It took Bart Cummings a few years to figure out the right type of horse needed to win the Melbourne Cup but once he got it right, he couldn't be stopped.
Cummings claimed an historic 12th victory in the famous race on Tuesday keeping the Europeans at bay for another year, albeit only just.
Viewed won by a nose from English stayer Bauer with the much-hyped Irish trio from Aidan O'Brien's stable finishing in the last four after taking each other on in the first half of the race.
Cummings' first runner, Asian Court, was unplaced in the 1958 Cup but seven years later Light Fingers won the race. In 1966 Galilee gave Cummings a second and a year later Red Handed a third.
"It took seven years and in that time I did some research and found that 65 per cent of all Group One winners were New Zealand-bred," Cummings said.
"I went to New Zealand and had a look around. The next time I went I bought three or four horses for Group races.
"Then the next time I got Light Fingers, I couldn't buy her so we leased her but got to buy Galilee and Red Handed.
"Red Handed cost 870 guineas.
"He had a head like a violin case – he had an old injury and one ear couldn't go forward.
"No-one liked the look of him because of his head but I thought he's not going to gallop on that so I got him very cheap and he won a Melbourne Cup – my third in a row."
Cummings said the environment in New Zealand was conducive to breeding stayers although his latest Cup winner was bred in Australia.
Viewed is a son of Scenic, who died prematurely in 2005 aged 19 in Western Australia.
A son of European supersire Sadler's Wells, Scenic's best known offspring is Universal Prince the 2001 AJC Australian Derby winner who was controversially denied a Melbourne Cup start by vets who said he was lame although trainer Bede Murray thought otherwise.
Viewed was bought out of a paddock by Duncan Ramage, Dato'Tan Chin Nam's bloodstock manager, and almost lost to Australia.
"Chin Nam's son lives in Hong Kong and they wanted to race him there," Cummings said.
"I soon stopped that and I'm glad he didn't go."
Cummings is already looking ahead to next year's Melbourne Cup and said he planned to have "three or four" horses heading to the race.
-AAP
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4751910a17395.html (text)
"http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/04/article-1082926-0259F21D000005DC-328_468x322.jpg">http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/04/article-1082926-0259F21D000005DC-328_468x322.jpg (image)
Cummings claimed an historic 12th victory in the famous race on Tuesday keeping the Europeans at bay for another year, albeit only just.
Viewed won by a nose from English stayer Bauer with the much-hyped Irish trio from Aidan O'Brien's stable finishing in the last four after taking each other on in the first half of the race.
Cummings' first runner, Asian Court, was unplaced in the 1958 Cup but seven years later Light Fingers won the race. In 1966 Galilee gave Cummings a second and a year later Red Handed a third.
"It took seven years and in that time I did some research and found that 65 per cent of all Group One winners were New Zealand-bred," Cummings said.
"I went to New Zealand and had a look around. The next time I went I bought three or four horses for Group races.
"Then the next time I got Light Fingers, I couldn't buy her so we leased her but got to buy Galilee and Red Handed.
"Red Handed cost 870 guineas.
"He had a head like a violin case – he had an old injury and one ear couldn't go forward.
"No-one liked the look of him because of his head but I thought he's not going to gallop on that so I got him very cheap and he won a Melbourne Cup – my third in a row."
Cummings said the environment in New Zealand was conducive to breeding stayers although his latest Cup winner was bred in Australia.
Viewed is a son of Scenic, who died prematurely in 2005 aged 19 in Western Australia.
A son of European supersire Sadler's Wells, Scenic's best known offspring is Universal Prince the 2001 AJC Australian Derby winner who was controversially denied a Melbourne Cup start by vets who said he was lame although trainer Bede Murray thought otherwise.
Viewed was bought out of a paddock by Duncan Ramage, Dato'Tan Chin Nam's bloodstock manager, and almost lost to Australia.
"Chin Nam's son lives in Hong Kong and they wanted to race him there," Cummings said.
"I soon stopped that and I'm glad he didn't go."
Cummings is already looking ahead to next year's Melbourne Cup and said he planned to have "three or four" horses heading to the race.
-AAP
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4751910a17395.html (text)
"http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/04/article-1082926-0259F21D000005DC-328_468x322.jpg">http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/04/article-1082926-0259F21D000005DC-328_468x322.jpg (image)
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