VETERAN UK TRAINER EYEING MELBOURNE CUP GLORY

Trainer Brian Ellison is eyeing an ambitious tilt at the 2024 Melbourne Cup with recent Northumberland Plate winner Onesmoothoperator. The six-year-old defied odds of 12/1 to hand Ellison his first ever success in the Newcastle showpiece at the end of June. The victory left the veteran trainer dreaming about a trip to Australia. Onesmoothoperator will now be aimed at the Ebor Handicap at York in August and a victory there would secure an automatic spot in ‘the race that stops the nation’. Online bookmakers rate the horse as a 17.00 shot to win next month but Ellison believes they have underestimated his chances. “He’s up to a rating of 101 now so he’ll run in the Ebor,” Ellison said. “He’s obviously a better horse on the all-weather but the turf is no problem as long as it’s not soft. If it’s good ground and they go a good gallop, I can see him running very well. “If he runs well there, Australia could be on the cards. He’s the right type but the trouble now is they make it so hard to get out there. It’s something everyone should experience but any slight little thing and they don’t take them. “The thing with Onesmoothoperator is that when he pulls out in the morning he’s not the best of movers, but once he loosens up he’s grand. It’s just like you and I when we first get out of bed but on the gallops and the racecourse he moves like a dream.” The latest odds on Melbourne Cup betting sites suggest Onesmoothoperator has little chance of winning at Flemington Racecourse, with several bookmakers offering odds of 51.00. However, the horse defied expectations in the Northumberland Plate under jockey Connor Beasley on what was undoubtedly a landmark day for the veteran trainer. The Newcastle-born handler had been desperate to win the race in his home city, and the victory sparked wild celebration in the winner’s enclosure. The Melbourne Cup is another big race Ellison is eager to add to his CV having had a couple of bad experiences on his previous visits to Australia. His Carte Diamond was injured on the eve of the race in 2005, while Moyenne Corniche and Saptapadi finished down the field six years later. Ellison was particularly scarred by Carte Diamond’s misfortune, with the horse suffering a serious injury during a workout at Flemington Racecourse. “We bought him out of Mark Johnston’s and he was a bit of a handful,” Ellison added. “He was third favourite for the Melbourne Cup but the jockey fell off, he got loose and ran into a rail that was spiked into the ground. The rail turned over and the spike went straight through his leg. “He didn’t have much luck out there because he should have been placed in a Caulfield Cup but got hampered around the first bend, got shuffled back and still ran on to finish on the heels of the leaders. He was a good horse and would have run well in the Cup.” If Onesmoothoperator books a spot in the Melbourne Cup, he will line up alongside several other talented performers from the northern hemisphere. Trainer Aidan O’Brien could be double-handed in the race, with Tower Of London and Grosvenor Square both expected to head to Australia. They recently finished first and second in the prestigious Curragh Cup in Ireland and could lead a strong Irish challenge at Flemington. O’Brien’s compatriot Willie Mullins is hoping Vauban, Absurde and Belloccio will be in the Melbourne Cup line-up this year. Vauban was the favourite for the race last year but finished 14th, while Absurde fared better in seventh place. Belloccio was an impressive winner of the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June and will bid to book his place in Australia by winning the Ebor at York.