Melbourne Cup coveted globally and at home

Sunday 1 November 2015, 3:26pm

Coolmore has just had great success at America's prestigious Breeders' Cup meeting and yet the Melbourne Cup is the race its Australian boss most wants to win in the world.

One of the world's largest thoroughbred racing and breeding operations is yet to win a Melbourne Cup and hopes high-profile owner Lloyd Williams' four-time success will rub off.

"It's a Melbourne Cup. You need a bit of luck but there's no race I'd say anywhere in the world you'd rather win than the Melbourne Cup," Coolmore's Australian boss Tom Magnier said.

"If you're going to go to a Melbourne Cup there's nobody you'd rather be going alongside than with Lloyd," he added.

Williams and his son Nick recently bought shares in the Aidan O'Brien-trained Kingfisher and Bondi Beach, and separately to Coolmore own a third Cup runner, the Robert Hickmott-trained The United States.

Magnier said the buy-in came about through the great friendship between his father, Coolmore founder, Irishman John Magnier, and Williams and O'Brien.

"The horses have adapted very well to the travel, they're both in great form," he added.

Magnier watched on TV as Coolmore filly Found won the Breeders' Cup Turf in Kentucky after overseeing the Cup runners' trackwork at Werribee on Sunday.

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah soon followed with his win in the $US5 million ($A7.07 million) Breeders' Cup Classic, his last race before he heads to Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

Magnier was quickly looking to ahead to Tuesday despite the fantastic runs by Found and American Pharoah.

"I think everybody has a bucket list in our industry and I think the Melbourne Cup's on it.

"The Breeders' Cup this morning, they're pretty special races too.

"But it's one of the great races around the world. The excitement, the build-up, there's no race like it around the world.

"When you picture a trophy in racing there's only one that you can picture and that's the Melbourne Cup."

Godolphin, the racing operation owned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed, has tried more than a dozen times to win the Cup but has also come up short.

"We try for years and years. We've finished second three times in the past. I hope this time we can do it," Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor said.

"It's very important for us, for Godolphin and for people in the Middle East. They'd love to see our horse come and win here because we've been here many times."

Godolphin has two Melbourne Cup runners this year: the bin Suroor-trained Sky Hunter and Hartnell, trained locally by John O'Shea.

As for Williams' chances of adding to his Cup trophies, the Leviathan owner pointed skywards and said: "The guy up there now has to smile on you."

– AAP

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