IT TAKES something special for a crowd estimated at 105,000 to collectively hush. But hush they did for as long as three minutes at Flemington yesterday as judge Bill Quin pored over the photo finish between Dunaden and Red Cadeaux following the 151st Melbourne Cup, reports The Age.''That's the closest finish I've had,'' said Quin, who has been judge of the Melbourne Cup for 12 years. ''I doubt there has ever been a closer Cup finish. We thought the Bauer photo was close a few years ago [2008],
IT TAKES something special for a crowd estimated at 105,000 to collectively hush. But hush they did for as long as three minutes at Flemington yesterday as judge Bill Quin pored over the photo finish between Dunaden and Red Cadeaux following the 151st Melbourne Cup, reports The Age.
''That's the closest finish I've had,'' said Quin, who has been judge of the Melbourne Cup for 12 years. ''I doubt there has ever been a closer Cup finish. We thought the Bauer photo was close a few years ago [2008], but that was nothing compared to this. It may have taken 40 seconds [before we decided on the winner], but this one was between two and three minutes. I don't think you can get much closer.''
For just the second time in his career as the ultimate adjudicator of Australian racing's most famous race, Quin reached for the magnifying glass to see that Dunaden had edged out Red Cadeaux at the end of a gruelling 3200 metres.
''Bauer was beaten a nose, the same margin as this one, but this was so close to being a dead heat. You want to be able to split them, and thankfully we could,'' he said.
It wasn't just the winning margin that had Quin poring over the photo. In all there were an amazing eight margins of a nose in the race, and many thousands of dollars rode on each decision. There was a nose between third placegetter Lucas Cranach and fourth-placed Americain, a nose between fifth-placed Manighar and sixth-placed Lost In The Moment, and a further nose to seventh-placed Fox Hunt. Eighth-placed Niwot had a nose margin over ninth-placed Unusual Suspect.
''There is big money on the line right through to 10th place so there was a fair bit of pressure, but fortunately we were able to find margins all the way through,'' Quin said.
So while French jockey Christophe Lemaire was celebrating, the man he replaced on Dunaden, the suspended Craig Williams, was at the movies, trying to get away from all the drama of the Cup he wished would be his. He soon realised he had missed out as his mobile phone started to ring - and kept ringing. (www.theage.com.au)