By David Nagel
The pressure won’t be quite as intense as 12 months ago when a Pakenham-trained galloper lines up in today’s $8million Lexus Melbourne Cup over the famous two miles at Flemington.
On November 2 last year, Peter Moody saddled up the race-favourite Incentivise, fresh off a dominant performance in the Caulfield Cup.
Incentivise would run magnificently in the race that stops the nation, but would finish in second place, four lengths adrift of the mighty-mare Verry Elleegant.
Fast forward 12 months and there is no such hype or expectation as Phillip Stokes looks to become the first Pakenham trainer since Ray ‘Darby’ Webster in 1943 to claim the coveted three-handled loving cup.
Webster won the race with Dark Felt, while Stokes will look to join the most sought after honour roll in racing when his five-year-old gelding Daqiansweet Junior lines up in the biggest race of his career.
The son of Sweet Orange/Paulette has been a steady improver since crossing the Tasman after initially being trained in New Zealand by a great preparer of stayers in Murray Baker.
Daqiansweet Junior was poor in his first two runs for Stokes, being beaten at Moe and Bendigo, before a change in training methods turned his form around.
Stokes went rural with the horse, training him out of the farm as is the common custom in his first home in New Zealand.
Daqiansweet Junior was instantly a more relaxed and confident horse, winning four consecutive races before running second in Listed company over 2500-metres at Moonee Valley.
In March this year, Daqiansweet Junior showed his true staying potential, winning the $300,000 Group-2 Adelaide Cup, over today’s distance of two miles, before running third in the Sydney Cup, over the same journey, three weeks later.
After a 14-week spell, Daqiansweet Junior has had a steady build up to the cup graduating from 1700 to 2000-metre trips before finishing less than three lengths behind Lunar Flare in the Group-3 Bart Cummings (2510m).
In-form jockey Daniel Moor will ride Daqiansweet Junior in the Melbourne Cup after regular rider Jamie Kah elected to ride the Ciaron Maher/David Eustace-trained Smokin’ Romans.
The gates spring back for the Melbourne Cup at 3pm this afternoon.
FULL FIELD
LEXUS MELBOURNE CUP (3200m)
TUESDAY 1 NOVEMBER, 2022, 3PM
GROUP 1
PRIZEMONEY: $7,750,000
1. GOLD TRIP (14) 57.5kg
Form: 33529
Jockey: M Zahra
Trainer: C Maher and D Eustace
Odds: $17
2. DUAIS (10) 55.5kg
Form: x0688
Jockey: H Bowman
Trainer: E Cummings
Odds: $26
3. KNIGHTS ORDER (23) 55.5kg
Form: x1343
Jockey: T Clark
Trainer: G Waterhouse and A Bott
Odds: $17
4. MONTEFILIA (11) 55.5kg
Form: 8×434
Jockey: J Collett
Trainer: D Payne
Odds: $11
5. NUMERIAN (7) 55.5kg
Form: 1×225
Jockey: T Berry
Trainer: A Neasham
Odds: $61
6. WITHOUT A FIGHT (18) 55.5kg
Form: 311×2
Jockey: W Buick
Trainer: Simon and E Crisford
Odds: $10
7. CAMORRA (17) 55kg
Form: 551×8
Jockey: B Melham
Trainer: Ben and JD Hayes
Odds: $51
8. DEAUVILLE LEGEND (9) 55kg
Form: 2121x
Jockey: K McEvoy
Trainer: J Ferguson
Odds: $3.50
9. STOCKMAN (2) 54kg
Form: 64418
Jockey: S Clipperton
Trainer: J Pride
Odds: $26
10. VOW AND DECLARE (4) 54kg
Form: x5356
Jockey: B Shinn
Trainer: D O’Brien
Odds: $26
11. YOUNG WERTHER (20) 54kg
Form: 8×430
Jockey: D Lane
Trainer: D O’Brien
Odds: $34
12. HOO YA MAL (15) 53.5kg
Form: 22318
Jockey: C Williams
Trainer: G Waterhouse and A Bott
Odds: $15
13. SERPENTINE (22) 53.5kg
Form: x0902
Jockey: J Allen
Trainer: R Hickmott
Odds: $61
14. DAQIANSWEET JUNIOR (13) 53kg
Form: 3×070
Jockey: D Moor
Trainer: P Stokes
Odds: $41
15. GRAND PROMENADE (1) 53kg
Form: 7×594
Jockey: H Coffey
Trainer: C Maher and D Eustace 7×594
Odds: $81
16. ARAPAHO (19) 52.5kg
Form: 12382
Jockey: R King
Trainer: B Baker
Odds: $81
17. EMISSARY (3) 51.5kg
Form: x1581
Jockey: P Moloney
Trainer: M Moroney
Odds: $34
18. LUNAR FLARE (12) 51.5kg
SCRATCHED
19. SMOKIN’ ROMANS (16) 51.5kg
Form: 92117
Jockey: J Kah
Trainer: C Maher and D Eustace
Odds: $17
20. TRALEE ROSE (21) 51.5kg
Form: 9×700
Jockey: D Yendall
Trainer: S Wilde
Odds: $71
21. POINT NEPEAN (20)
SCRATCHED
22. HIGH EMOCEAN (8) 50kg
Form: 34161
Jockey: T Nugent
Trainer: C Maher and D Eustace
Odds: $34
23. INTERPRETATION (6) 50kg
Form: x6536
Jockey: C Newitt
Trainer: C Maher and D Eustace
Odds: $41
24. REALM OF FLOWERS (5) 50kg
Form: 6×033
Jockey: D Thornton
Trainer: Anthony and S Freedman
Odds: $10
