Fiorente won the 2013 Melbourne Cup on the point of the home bend, when he carried himself into the finish after enjoying a sweet run from Damien Oliver throughout most of the race.
Melbourne Cup 2013: Who won, who came last
From there, with his awesome turn of foot about to be unleashed, he was always going to be hard to beat.
Of course, if you backed Fiorente – and he was the Melbourne Cup favourite – you could probably say he won the Melbourne Cup with an outstanding trial he put in at Moonee Valley when third in the Cox Plate.
That was a perfect Melbourne Cup lead-up – an outstanding run after working hard for the first 800m of the race.
Really that’s when Fiorente, an imported Irish-bred horse trained by Gai Waterhouse, went to a new level.
He had always performed well. He was second in last year’s Melbourne Cup. He was also an eye-catching third in the 2013 All Aged in April. That was the race made famous by the scandal that emerged after the failure of stable-mate More Joyous.
But in the Cox Plate, Fiorente had to do early work and we’ve never seen him to do that before in Australia. It was pleasing to see him so strong at the finish, only going down by a couple of lengths.
It was in the Cox Plate Fiorente showed us he was not a one-dimensional racehorse.
We knew he could perform off a quiet run at the back of the field. But now we knew he could also do work early in a race and win – and for a noted backmarker, versatility is a fantastic and rare trait to have.
Fiorente had the form to win the Melbourne Cup but Damien Oliver still had to steer him well enough to get the job done.
And Oliver, now a three-time winner of the Cup, rode a great race.
He had Fiorente positioned off the inside fence – intentionally – for the whole race. Fiorente did no work.
When he was produced on the outside of the field at the 400m mark, seeing daylight for the first time, he was the fresh horse on the scene.
Fiorente just had to show his customary sprint to win the Melbourne Cup and he did it, as he always has done when ridden quietly in Australia.
He found the front in plenty of time and was able to hold off any late challenges.
The 2013 Melbourne Cup winner was the horse with the best form, the favourite and more than worthy.
Watch the race in full
Scuba
Guest
Mosse has copped a fair bit of stick on other racing sites for his ride, but I agree kv, I thought he rode RC well. He might have hoped that Mourayan wouldn't go at the 800 and leave him in front and a sitting shot at the top of the straight, but from the wide gate Mosse did as well as he could and the horse travelled well for him the whole way. Yes, Williams got Mt Athos 1 out, but he had to spend extra petrol in the early stages to do that.
kv joef
Guest
Bart might disagree about sunny Queensland ... Think Big ... Viewed :)
kv joef
Guest
Absolutely marvelous race. A race that lived up to it's hype. The last 200m was like watching champion boxers after 14 grueling rounds stand toe-to-toe in the last round and slug it out for the title. No sprint left, just heart and guts from the best in the race. Dandino was late when the race was done, Fawkner out on his feet but still trying. The others beaten. Simenon and Mt Athos were heroic. And Red Caudeax was magnificent as he again tried to lift at the 100m. What a race. What a champion winner who may not be done with this race yet. Aransun i just don't think they stayed in one of the toughest 2 mile races this country has seen. Talking of jockeys, i did notice that 3 of the top five finishers were euros and of them i thought Mosse was brilliant.
Aransan
Guest
Congratulations to Gai Waterhouse for her training feat and also to her husband, Robbie, for selecting Fiorente a year ago. Those horses that raced in the Brisbane winter carnival didn't do very well did they - Foreteller 17th, Dear Demi 19th, and Hawkspur 20th. If you want a serious preparation for a Melbourne Cup you should start your planning now and the Brisbane carnival shouldn't be part of it.
sheek
Roar Guru
Hi Justin, The horse certainly combined the elements of endurance speed with an up-gear finishing burst, key elements in most champion stayers. But heck, it was a smart ride by Oliver. I was thinking with so many horses apparently primed & capable to win the race, the jockey would make the final difference. Could Nash Rawiller have done what Oliver did? Without being uncharitable, I think not.