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By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Irish master trainer Aidan O'Brien will
bid for an elusive Melbourne Cup win at a closed Flemington
Racecourse on Tuesday, having come close to snatching the "race
that stops the nation" in recent years.
O'Brien has saddled 15 runners in Australia's iconic two-mile
handicap and will have another two in the A$8 million ($5.60
million) Cup's 160th running on Tuesday.
Both entrants are highly regarded, with Tiger Moth a narrow 13-2
favourite ahead of last year's Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van
Dyck (15-2).
O'Brien came closest to a maiden Melbourne Cup win with runnerup
Johannes Vermeer in 2017 but was pipped by his son Joseph's
horse Rekindling.
In last year's eventful race, Aidan O'Brien's Il Paradiso was
third behind local winner Vow and Declare after being impeded by
Joseph's Master of Reality in the home straight.
Despite their high ratings, both of O'Brien's entrants have
queries.
Anthony Van Dyck has a favourable barrier at three and was
runnerup behind Verry Elleegant at last month's A$5 million
Caulfield Cup, a traditional form guide for the Melbourne Cup.
But the five-year-old stallion is saddled with top weight at
58.5kg, and no winner has come close to carrying such a burden
since three-times champion Makybe Diva completed her hat-trick
with 58kg in 2005.
Tiger Moth, carrying 52.5kg, will have to win from barrier 23,
the second widest in the field of 24. No runner has won from a
wider than barrier 22 for decades.
The O'Brien family rivalry continues with Joseph entering Master
of Reality and Twilight Payment.
Ben Melham will ride 20-1 chance Master of Reality, a year after
the gelding was relegated from second to fourth in the 2019 race
and jockey Frankie Dettori banned for bumping out Il Paradiso.
Vow and Declare, prepared by Australian trainer Danny O'Brien,
will bid to become the first horse to go back-to-back since
Makybe Diva's hat-trick (2003-05) but is an outside chance after
a poor leadup run at Caulfield.
English stayer Prince Of Arran, promoted to second last year
after running third in 2018, will look to go one better under
Jamie Kah, who will hope to become the second female jockey to
win after Michelle Payne's 2015 breakthrough on Prince Of
Penzance.
The Cup will run without its usual bumper crowd, with only
essential staff and officials permitted at Flemington due to
COVID-19-related social distancing rules.
($1 = 1.4282 Australian dollars)
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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