Joseph O’Brien had to settle for the runner up spot in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup as his 40/1 outsider Goodie Two Shoes ran the race of her life behind the winner Half Yours.
A first runner in Australia for owner JP McManus, Goodie Two Shoes emerged clear best of a strong international contingent in Flemington but found the local star almost three lengths too good.
It was a landmark success for Half Yours who completed the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double under jockey Jamie Melham, just the second woman to ride the winner of the $10 million that famously ‘stops a nation.’ Half Yours is the 13th horse to do the big handicap double.
Coming on the back of Ethical Diamond’s unlikely Breeders’ Cup success on Saturday night, Goodie Two Shoes underlined the folly of dismissing Irish dual-purpose horses in the world’s top flat races.
READ MORE
The McManus bred mare ran three times without success over fences last winter and is a previous winner over hurdles.
However, in the world’s richest handicap she briefly looked to be travelling like a winner in the straight under jockey Wayne Lordan before Half Yours proved too strong.
“She ran a blinder. I’m very proud of her and delighted for JP and his family. I think they got a huge thrill out of competing in a race like the Melbourne Cup and getting a good run like that as well.
“I thought Wayne got in a great spot from the draw (stall 20) and gave her a wonderful ride and there was just one horse better handicapped than us,” said O’Brien.
In contrast, O’Brien’s No. 1 hope for a third Melbourne Cup victory, Al Riffa, never figured with a chance.
The Irish Leger jumped from stall 19 under new jockey Mark Zahra who replaced Al Riffa’s regular rider, Dylan Browne McMonagle. He enjoyed Breeders’ Cup glory on Ethical Diamond.
Off a muddling pace the topweight was always fighting a losing battle but having been close to last entering the straight Al Riffa ran noticeably well to finish seventh of the 24 runners.
“He just didn’t get an ideal set-up but that’s racing. Hopefully he pulls up well and we can make plans for him in the next week or 10 days,” O’Brien added.
Ireland’s other hope, Absurde, representing Willie Mullins and Ethical Diamond’s syndicate ownership, finished eighth in his third try in the race.
It was very much an all-Australian victory in Australia’s biggest race. Half Yours was the sole locally bred runner in a contest that has increasingly featured not only overseas-trained runners, but European talent imported to Australia.
“It shows that we can do it. It is very hard to beat the internationals, of course, given the depth of their pedigrees. They are the elite bred horses. It is still our race but it has become a lot harder to win with an Australian bred horse. There have been a few recently, but it gives me great satisfaction,” said one of Half Yours’ trainers, Calvin McEvoy.
There is one Irish link with the winner. Half Yours is a son of the unheralded stallion St Jean, a son of Teofilo, trained by the late Kevin Prendergast, whose sole win in seven starts for the trainer came in a maiden at Tramore 12 years ago.
Sold abroad, St Jean won a Group Three in New Zealand in 2017 before being retired to stud in Victoria. He has just 68 live foals and covered only 26 mares in the last four seasons at a bargain basement fee of Aus$3,000 (€1,700).
It’s back to more mundane things for O’Brien on Wednesday afternoon where he has a handful of starters at Dundalk, just three days after the official end to Ireland’s 2025 flat campaign.
The record-breaking 32-year-old trainer saddled 100 winners from a massive 793 runners. The nearest to him in terms of runners is Jessica Harrington with 496.
O’Brien’s prize money tally of €3.7 million put him second in the trainer’s table behind his father, Aidan, who scooped almost €7.2 million in Ireland. Johnny Murtagh was third with nearly €1.6 million.
Beautiful Affair showed promise on Dundalk’s all-weather last season and might be O’Brien’s best chance in a seven-furlong maiden.
