Cross Counter capped an “amazing” year for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby as he became the first British-trained winner of Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
The three-year-old was delivered with a perfectly-timed run by Kerrin McEvoy to claim the Group One prize and lead home a famous one-two-three for the raiding party, with Hughie Morrison’s Marmelo a length back in second and the Charlie Fellowes-trained Prince Of Arran a further three lengths behind in third.
Cross Counter’s victory added another feather to Appleby’s cap with the trainer having sent out Masar to win the Derby at Epsom back in June in the blue silks of Godolphin.
The trainer said: “This is all down to Sheikh Mohammed, he’s the one that’s given us all the encouragement to take the chances in what we do internationally.
“When I saw him down the back, I thought he had to do a lot.
“And when he was making his run, I thought turning in that if he finds the gap then this horse has got the gears to pick up.”
Godolphin has hit the bar in the past with the likes of Give The Slip, Crime Scene and Central Park all having placed in the main event and Appleby himself is a previous visitor to Melbourne.
He told www.godolphin.com: “We’ve been competitive, but we’ve learnt more on each trip about what will make us more competitive. That’s what it’s all about, the learning curve.
“I’m just in a fortunate position to have the horses to make the call on which are the right ones to bring down here.
“This is huge for everybody. For me, of course this is the biggest thing along with the Derby. This year has just been one of those amazing years.”
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