A long established and highly successful Kyabram Club Melbourne Cup Calcutta syndicate was left licking its wounds last week when the decision to sell off the race winner cost it $29,000.
The Wallanjoe syndicate, which originated from Stanhope and still invovles several high profile sportspeople from the town, drew Cup winner Knight’s Choice in the calcutta, but elected to sell the horse for $900.
It received $450 as part of the transaction, but The Flames syndicate that purchased the horse pocketed the $29,172 first prize.
The horse edged out Japanese raider Warp Speed (drawn and bought by the Panelbeaters syndicate) in a thrilling photo finish, with Okita Soushi (owned by the Warriors syndicate) third in a frantic finale that featured winning chances all over the track.
Paying as much as $101 on fixed odds before the race, Knight's Choice became the longest-priced winner of the race since Prince of Penzance in 2015.
Funnily enough only 12 months earlier the co-trainer of Knight’s Choice, Sheila Laxon, had been in Stanhope with the Melbourne Cup as part of its country tour of Australia.
Not even the presence of Laxon just 20-odd kilometres to the west, at Rochester, could influence any significant local interest.
She was again travelling with the cup and Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne, when the cup stopped in the town.
Laxon co-trained the winner with a former Seymour-based trainer John Symons, who had previously made a name for himself as the trainer of a horse part-owned by Essendon VFL legend Kevin Sheedy — Bel Esprit.
Wallanjoe won the first prize of $6608 in 1990 when Kingston Rule won the Cup and picked up a similar amount three years earlier when Kensei was the winner.
The Flames, who won $16,214 in 2016 when Almandin won the Cup, were Wallanjoe’s nemesis on the night.
They also bought highly-fancied Buckaroo (for $6100) after it has been purchased by Wallanjoe.
While that purchase fell flat and Wallanjoe collected $3050 from the transaction, The Flames’ $900 bid for Knight’s Choice proved a master stroke.
The pool for the 2024 Cup was just shy of last year’s record $50,000-plus total, but only just.
There was $48,620 up for grabs, first prize $29,172, second $9724, third $4662 and fourth $2431.
There was only a little more than $1000 difference between first prize last year and this year’s major windfall.
An amazing 10,210 $2 calcutta tickets were sold prior to the calcutta, making the starting pool before the auction $20,420.
While 15 of the horses were purchases by the syndicates that drew them in the calcutta, there were still some bidding wars for the horses rated as the best chance in the Cup.
One of the most prolific syndicates of recent years, The Panelbeaters, were the most successful group during the draw phase — picking up three horses in Irish stayer Vauban, $31 shot Warp Speed and the Ciaron Maher-trained Interpretation.
Four other syndicates — The Flames (Sharp ‘n’ Smart and Onesmoothoperator), Wallanjoe (Buckaroo and Knight’s Choice), Scramblers (Zardozi and Absurde) and Bendemeer (Just Fine and St George) — all drew two horses in the field.
The Flames, who had already paid $850 and $2500 for the two horses they drew, forked out a massive $6100 for Buckaroo — drawer Wallanjoe eventually caving to the pressure and pocketing half that total for the syndicate.
That was the largest amount paid for a single runner on the night, although Vauban and Onesmoothoperater reached the $5000 mark — before being snapped up by their drawer for half that amount.
Well known syndicate Weus paid $900 for their only runner in the Cup, Positivity, while the Giddy Up Girls did not draw a horse in the calcutta but paid $2200 for The Map.
OTP drew one horse, Manzoice, which it paid $325 for at auction, then forked out an extra $2000 to prise Land Legend off its drawer.
Mongrels had Valiant King in the race after they bought the horse for $650 when the drawer fell out of the bidding early.
A new syndicate, The Scramblers, which included realtors Tom Curnow and Steve Grima, had a successful night.
They were, however, tested twice when their two runners — Zardozi (which finished fourth) and Absurde — went to $4000 and $4400 respectively. They bought both to invest a total of $4200 in the event.
This year’s second prize was won by the Panelbeaters (Warp Speed), with Warriors adding a third place (Okita Soushi) to their wins in 2014 (Protectionist, $13,410) and 2010 (Americain, when first prize was $13,446).