Al Riffa team in confident mood ahead of Cup run

A week out from the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Bloodstock team are confident they have both the right horse and right man on their side, having put their faith in Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa.

The owners are no strangers to snapping up British and Irish contenders for the Flemington showpiece and could also be represented by the ex-Andrew Balding inmate Royal Supremacy and Willie Mullins’ former Triumph Hurdle hero Vauban for the ‘race that stops a nation’ on November 4.

However, it is O’Brien’s high-class five-year-old that is getting his new connections most excited, having bought into the triple Group One winner prior to his devastating Irish St Leger win at the Curragh last month.

“He was the obvious horse and wasn’t hard to find,” said Jamie Lovett of Australian Bloodstock.

“He’s a high-quality horse in any era I think and for us it was an obvious choice – we were delighted to secure him. We had to give a good quid for him but he is certainly a horse you normally can’t get your hands on.

“Joseph has been delighted with the way he has travelled over. He’s accustomed to travelling but this would be the furthest he’s ever had to travel so you are always a little bit guarded, but I believe he has settled in beautifully and we’re really excited.

“The St Leger win probably cemented our opinion of him but he was already a highly-credentialled horse. But that brutally-run 2,800-metre race at the Curragh proved that two miles will hold no fears for him around the flat deck at Flemington.

“I’d love to get a drop of rain for him like most horses, but I think if he turns up on the day in the same vein of form as he did at the Curragh, it’s fair to say he will be more than competitive.”

Victory for Al Riffa would give O’Brien a third Melbourne Cup after his triumphs at the Victoria track with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020).

Already the youngest trainer to win Australia’s most prestigious prize, he could also surpass Dermot Weld to become Ireland’s most successful handler in the marathon event.

It is something not lost on those in the Southern Hemisphere who have huge admiration for what the 32-year-old has achieved since swapping his saddle for a training licence.

“We’re really enjoying being in Joseph’s yard, his communication has been fantastic,” continued Lovett.

“He’s held in the highest esteem by Australians. The amount of trainers who have tried unsuccessfully (to win the Melbourne Cup) and to think that at such a young age he has won it twice, it’s fair play to him.

“He’s got a great record everywhere, but to bring two horses down to Melbourne and win the Cup is incredible really.”

The final piece of the Al Riffa puzzle for the Flemington showpiece is jockey Mark Zahra, winner of two of the last three Melbourne Cups and the man in the plate when Australian Bloodstock’s Gold Trip proved successful in 2022.

Zahra replaces newly-crowned Irish champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle, with connections sympathetic to Al Riffa’s jettisoned regular ally having called for the proven experience of the 43-year-old.

“We’ve had a lot of luck with Mark and a lot of the owners involved in this horse, he rides their horses and he rides a lot of our horses, so it made sense,” explained Lovett.

“I don’t enjoy doing something like this and obviously Dylan has got a great affinity with the horse and has ridden him fantastically. But it’s a long way to come for one ride, so it just made sense to use Mark.

“Going forward there will hopefully plenty of opportunities for Dylan to ride for us.”