Francesca on the how the world views the Melbourne Cup

Few people can bring a respected global perspective on the Melbourne Cup like Francesca Cumani.

Her father, Luca, came agonisingly close to his own Cup victories with Purple Moon in 2007 and with Bauer in 2008. Francesca herself prepared Bauer in Australia, only to lose by a nose to the master Bart Cummings. She, of course, is a long-time racing presenter in the UK [and this week in Australia] and remains intertwined heavily in the UK racing space.

Debate continues about the Melbourne Cup’s presence in the international racing scene, based around whether the Melbourne Cup is losing its prestige in the UK as vetting protocols make it far more difficult for them to race here.

Relations between UK trainers and those implementing the new protocols have historically been tense, to say the least.

So there are few more qualified to ask whether the Melbourne Cup remains attractive for the UK trainers – and whether the protocols are too harsh.

“That’s a really interesting question, mainly because I can really see it from both sides. Because having been so associated with the Melbourne Cup for such a long time, I really understand the importance of making sure it’s as safe as it possibly can be to ensure the existence of the race within the social license and everything in the whole environment,” she told Betsy.

“But I also see it very much from the other perspective. Having been part of a racing stable that has brought horses to the Cup, I can see why there’s a feeling that there’s a bit too much control and then maybe sometimes there’s a frustration with inconsistencies within certain elements of the rules.”

“I don’t need to go into that but I think on balance the most important thing is that the Melbourne Cup continues and the results of the vet protocols since 2021 have been good, you can’t argue with that, so I think it’s worth it on balance.”

Cumani said Racing Victoria has improved its dialogue with UK participants, however did note there had been a lack of trust previously between trainers and those implementing the tough protocols.

“I think it was clear from the beginning when the vet protocols were brought in that it wasn’t going to be perfect, it’s a learning process year on year as to how best to do it and how best to minimize the risk of injury,” she said.

“I think it’s like with a lot of things in life, people don’t like being told how to do their job.”

“And I think that it feels like there’s a lack of trust, but that’s not the case.”

“I think it’s good that we still have got the level of international participants that we have got, and those that come are still very committed to it.”

Cumani believes the Cup remains, and will continue to do so, an attractive proposition for UK trainers. The main challenge in her view is the emergence of new, rich races around the globe.

“If you look at it in the broader picture, however, throughout the winter for us in the Northern Hemisphere, there are so many different options now internationally,” she said.

“So, you know, the Melbourne Cup is run at a similar time as the Breeders’ Cup in America. Then you’ve got the Hong Kong Carnival, you’ve got Japan, you’ve got the Bahrain races, you’ve got the whole Middle Eastern program, throughout the winter. So the competition for these horses at this standard that can travel is very high.”

“And there’s a lot of money. Lots of money. And the trainers and owners can only do as many campaigns as they can do, so they have to pick and choose.”

“I think the Melbourne Cup still stands out for connections as an event that they really want to be at. And as soon as they’ve been here once, they want to keep coming. You often see the same faces coming back year on year. And look, it’s a very hard race to win, because of its nature of being a handicap.”

Cumani said of the internationals coming to compete in Melbourne, it’s a regular visitor she hopes will win the $10 million race.

“It’s a really tricky race. One [thing I’d] like to see is Willie Mullins have some success because he’s been coming for so long,” she said.

“I’ve been sucked into him so many times but I do think Absurde makes a lot of sense, I think he’s still weighted OK to win it, his trial was good and I’d like to see it for Willie Mullins.”