Don’t stop the floats — Melbourne Cup internationals aren’t the enemy
Related Story: Can O'Brien break his Melbourne Cup drought? Maybe Yucatan can
Of all the self-delusion required to justify our intense emotional investment in sport, perhaps the most absurd pretence is that horses have nationalities.
The story of this year's Melbourne Cup has been the seemingly irresistible invasion of the so-called "foreign raiders".
Cup raiders — "ours" and "theirs"
Overseas-bred winners of the Melbourne Cup*
- 1924 — Backwood (British-bred, trained in Australia by Richard Bradfield)
- 1980 — Beldale Ball (US-bred, trained in Australia by Colin Hayes)
- 1986 — At Talaq (US-bred, trained in Australia by Colin Hayes)
- 1993 — Vintage Crop (British-bred, trained in Ireland by Dermot Weld)
- 1996 — Jeune (British-bred, trained in Australia by David Hayes)
- 2002 — Media Puzzle (US-bred, trained in Ireland by Dermot Weld)
- 2003 — Makybe Diva (British-bred, trained in Australia by David Hall)
- 2004 — Makybe Diva (British-bred, trained in Australia by Lee Freedman)
- 2005 — Makybe Diva (British-bred, trained in Australia by Lee Freedman)
- 2006 — Delta Blues (Japanese-bred, trained in Japan by Katsuhiko Sumii)
- 2010 — Americain (US-bred, trained in France by Alain De Royer-Dupre)
- 2011 — Dunaden (French-bred, trained in France by Mikael Delzangles)
- 2012 — Green Moon (Irish-bred, trained in Australia by Robert Hickmott)
- 2013 — Fiorente (Irish-bred, trained in Australia by Gai Waterhouse)
- 2014 — Protectionist (German-bred, trained in Germany by Andreas Wohler)
- 2016 — Almandin (German-bred, trained in Australia by Robert Hickmott)
- 2017 — Rekindling (British-bred, trained in Ireland by Joseph O'Brien)
* Excluding New Zealand-bred horses
That the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field will be comprised almost exclusively of stayers — either imported by local trainers or brought here specifically for the race by international stables — has created much controversy.
At the extreme edges there is a growing resentment towards the foreign horses themselves mildly resonant of some far nastier disputes about border protection.
How long before this xenophobic rhetoric inspires the compulsory bumper stickers: 'We neighed here, you stayed here!' 'Two foreigners don't make a Phar Lap!' 'Stop the floats!'.
When directed at the so-called foreign horses themselves, this anxiety is somewhat misplaced because, well you see, while horses are bred and foaled in different countries, they don't have nationalities.
Not unless you've heard local thoroughbreds taunting a Kiwi gelding about his "fush and chups" accent or can convince me an Irish mare whinnies with a lovely lilt.
Otherwise, I am unwilling to take the massive leap required to believe a horse is English, Australian, Burkina Fasoan or has any geographical interest other than the location of the feed trough.
So if one of the supposedly "international" runners storm clear down the Flemington straight on Tuesday afternoon, I won't be seeing Virat Kohli scoring a hundred against Starc and Hazlewood at the MCG, Marat Safin beating Lleyton Hewitt in the Australian Open final or some other foreign triumph on local soil.
I will be seeing … a horse. A very fast horse that, despite all the ridiculous myths about equine identity, has no more idea that its primary residence is in another country than it does about quantum physics.
FIFO runners add drama to the Cup
And even if you do buy into the frankly ridiculous notion that horses brought to Australia for the Melbourne Cup are "foreigners", you must surely acknowledge the great drama and worldwide exposure these FIFO runners have brought to the race.
Damian Oliver was aboard the import Media Puzzle [foaled in the United States, trained in Ireland — so I'm imagining a kind of Bobby Kennedy neigh] when he won the most emotional Melbourne Cup in living memory in 2002.
Vintage Crop [couldn't be more Irish if it was ridden by a leprechaun if you follow the horse nationality myth] was not only the first so-called raider to win the Melbourne Cup in 1993. It quadrupled local Guinness sales overnight.
Although as much as the successful imports, it is the tales of those who have come, seen and failed to greet the judge that have enriched the Melbourne Cup during the past 25 years.
Red Cadeaux [I imagine an Etonian neigh and good stable manners for no real reason] finished second three times and suffered a fatal injury in his fifth Melbourne Cup; the Daniel Kowalski of the turf, but with a rather more grisly ending.
The connections of the imported runners [who do have actual nationalities and accents] have added their own tales of triumph and, perhaps even more compelling, disappointment.
If Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's oil wells were as productive as his Melbourne Cup runners he wouldn't have enough two-stroke to mow the back lawn.
In 16 attempts to break his Melbourne Cup duck, the "world's greatest jockey" Frankie Dettori has turned more expensive horseflesh into la viande cheval than any three-star Michelin restaurant.
Ploughing unapologetically into the "horses have nationalities" myth, you might even argue the presence of these so-called foreigners exalts the dogged performances of the "locals" that beat them.
That the Victorian-trained Prince of Penzance beat so many imported blue bloods only adds to the legend of the despised underdog and his wonderful female rider Michelle Payne.
(Yes, yes, Prince of Penzance is Australian in the Pavlova, Russell Crowe kind of way and almost certainly whinnies "bro" at the end of every sentence.)
But again, it is not the presence of fancy "foreign" horses that should cause rancour.
Where will the next real Cup battler story come from?
For those still beguiled by the now far-fetched notion of the bush battler, the real concern is the ever-inflating odds the octogenarian trainer with a three-horse stable in Mildura will fulfil the dream of having a runner in the Melbourne Cup. Let alone winning one.
In that regard, it does matter where the runners come from, and who trained and rode them, even if the horses themselves have no idea.
The "race that stops the nation" was the organic creation of a supposedly egalitarian nation. The conditions — a 3,200m handicap race — mirrored a culture that treasured raucous even-handed competition as much as the achievements of blue-bloods in the classics.
Times have changed. While the public interest remains intense, the way the field now comes and goes and the event is staged, the Melbourne Cup is not really that different to the Australian Grand Prix.
Which raises an obvious question: Is there a point at which the lack of natural local connection with the race invalidates its place in the national psyche?
If so, unless Yucatan takes a knee during the national anthem or Magic Circle quite literally dumps on the locals during the victory presentation, don't despise the "international raiders".
They're not foreign athletes intent on ruining Aussie dreams. They're just horses.
The Offsiders panel will look ahead to the Melbourne Cup at 10am Sunday on ABC TV.
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