill to have a horse that has the potential, if he’s bang-on on the day, to feature in such a high-calibre race,” he said.

“Over the final few days it will be a matter of maintaining his fitness levels, there’s no more gruelling test for the whole season than the Cup so he needs to be absolutely at his peak.

“Hartnell will also be my first Melbourne Cup runner in my own name. I really enjoyed the day when I saddled up Precedence with my grandfather when he sailed home from well back to finish sixth,” added Cummings.

“The emotions you can go through on Melbourne Cup day can be quite hard to describe …. there is no other race like the Melbourne Cup for widespread appeal, the way the race transcends the sport and the real feeling of the grand final of the whole season.

“To have a horse of Hartnell’s calibre, and for me to be saddling him up as topweight is really special. But for the time being I don’t give myself too much time to think about it,” he said.

“As the horse’s trainer I’m just focusing on the processes, making sure the whole stable is in the right frame of mind and keeping the horse happy and relaxed and enjoying himself as he goes toward his biggest test for the season.

“Hopefully, he can find something inside him that can help him to really reward us.”