Point of Law leads home Australian trio to win Melbourne Cup

Point Of Law proved himself to be Australian racing royalty with victory in the Lexus Melbourne Cup in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The three-year-old, bred and formerly owned by England’s King Charles III, led home a historic ‘Trifecta’ for top Australian trainer Ciaron Maher who ran an unprecedented seven runners in the race that famously stops a nation.

Point Of Law, a 6/1 favourite, was acclaimed as a “superstar” by jockey Ethan Brown after beating his stable companions Zahrann and Juja Kibo by over three lengths in the two-mile handicap. Zahrann was formerly trained in Ireland by Johnny Murtagh.

Topweight Sons And Lovers did best of the five Joseph O’Brien runners in the Irish trainer’s attempt at a third Cup success, finishing fourth. He was the only one to disrupt Maher’s dominance which also yielded the fifth and sixth. It was a second Melbourne Cup victory for the Victorian trainer with the Irish name. He scored in 2022 with Gold Trip.

That horse was an import from France and Maher’s policy of buying European staying talent for a rare Australian stamina test paid off again.

Point Of Law, a son of Frankel out of a Japanese bred mare, raced in the royal colours for John & Thady Gosden and won at Group Three level at Newmarket in July. He also ran at Royal Ascot where Maher watched him race and where he met King Charles.

How much the colt cost isn’t known but Point Of Law is now unbeaten in two starts in his new homeland. Less than two weeks previously he landed the Geelong Cup and earned a spot in a race that’s an Australian sporting institution.

Maher’s aptly named Royal Supremacy threatened to steal the race after establishing a long lead and still being clear early in the straight. He eventually got reeled in and finished fifth.

“I knew I had my best hand going into it, but it’s got to execute,” Maher said.

“I certainly didn’t know Royal Supremacy was going to lead by that far but there’s nothing better than a true staying test.

“Point Of Law has just thrived and I can’t thank all the team and the owners enough. What a ride they’ve been on. It’s been a whirlwind really, but I’m very proud of all the team. To get three horses in the first three spots, I’m very proud,” he added.

It was a hugely emotional success for Brown, the jockey originally from Alice Springs, who nearly died in a fall at Flemington in 2023. He almost walked away from racing only to be persuaded back by Maher.

“It’s been well documented how he talked me out of horse training at one stage when I was about 22 years old, but he’s done nothing but support me and back me. I’ve buggered up plenty of times on his horses and he’s had nothing but faith. He’s believed in me and shown that by putting me on. I’m quite speechless.

“I thought Point Of Law had the best turn of foot in the race by far. He was shuffled back a bit further than I would’ve liked and I was trying to get him settled, and I looked up and saw Royal Supremacy about 20 in front and thought, ‘Oh God’.

“I had to stay cool, stay patient, cut the bend and once he got that clear run in, his turn of foot was enormous. He’s going to be a superstar horse, he’s something special,” Brown said.

Sons And Lovers was ridden by Donegal jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle who reported: “He ran great, got a nice spot and we steadied up a bit halfway, but he came home well.”

The Epsom Derby third James J Braddock was next best of O’Brien’s in seventh after breaking from the widest draw of all.

“The barrier was a big disadvantage to him today, but he was prepared really well by Joseph and his team to come out here. He’s only a three-year-old, lightly raced. You could feel that from the half-mile.

“In the straight he balanced up and closed off really well. He’s a horse with exceptional talent but he just didn’t get it quite right from the barrier today,” said his jockey Craig Williams.

The English hope Hopewell Rock, who Irish owner JP McManus backed to win Aus$9 million (about €5.6 million) could finish only ninth. McManus’s two runners, Trustyourinstinct and Goodie Two Shoes, were 11^th and 22nd respectively.

There was a late non-runner in the race when the Chris Waller-trained Asterix was taken out for having a prohibited muscle strain medication on both forelegs. Waller admitted to the “simple mistake” by one of his employees and was fined $50,000 (about €31,000).

The stewards were also in action after the Cup with Royal Supremacy’s jockey Ben Allen fined and suspended for 16 meetings over his use of the whip. He used it 10 times before the 100-metre mark, five more than the rules allow.

Allen was also quizzed about his decision to establish such a big lead. ‘Pace-setters’ are not allowed under horse racing rules in Australia. But Allen said the move was not intentional, and he was surprised at how far in front he was, as he felt the sectionals he set were not quick.