Mamool's next to dent Aussie pride

14 April 2012

One by one, the jewels in Australia's sporting crown are being prised loose. Jonny Wilkinson and Co remain on course to take the Rugby World Cup from under the noses of the host nation, while hopes are high that Andrew Farrell can lead the Great Britain Rugby League team to their first series victory over the Kangaroos in more than 30 years.

Putting the mortgage on Michael Vaughan to lead England to an Ashes success at cricket might not be quite such a good idea, but Mamool and Frankie Dettori can deal a major blow to Aussie sporting pride by landing the Melbourne Cup at Flemington racecourse tomorrow morning.

It's hard for the average British racing fan to grasp just what this historic race means to Australians. It's importance is like Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and Aintree all rolled into one. More than 102,000 racegoers shoehorned into Flemington for last year's race, while four out of every 10 Australians who couldn't attend watched the event on television.

And the waiting millions were rewarded with a mesmerising sporting tale as the local hero Damien Oliver drove the Irish challenger Media Puzzle to victory just days after his brother Jason had been killed during a trial race in Perth.

This year's European raiding party is strong on quality and equally rich in character. From the Irish yard of leading jumps trainer Willie Mullins comes Holy Orders, a highly talented yet temperamental gelding, while from the Oxfordshire base of Alan Jarvis comes Jardines Lookout, a high-class stayer who galloped on bravely for seventh place in last year's race and is back again.

Representing James Given's yard in deepest Lincolnshire is Hugs Dancer, a battlehardened handicapper who finished a highlyencouraging seventh on his Australian debut in the Caulfield Cup last month.

Hugs Dancer will be well suited by the return to two miles tomorrow, but Mamool looks the safest bet as he bids to fill one of the few remaining gaps on Godolphin's wish list of the world's most prestigious races. Godolphin's Central Park was an unconsidered-50-1 shot in the race four years ago when caught close home by Rogan Josh. Give The Slip was a 30-1 chance when pipped in 2001, while Beekeeper ran his heart out to finish third for Sheikh Mohammed's team 12 months ago. And Mamool's credentials for this year's Cup are there for all to see.

A battling defeat of the subsequent Gold Cup winner Mr Dinos in the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot was the high point of a light campaign last year, while a powerful late surge in the Yorkshire Cup at York last May carried him clear of an excellent field.

Mamool then seemed beaten by lack of stamina in the Gold Cup, but two subsequent Group One successes in Germany have set him up perfectly. Even for the notoriously one-eyed Aussie racing media, seeing the Cup go to Ireland through Vintage Crop in 1993 was just about excusable.

Allowing it to go to the northern hemisphere for a second time with Media Puzzle last year was careless, but to have it carried off to England by the honourary Pommies of Godolphin would be considered unforgivable. So set the alarm clock and tune in for one of the world's most historic Flat races.

No quarter will be given once the stalls burst open at just after four tomorrow morning. Hugs Dancer is seldom found wanting if it comes down to a scrap, while the Caulfield Cup winner Mummify and the gambled-on Frightening both warrant plenty of respect.

However, Mamool has the right blend of speed and stamina you look for in a Melbourne Cup horse. Two miles on a galloping track also looks ideal and, provided Dettori gets the breaks, yet another of Australia's sporting jewels can be marked for export.

Live on Attheraces (Sky Digital 418) and Radio Five Live.

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Mamool's next to dent Aussie pride

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