Trainer Willie Mullins has confirmed that Max Dynamite will be sent to Australia for the 2015 Melbourne Cup after he recorded a dominant victory in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup (3299m) at York on August 21.
Max Dynamite is set to be the first Melbourne Cup runner for Willie Mullins since Simenon (pictured) finished fourth in the 2013 edition of the race. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Max Dynamite went into the Lonsdale Cup as one of the outsiders of the field, but he showed an extraordinary turn-of-foot when asked for an extra effort by Frankie Dettori to record a four and a half lengths victory over Mizzou and completely dominate fellow Melbourne Cup hopefuls Trip To Paris and Big Orange.
Mullins originally purchased Max Dynamite to be a jumper and he finished second in the Grade A Galway Hurdle (3218m) in Ireland in July, but the Great Journey gelding will now stick to the flat and Mullins is confident that the five-year-old still has plenty of improvement in front of him heading into the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3
“I didn’t think he could win like that,” Mullins told UBET Radio.
“I was hoping that he could put him in the picture to finish in the first two or three and maybe win if we were lucky on the day, but he has just improved so much on the day.
“The horse was easy enough to ride for him, he settled well and it just went according to plan.
“They opened right up in the straight and it gave him a free run through on the inside and it was extraordinary the turn-of-foot that he showed.
“There is plenty of horse left to train for November.
“We are all keen to go.
“He got raised ten pounds to 117, which I think should easily get him into the Melbourne Cup.”
Mullins last had a runner in the Melbourne Cup when Simenon finished a credible fourth behind FIorente in the 2013 edition of the race and the leading Irish trainer opted to give the stayer a lead-up run in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield on October 10.
Mullins said that he would like to give Max Dynamite one run in Australia before the Melbourne Cup, but he is unsure whether the Herbert Power Stakes or the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) a week later is the right race for the talented stayer.
“We have just got to go into quarantine in early September and possibly get out there and maybe have a race beforehand,” Mullins said.
“I have him in the Caulfield Cup, but we will look at all the other races too.
“I know when I brought out Simenon I ran him in the Herbert Power, but whether this fellow is too high for that, I don’t know.
“The timing of the Herbert Power suits me, but we might have to look at a different race this time.”
Frankie Dettori steered Max Dynamite to victory in the Lonsdale Cup and Mullins said that the charismatic jockey is key to make another trip to Australia to chase his maiden win in the Melbourne Cup after previously failing on Drum Taps (ninth in 1993), Bullwinkle (tenth in 1995), Arabian Story (sixth in 1997), Faithful Son (seventh in 1998), Central Park (second in 1999), Lightning Arrow (17th in 2000), Marienbard (seventh in 2001), Pugin (18th in 2002), Mamool (last in 2003 and seventh in 2004), Geordieland (18th in 2006), Holberg (sixth in 2010) and Cavalryman (12th in 2012).
