Mark Twain, the American writer came to Melbourne in 1895 for the Melbourne Cup and in 2024 Mark Twain, the New Zealand horse will do the same.
The third place-getter in the Auckland Cup earlier this month became the first horse to claim a Melbourne Cup spot next spring when he turned in a finishing run that even almost flawed his co-trainer Roger James.
“I can hardly believe what this horse did today,” James enthused. “At the 600 (metres), I had all but given up hope. He was flat catching the second last horse. The big expanses at Flemington has helped him, but it was a mighty staying effort.”
"I can hardly believe that this horse did this today." @Kingsclere_Nz have had a day out across the Ditch 👏 pic.twitter.com/sy0s3bvIss
— Racing.com (@Racing) March 30, 2024
Mark Twain was nowhere to be seen on the television monitors as the field thundered beyond the furlong post until this flash comes into screen late as jockey Michael Dee brought him out wide on the track to score an incredible win.
Such was the rate Mark Twain ($9.50) finished he had a half-length on runner-up Strawberry Rock ($10), with Mostly Cloudy ($7.50) third.
Mark Twain came out to Sydney 12 months ago and ran below par in the ATC Derby, but James said he was forgiven for that run.
“You didn’t see him at his best on a bottomless track that day,” he said. “Otherwise, he’s not blotted his copybook. No doubt that staying is the name of his game and big tracks.
“The fact that we’ve got the golden ticket makes it so much easier (to plan his spring campaign). It was such a dominant staying effort.”
"Here comes the Kiwi!"
— Racing.com (@Racing) March 30, 2024
Mark Twain comes storming home to book his ticket to the 2024 Melbourne Cup ⚡️ @Kingsclere_Nz @mickdee020 pic.twitter.com/WIMJCWw7jE
Dee too was taken with the effort to come from last.
“To be honest, I was just trying to get him around the track,” he said. “We’re here at Flemington and he wanted to hang out on me the whole way and I didn’t have a lot of steering in the straight.
“Once he finally changed legs and balanced up in the straight, that was when you saw that turn-of-foot.
“It was a super effort but he didn’t give me the easiest of rides.
“He’s certainly an out-and-out stayer but he is a difficult horse. He can pull and reef and tear but I was able to manage that.
“He was wanting to get on one rein so he’s certainly got great staying ability and we definitely saw it then.”
The above is an excerpt from Andrew Eddy’s Racing.com article and can be read in full here.
