The heavens opened at about 7 am and didn’t stop until midday. 43 mm in my gauge! Wow! Too wet for a serious bet, but the track drained remarkably quickly to a Soft 6. My tram was held up by the floods and I didn’t get to the track and out the back until about an hour before the race. No time to see all the Cup runners and just a brief scan of the internationals.
My spot on the mounting yard fence was occupied by hats which made viewing conditions very difficult. The Cliffsofmoher was frothing on the bit, but it was pink froth! I quite like salivation, but blood in the mouth?! That’s a bad sign. A portent of doom, perhaps. I couldn’t have Cross Counter who I had marked as a head-up horse. The ear muffs were good but the bandages were bad, especially considering the interrupted preparation, and the wet track The horse was sweating freely which is a positive on a day of 100% humidity. With hindsight, maybe the bandages were a furphy!
I loved two cleanskins – Marmelo and Muntahaa. Muntahaa was probably the pick of the yard but either didn’t handle the going or the trip. Marmelo was just beautifully relaxed and looked the winner late. I backed them both for the place. I am always happy to win with my only bet for the day. Just think, Marmelo might have won if the jockey hadn’t weighed in a kilo overweight! I imagine that there were a few punters spitting chips when they heard that news!