MV On Track 2018

18 ON TRACK MAGAZINE So, which was the best of those Cox Plate winners he was involved with? “Fields of Omagh is top of my tree of course followed by Better Loosen Up, then Dulcify and Almaraad. “They were all wonderful in their own way and on their day,” says McEvoy, recalling the way each galloped into the history books. “Dulcify, he was a seven lengths winner when he won the Cox Plate (beating Shivaree and Lawman in the 1979 edition). “He was an incredible horse,” is McEvoy’s simple, understated verdict on a galloper who was to sadly break down and lose his life in the Melbourne Cup just ten days after his Cox Plate triumph. Almaraad, the 1989 winner, was an English import owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The son of Ela Mana Mou had an impressive career, mainly over staying trips in Europe where he had won contests like the Curragh Cup, Prix Kergorlay, Grand Prix de Deauville, Hardwicke Stakes and Jockey Club Stakes when trained by John Dunlop. But he proved just as effective over shorter distances in this country when he was sent to Hayes, winning the Underwood Stakes and the Caulfield Stakes as well as the Cox Plate in a stellar spring campaign. In the Cox Plate itself he showed tremendous determination and guts to overhaul the lightly weighted three-year-old colt Stylish Century just on the post after the youngster, who was to win the Victoria Derby a week later, had tried to make all the running and slip the field. It was perhaps his finest hour on a racecourse, but it was also his last as he broke down in his moment of victory. However, he did make a recovery and went on to stand at stud. McEvoy remembers him well. “He created a bit of a storm when he came to Australia, he won first time out and he might have gone into it unbeaten actually. He was extremely good horse and sadly he broke down in the Cox Plate. “It was a real battle against the three-year-old, he just wore him down in the straight and got up close to him. He was tough and had a lot of stamina too.” The trainer describes Better Loosen Up as one of the greats of the track whose record in the Cox Plate should have been even better. “He was an absolute superstar, he should have won a couple of Cox Plates in fact. “He won it in 1990 (when he came from well off the pace and broke the track record in the process), but he could have won in 1992 as well. “It was the year Palace Reign fell (Sydeston and Naturalism were also brought down) and Super Impose (the eventual winner) lay in on him. It was a rough race and there were all the protests, but he didn’t get the result or decision.” But all those memories are put in the shade by his recollection of the deeds of Fields of Omagh. “He is one of my all-time favourites. To have the opportunity to train him through that period was a real pleasure for me. “He had a very good record in general, but he came alive at The Valley at that time of the year. “He just got beaten in the Caulfield Cup by Northerly (in 2002), he won the Craiglee Stakes (now the Group One Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington), he won the mile at The Valley, the Dato’ Tan Chin Nam for me, and his record in the Cox Plate was incredible.” So why was the gelded son of Rubiton so good in Australia’s greatest Weight-For-Age classic? He had a very good record in general, but he came alive at The Valley at that time of year.