Twilight Payment has won the 2020 Melbourne Cup.
It was a superb run from jockey Jye McNeil, racing in his very first Cup appearance, who set the pace from start to finish, putting Twighlight Payment in the lead early and not letting up.
The Irish gelding was in the lead the first time the field passed the post, and with 1200 metres to run was a little over a length ahead of Finche, who in turn was four or five ahead of the rest of what was a very spread-out field.
With 300 metres to go, Twilight Payment was all on his own some three lengths ahead of second, and while the pack closed up down the straight and narrowed the gap over the last few hundred metres, the buffer was too much to overcome and Twilight Payment passed the post first.
The victory gave trainer Joseph O’Brien his second Melbourne Cup victory, after becoming the youngest trainer to win Australia’s most famous race in 2017, and owner Lloyd Williams his seventh success.
Tiger Moth finished strongly to come home in second with Prince Of Arran running third, making it three consecutive years of a place finish in the Cup. The Chosen One came in fourth, while Avilius was the last horse past the post. Persan was the best of the Australian runners, finishing fifth.
However there was a bitter note to the race. Topweight Anthony Van Dyck, one of the pre-race favourites, pulled up at the turn and failed to finish. The horse broke down at the final turn and was loaded onto an ambulance on the track. After being diagnosed with a fractured fetlock, the Irish galloper was euthanised.
It is the seventh time since 2013 that a horse has pulled up with injury during the Melbourne Cup. Rostropovich failed to finish last year but was able to recover, but The Cliffsofmoher was euthanised following the 2018 race.
1st: 6. Twilight Payment
2nd: 21. Tiger Moth
3rd: 12. Prince Of Arran
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Of course Bullet Train (and Frankel) were both out of the Danehill mare Kind, which means that Chapada and Twighlight Contract had Sadlers Wells and the Danzig stallions Danehill and Oasis Dream (through Green Desert) in their pedigrees.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Chapada was by Frankel’s three quarter brother Bullet Train who was by Sadlers Wells and out of an Oasis Dream mare. The cross of Sadlers Wells with one of Danzig’s sons in Green Desert (Oasis Dream, Cape Cross) or Danehill is a good one. A good cross would be Cape Cross’s son Sea the Stars with a Sadlers Wells line mare.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
It is a pity that the sire of the dam is often so hard to find for every horse in a race. Sadlers Wells is so important in the breeding of stayers and Danzig through his sons Danehill and Green Desert gives speed to staying pedigrees. Green Desert has three important sire sons in Oasis Dream, Cape Cross and Invincible Spirit. Galileo is a son of Sadlers Wells. That gives three out of four great grand sires of Twilight Payment: https://www.horseracingnation.com/horse/Twilight_Payment# Anthony van Dyck was by Galileo out of an Exceed and Excel mare and of course EE was by Danehill. Russian Camelot was by a great grand son of Sadlers Wells out of a mare by Cape Cross. Twilight Payment is by Teofolio who was by Galileo out of a Danehill mare.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Front runner last year and then faded , despite the slow speed , to finish 11th. A better field this year and he blitzes them. Tough to pick... oh the uncertainty of racing.
Nick
Roar Guru
They need it more than we do anyway. Only the desperate tout for business after all :silly:
Micko
Roar Rookie
Lucky I was too late to visit the TAB to place any bets as none of my picks did any good. :happy:
Misaghorak
Roar Rookie
:unhappy:
JGK
Roar Guru
Sigh. Another year, another contribution to the TAB.