By ROY ASPINALL
TWELVE months ago, Cranbourne-born Craig Williams was robbed of the dream of becoming the first jockey to win the spring trifecta of the BMW Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in one season.
Five other jockeys — George Young (1924), Bill Duncan (1928), Scobie Breasley (1944), Harold Badger (1947) and Jim Johnson (1967) — had won the first two, but none could complete the treble.
Williams, the son of Cranbourne trainer and former jockey Allan Williams and wife Glenda, was suspended following the Bendigo Cup, and a last-minute appeal to VCAT failed to gain him a reprieve to ride Dunaden in the Melbourne Cup.
One year later, he has again won the Caulfield Cup and now has the chance to win tomorrow’s 152nd running of the group 1 $6,200,000 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200 metres) at Flemington, again on Dunaden, who he partnered to an impressive win at Caulfield.
Williams has ridden Dunaden four times, winning last year’s Geelong Cup and Hong Kong Vase.
He went to England to ride the French-trained horse and finished sixth in the King George Stakes at Ascot on July 21 and then at the Caulfield Cup.
Williams is not concerned Dunaden will have to carry 59 kilogram, a rise of 4.5kg on last year and what will be the highest weight carried by a winner since metrics were introduced and the most since Rain Lover carried 9 stone, 7 pounds (60.5kg) when he won his second cup in 1969.
“His form is excellent,” Williams said. “I believe he’s a four lengths better horse than last year. Only bad luck will stop him”.
It is an even more intriguing Melbourne Cup than other years with a large percentage of the overseas raced horses either trained overseas or now members of local stables with some having exposed form and others yet to run here. Based on his great Caulfield Cup win, Dunaden is certainly the horse to beat with Americain, the Melbourne Cup winner two years ago and owned by Dandenong businessman, Gerry Ryan, and his partner, Kevin Bamford, also a top chance.
Americain ran a slashing fourth in the Caulfield Cup after racing wide and losing two front shoes. Connections were not happy with the ride of French jockey, Gerard Mosse and he has been replaced by dual winner of the race, Damien Oliver. Last year’s runner-up, Red Cadeaux, has been working well at Werribee and looks better than in 2011.
While most interest centres on Tuesday, Thursday sees the running of the $1,005,000 group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) and on Saturday there is the $1,002,500 group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) and the $1,005,000 group 1 Emirates Stakes (1200m) plus the $251,000 group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m).
The Spring Racing Carnival concludes on November 17 with Sportingbet Sandown Guineas Day on Sandown’s Hillside track.
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