Worthy Second For Secret Number in Queen's Cup
A courageous rally in the final 50m earned an honourable second placing for Secret Number in the G3 Queen's Cup at Flemington on Saturday, November 7.
A courageous rally in the final 50m earned an honourable second placing for Secret Number in the G3 Queen's Cup at Flemington on Saturday, November 7.
Having his first Australian start, Secret Number (Saeed bin Suroor/James McDonald) went into the race as the popular choice and produced a typically honest effort to hit the front at the 400m, only to be swamped by the winner Dandino.
Secret Number then suffered brief interference and was relegated to third place.
But just as it seemed he might drop out altogether, he rallied strongly to regain second and encourage jockey James McDonald to consider lodging an objection, only to
decline taking that course after viewing the patrol film.
"He got a squeeze at the 200m when the winner laid in a bit," McDonald said.
"We lost some momentum but after looking at the film it was clear it wasn't bad enough to change anything."
Secret Number came to Australia with a view to running in the G1 Melbourne Cup, only to just miss a place in the 24-horse field.
With that behind him, he continued his work on the training track and came to Flemington with high ambitions to win a race in which Godolphin has had two previous victories.
In 2001 Hatha Anna won the same race, becoming the first horse to carry Godolphin's royal blue colours to victory in Australia.
Three years later Fantastic Love scored a second win for the stable.
In a race run at only moderate pace, Secret Number comfortably held second place for most of the journey.
Entering the home straight McDonald gave him some rein and the son of Raven's Pass moved stylishly to the leader's girth and soon after took the lead.
But Dandino who had enjoyed an easy run on Secret Number's back sprinted quickly at the 300m, sweeping to the lead and setting up a handy break before Secret Number fought back to narrow it to one-and-three-quarter lengths on the line.
Stable representative Henry Plumptre said Secret Number would return to Dubai on Thursday with a decision to come on whether he takes up an entry he holds for the Hong Kong International meeting in December.
