Written by Richard Edmunds
With an emphatic victory in Saturday’s G2 McCafe Moonee Valley Gold Cup, Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) emerged as a new candidate to break the G1 Melbourne Cup drought for champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien.
Dating back to a seventh placing with the exceptional Yeats (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) in 2006, O’Brien has saddled more than a dozen runners in his Melbourne Cup quest. His best results have been a second with Johannes Vermeer (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2017 and a third with Mahler (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) a decade earlier.
Hunting Horn may not have the winning form of some of his predecessors, with the G3 Hampton Court S. the best of his two wins from 21 career starts before Saturday’s Australian debut.
But he had placed in another seven races including the G1 Belmont Derby, G2 Prix Niel, G3 Chester Vase and G3 Sandown Classic Trial, and he also ran fourth in the G1 Royal Ascot Prince of Wales’s S. and Dubai Sheema Classic.
Hunting Horn was already safely in the Melbourne Cup field, sitting 20th in the order of entry prior to Saturday’s win, but he has now moved up to $21 in the market for the Flemington feature on November 5.
The 5-year-old entire was ridden on Saturday by Ryan Moore, who kept him right in the thick of the action in third or fourth position as Sydney Cup winner Shraaoh (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) set a dawdling pace.
The intensity finally increased down the side of the course as backmarkers surged forward and swallowed up Shraaoh.
Hunting Horn emerged as one of the main protagonists at the home turn, but he had Mr Quickie (Shamus Award) and Downdraft (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) looming ominously on either flank.
Hunting Horn dug deep down the straight, however, and shook free of that pair to win by 1.25l.
Hunting Horn (Ire)
“He’s a lovely colt,” Moore said. “He’s had some tough assignments, and he’s had very good form all of the way through.
“He’s by Camelot, whose progeny have a bit of brilliance. They travel very strongly and can quicken at the end of these sorts of races.
“This horse won at Royal Ascot as a 3-year-old, and he’s had some tough tasks since then. Today was a nice spot for him, and he’s won well.”
“This horse won at Royal Ascot as a 3-year-old, and he’s had some tough tasks since then. Today was a nice spot for him, and he’s won well.” - Ryan Moore
Hunting Horn boasts some quality pedigree credentials, with his dam being a half-sister to the top-class racehorse and champion sire High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}).
Meanwhile, runner-up Mr Quickie’s trainer Phillip Stokes has ruled out a Melbourne Cup tilt and will instead revert to shorter distances, with the G1 Mackinnon S. a likely target.
