By Garry Howe
HISTORY could repeat almost 150 years later if the Darren Weir-trained 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance takes his place in the field for Sunday’s TAB Cranbourne Cup.
It would re-establish a link dating back to the origins of the club.
Melbourne Cup winner Toryboy won the feature Cranbourne Shire Handicap at the town’s first official race meeting back in 1867.
So Cranbourne Turf Club officials have their fingers crossed that Weir opts for Cranbourne when acceptances for the cup close on Thursday morning. The Prince is also nominated for Saturday’s Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield.
In the book Of Heath and Horses, the club’s official history, author Marc Fiddian notes that Toryboy’s win that day “established a very early link between Cranbourne and metropolitan racing”.
Chief executive Neil Bainbridge would love to see that link franked by Prince Of Penzance taking his place in the field.
“To have the reigning Melbourne Cup winner among the nominations is enormous,” Mr Bainbridge said.
“But the quality doesn’t end there. There are 10 horses among the nominations who have won or been placed at Group 1 level.
“On paper, it looks like being an outstanding Cup field.”
Even if Weir does not accept with Prince Of Penzance, he may have a big say in who wins the race, having nominated five horses.
The Melbourne Cup connection also extends to a local runner.
Cranbourne trainer Michael Trotter has entered promising stayer Plot The Course.
His father Pat Trotter rode in six Melbourne Cups between 1973 and ’78 and came within a length of winning in ’77 when running second on the crowd favourite Reckless, trained by Phar Lap’s strapper Tommy Woodcock.
Michelle Payne, who became the first female rider to win a Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance last year, may also be at Cranbourne on Sunday, but not necessarily with that horse.
Payne had a long stint on the sidelines after being injured in a race fall and has not long returned to the saddle. She hasn’t ridden Prince of Penzance since the cup and is unlikely to if Weir did accept for Sunday. He has been ridden of late by Irishman John Allen.
But Payne may be saddling up another potential star herself, having just being granted a licence to train, in the form of VRC Oaks hopeful Queen of Zealand.
The former Kiwi filly may make her Australian debut at Bendigo on Thursday, or in a similar race at Cranbourne on Sunday.
Payne is yet to make up her mind which rein to pull with the smart Savabeel youngster.
Bainbridge said the club was excited to have three big meetings over the Spring Racing Carnival, kicking off this weekend.
The action begins on Friday night with the big Pinker Pinker Plate meeting, then the focus switches to the cup meeting on Sunday, with the $300,000 feature the obvious focus, but the $100,000 Apache Cat Classic over the 1000 metre sprint journey has also attracted a crack field.
Then there is the big Tricodes race meeting on Saturday 19 November – where the gallops, harness and greyhounds share the bill in a big night for the wider Casey community.
Cranbourne Cup nominations (and trainer): Aagas (Todd Balfour), Big Memory (Tony McEvoy), Blizzard (Emma Lee and David Browne), Bring Something (Ken Keys), Cinnamon Carter (Robbie Laing), Escado (Matt Laurie), He Or She (David Hayes and Tom Dabernig), Hi World (Lee and Anthony Freedman), Manndawi (Darren Weir), Master Zephyr (Darren Weir), Nigelissima (Trent Bussuttin and Natalie Young), Pemberley (Ciaron Maher), Plot The Course (Matt Trotter), Prince Of Penzance (Darren Weir), Rose Of Virginia (Lee and Shannon Hope), Second Bullet (Danny O’Brien), Shamkiyr (Darren Weir), Sly Romance (Richard Laming), Tarquin (John O’Shea), The Bandit (John Sadler), The Cleaner (Peter Gelagotis), Thunder Teddington (Jason Warren), Tom Melbourne (Lee and Anthony Freedman), Toolybuc Kid (Darren Weir), Wales (Richard Laming).
