TRAINED in Germany, Irish interests played a key role when Protectionist, bred by owner-breeder Dr Christoph Berglar, was bought into by Australian Bloodstock (directors Luke Murrell and Jamie Lovett) to the tune of 50% with an option for 100%. “Wally looked at this horse in Germany (earlier this year with Australian Bloodstock) and said to me this is the most fantastic animal he has ever seen and he was right,” said Robert Power of his brother Wally, both of whom live in Sydney and run a civil contracting business.

The Power brothers, born in Wexford, where their parents and extended family were up in the early hours of Tuesday watching the race, were joined in the ownership of Protectionist by Fergie Doyle and his wife Delia, who came to Sydney in the 1970s. “I can’t put words to it,” said Wally Power. “It’s a dream come true. I’ve been here in Australia for 25 years, and all I have ever wanted was to have a horse in the Melbourne Cup. This is what it is about; that animal out there and the love of it.”

Wexford-man Fergie Doyle and his wife Delia, from Mayo, were also stunned in the aftermath. “It’s beyond my wildest dreams there’s no question about that, I mean you try and try,” said Doyle who survived oesophageal cancer surgery during last year’s Melbourne Cup and was on hand when Dermot Weld brought world interest to the Melbourne Cup in 1993. “Patience is a virtue as they say and just being able to say today that it will always be part of our experience that you win the Melbourne Cup and regardless of what else you ever win... well it’s just incredible.”

With Tuesday’s victory activating a buyout clause, Protectionist will remain in Australia where Kris Lees, whose Lucia Valentina ran 13th in the Cup, will take over the training from his Newcastle stable north of Sydney. Protectionists initial target will be a light autumn aimed at ‘the championships’ in Sydney.

Ireland was the best represented of the breeders in this year’s Emirates Melbourne Cup with Signoff, an Australian-trained graduate of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale the first Irish-bred horse over the line in fourth. Of the 22 starters European-bred horses comprised 13, with the breakdown by country being; Ireland, 7; Great Britain, 4; New Zealand, 5; Australia, 2; France, 1; Germany, 1 and USA, 1.

NO JOY FOR MURTAGH

For Johnny Murtagh it will be back to the drawing board as Mutual Regard, the best of his two runners, finished 14th. “He moved into it nicely on the turn but he just pulled too hard and had nothing left for the finish,” said Damien Oliver who rode Mutual Regard, while Steven Arnold said that Royal Diamond who was 20th, “ran along at a good tempo but he felt the ground in the last 300 metres.”

Tragic Cup postscript

TRAGEDY has marred this year’s Emirates Melbourne Cup for a second year in a row as the Japanese-trained race favourite and Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti collapsed and died in his stall just minutes after being trotted over the line a long last, having been eased out of the race by Zac Puton before the home turn. Racing Victoria’s head of veterinary services Dr Brian Stewart named “acute heart failure” as the cause of death the following day.

To compound matters Araldo shattered a pastern and couldn’t be saved. He had run a brave seventh but was spooked on returning to scale by someone waving an oversize Australian flag.

Lordan’s win

IRISH jockey Wayne Lordan provided Godolphin with a surprise win in the Listed MSS Security Sprint on Emirates Melbourne Cup day, guiding Reparations to a 30/1 win down Flemington’s straight six, the same course he will tackle with Slade Power today.