Ciaron Maher’s trifecta was not the only historic element to this year’s Melbourne Cup with the horse who provided him with his second win in the great race also breaking new ground.
Point Of Law become the most lightly-raced winner of the modern Melbourne Cup when he won the $10 million Group 1 at Flemington at just his sixth start.
Martini-Henry, who won the 1883 Melbourne Cup at start No 2, holds the distinction of being the most inexperienced winner in the 166 editions of the race but no horse with fewer starts than Point Of Law has won since its internationalisation in 1993.
The only horse to tackle the 3200-metre contest with fewer starts was Tiger Moth, who ran second at his fifth start in 2020.
Maher, who had seven runners in the Melbourne Cup, said Point Of Law had embraced life in Australia and thinks the Melbourne Cup win could be just the first of many feature wins.
“Point Of Law has just thrived,” Maher said.
“I think the world’s his oyster, really. He’s obviously very talented, he’s won that very well and he’s a European three-year-old still.
“I think he’s got a bright future, a big engine and should be a lot of fun.”
Point Of Law’s Melbourne Cup win came 206 days after he made his debut in His Majesty The King’s royal colours, in a 2011-metre 3YO novice at Yarmouth in Great Britain, in which he finished second.
He won a three-year-old maiden over the same trip at Newbury at his next start, on May 15, before a fourth placing in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase (2846m) at Royal Ascot in June.
The son of Frankel and the Deep Impact mare Portfolio had one more start in the UK, winning the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy (2615m) at Newmarket on July 9, after which he was bought by Maher for stable clients.
He failed to gain a start in the Caulfield Cup, for which he was third emergency, and had his first start in Australia in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m), which he won strongly from Small Fry.
Point Of Law joins Media Puzzle (2002), Americain (2010) and Dunaden (2011) as horses to complete the Geelong Cup/Melbourne Cup double this century and became the first favourite to win the Melbourne Cup since Fiorente in 2013.
The $7 top pick scored by 3-3/4 lengths from Zahrann ($26), who was a short-half-head in advance of Juja Kibo ($14).
