Australian Cup

In a prime weight for age year there is no way that you'd expect the Newmarket Handicap to completely upstage the G1 Australian Cup.  It's been won by some wonderful horses over the years.  Saintly.  Octagonal, Northerly, Bonecrusher, Vo Rogue, and Makybe Diva.  This year's race was won by the Street Cry entire Shocking.  It was a good win, and lovely for his jockey Corey Brown, who'd battled dislocated ribs after being crushed by a horse he was due to ride in barrier trials on 4 March.  I've had a cracked rib from a horse fall, and moving was awful, let alone getting fit to ride in a G1 race over 2000m.  A friend made the comment that it was a shame that So You Think was no longer in the country to really put the seal on the day's greatness, and that's true.  But Shocking could only beat those that presented on the day, and as they life, life must go on.  Black Caviar has well and truly stepped in to fill those giant shoes left vacant by another very dark brown horse, and to wish for the pair of them on the same day, as we had on Cox Plate and Caulfield Guineas day is probably like wishing for the stars and the moon too.

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