Ciaron Maher makes Cup history — but is it good for racing?

Peak sporting performances are always amazing to watch.

Whether it's individual or team sport, or horse racing which is a bit of both.

There have been plenty of big performances at the Melbourne Cup over the years — many of them attached to the name of Bart Cummings — but even the Cups King would have been impressed by what transpired at Flemington yesterday.

Not even Cummings managed what Ciaron Maher did, training the first three horses home in the Melbourne Cup.

In fact no-one has ever done it before. Not just that, but four out of the top five. And five out of the top six — and even six out of the top 10.

It's a stupendous performance. It's unprecedented.

But as we draw breath after a dramatic spectacle and a huge crowd for the race that stops the nation, the question does arise — is this level of domination good for racing?

Before the Cup there was plenty of talk about the fact that Maher and Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien had more than half the field between them — a combined 12 runners out of a starting field of 23, after the scratching of Asterix.

But after the first few hundred metres, once Royal Supremacy had crossed over from barrier 20 (originally 21) to lead going out of the straight, it was not O'Brien who had a hold on the Cup. 

Ciaron Maher had both an irresistible force and an immovable object at the front of the race.

Jockey Ben Allen proceeded to do his best impression of riding Pride of Jenni in a 2,000m race, trying to drive rivals into the ground and growing the lead to six lengths, with the field strung out. The others decided early not to go hard in response.

Three of Maher's other chances, Juja Kibo, Zahrann and Point of Law were between 10th and 13th at halfway, but crucially not breaking their hearts to go after their stablemate who was out by nine lengths by that stage.

By the time they hit Chiquita Lodge at the 1,200m the lead was a crazy 15 lengths, like a cyclist trying to gain a lap in a race in the velodrome. 

It didn't stop, with the peak lead hitting 20 lengths 1,000m out.

With 700m to go Juja Kibo was starting to make a move, but Point of Law and Zahrann were still well back.

As the bell rang at Flemington to mark the turn and the crowd roared in the Flemington stands, Ben Melham was eyeing a Melbourne Cup robbery. 

He pushed his mount forwards with the lead still 12 lengths at the 400m.

As things opened up in the long Flemington straight, there was room for Juja Kibo and Zahrann to come into contention down the middle to outside as Royal Supremacy began to paddle.

The chasers began to swallow him up, but as the two Maher horses looked to go past the leader, suddenly there was a clear run near the fence, and Ethan Brown aimed Point of Law at it and charged through.

There had been queries about Point of Law's endurance based on an exciting but narrow win in the Geelong Cup — all were answered. 

The horse formerly known as King Charles's equine young gun motored through and put paid to the race in the space of five or six strides.

He went on to win by 3.75 lengths, an eternity in the Melbourne Cup.

Zahrann and Juja Kibo filled the places, with only the Joseph O'Brien challenger Sons And Lovers stopping an even more-unbelievable top-five sweep for the Cranbourne-based trainer.

What went right (or wrong) at Flemington?

The winner is a return to the days of the late 2010s, when Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds with low weights and few races under their belts beat the handicapper to win the Cup.

Royal Supremacy's front-running effort was something Irish trainer (and Joseph's dad) Aidan O'Brien would have loved to have in his own Cup campaigns. 

The difference was that this leader led all the way past the clock tower to inside the 150m mark.

It was a fair tactic, and it nearly worked. The fact that nearly all of Maher's other horses (Mr Monaco finished 17th) were also finishing fast at the right time is a brilliant training performance plus a sign of solid to great rides by the respective jockeys.

It might also be a sign of the embarrassment of riches at Maher's disposal, although there should be criticism for the rest of the field not trying to go a little faster in stages. The winning time in the end was 3:21.88, more than five seconds outside Kingston Rule's race record.

It's up to everyone else to lift their game, but when you have a frontrunner who can nearly steal the race but also a string of high class horses all charging home at the end of 3,200m. That's more than a challenge.

We have to acknowledge and doff our collective caps to the professionalism of Maher's training operation. Well done to everyone on Team Maher who contributed.

The optics of one trainer dismissing the rest of the challengers is not great, even though our first instinct is to look on in awe. 

There have been times before when trainers or owners dominated the race for periods of time.

Bart Cummings won an unbeatable 12 Melbourne Cups, including five quinellas where he sent home the first two.

Owner Lloyd Williams won a record seven Cups over 40 years — and he had as many as six horses racing in his colours in a single race (on two occasions).

Maybe this is just another of those situations. Maybe this could have happened at various points in recent Cup history.

Maybe this is just how the Melbourne Cup is now. But the fact that no-one outside the Maher horses could get within five lengths of the winner after the way the race was run leaves questions.

The Melbourne Cup has had times where it's faced criticism, including regarding the internationalisation of the race. 

But while locals decried the flood of overseas horses taking spots once filled by Australian horses and trainers, this level of single domination is arguably more concerning.

If this is a one-off, then this will stand out as one of those amazing moments in Cup history. And it will regardless. 

But if it happens again (and maybe again), then perhaps consideration may need to be given to putting number limits on horses from individual trainers or owners.

The Cup always moves on, but progress is not always for the best.