Melbourne Cup / Editor / 04 November 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

The hopes of a fairytale Melbourne Cup story were supposed to lie with the South Australian bush horse Alcopop, but in many ways the victory of Shocking rivals any of the Cinderella stories. Brad Thompson reviews a remarkable Cup win.

Shocking's savvy owner Laurence Eales and trainer Mark Kavanagh had previously tasted success of much higher magnitude than Alcopop's trainer Jake Stephens and his entourage, but their story of sweet redemption satisfied those looking for a Melbourne Cup victory with a twist.

Kavanagh has endured a tumultuous spring. His stable star and unabashed favourite Maldivian, regarded as a top hope to record back-to-back Cox Plate triumphs, was forced into retirement following a tendon injury. Then with the weight of favourite punters on his shoulders, Kavanagh sent out Whobegotyou to conquer the Cox Plate.

Many thought that with champion jockey Damien Oliver aboard it was an open and shut case. Whobegotyou's affinity with the tight Moonee Valley circuit was supposed to be foolproof, and he would simply be winning to preserve his unbeaten Moonee Valley record. But the dream was shattered as the Bart Cummings three year-old So You Think thrashed the field in what was only his sixth race start.

The trials and tribulations of Kavanagh's spring continued on the morning of the Victoria Derby, with the scratching of the race favourite, Shamoline Warrior. A high temperature and subsequent lung infection was detected and the trainer was denied his chance at redemption after Whobegotyou's defeat in the same race last year.

The extroverted horseman was left reeling after saddling up a Cox Plate favourite, scratching a Derby favourite on race-day and retiring his favourite horse the space of a couple of weeks. There was one last roll of the dice, but certainly the most improbable and unexpected of the lot - winning the Melbourne Cup with the four year-old stallion, Shocking.

In the lead-up to the Cup, Shocking had run into the other fairytale story of Australia's most famous race. Alcopop looked to have the measure of Shocking and he started the race as favourite. But what many hadn't realised was that Kavanagh, a former jumps jockey who'd spent past Cup days at venues such as Mount Gambier, Darwin and Hamilton, had primed his horse to peak on the first Tuesday in November.

A commanding victory in the Lexus Stakes on Derby day revealed Shocking's transformation from a promising type to a serious racehorse. As is so often the case with Kavanagh's horses, he knows how to switch them on for the right race.

Maldivian's below-par form had been converted into a Cox Plate triumph in 2008 with the introduction of blinkers and a stint over the pony jumps. Similarly, Shocking had encountered untimely injuries throughout his career, and had a tendency to duck in behind horses instead of striding past them. But the astute trainer found the cure.

With Corey Brown in the saddle and hungry to avenge the heartache of last year's photo-finish second in the Cup with Bauer, the son of Street Cry ran the 3200m stylishly despite a troubled run out three wide. It wasn't until the 800 metre mark that Brown was able to relieve Shocking with some cover behind Godolphin's runner-up, Crime Scene. Even then, Shocking wasn't entitled to finish off with the devastating burst he did, finding plenty in the concluding stages to hold off Crime Scene by three-quarters of a length.

Shocking was purchased for a mere $64,000 in 2007 by owner Laurence Eales, who in many ways epitomises the story of a battler who's now made it in the big-time. Eales began his journey as a labourer and began buying racehorses after establishing Australia's biggest Earth-moving Company.

Shocking's victory sparked typically wild celebrations from Kavanagh, a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. His spring roller-coaster had finally drew to an end, culminating in one of the most deserved and impressive Melbourne Cup performances in history.