Yesterday’s Melbourne Cup winner Americain ensured that the ‘race that stops the nation’ is now truly an international event.
Americain, who outstayed Maluckyday and hot favourite So You Think in the 150th Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington yesterday, is American bred, French trained and Australian owned (Melbourne owners Gerry Ryan and Kevin Bamford having purchased the star six-year-old earlier in the year) and was also ridden by French jockey Gerald Mosse to success in the 2010 Melbourne Cup.
More international success is now on the cards for the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained Americain, the first French-trained Melbourne Cup winner set for the Group 1 Hong Kong International Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin in December.
It will be like returning home for Mosse, who is now based in Hong Kong.
Following the Hong Kong Cup, Dynaformer stallion Americain will return to Europe at the start of next year.
But his Aussie fans and followers can expect to see him return to Flemington next spring, ready to defend his mighty Melbourne Cup win in 2011.
Connections confirmed that Americain’s future would definitely be here in Australia.
“He will no longer be trained in France. We’ll be targeting the autumn carnival here and we will be appointing a new trainer,” co-owner Ryan said.
Nine internationals contested yesterday’s $6 million Melbourne Cup and following Americain’s win Racing Victoria is expecting the international interest coming from Europe for the 2010 Melbourne Cup to far exceed this years’.
Americain became the forth international to claim Cup success following the wins by Irish stars Vintage Crop (1993) and Media Puzzle (2002) and Japanese stayer Delta Blues (2006).
For the full 2010 Melbourne Cup Results click here.
