The spring carnival heralded the arrival of some new stars and served as a reminder that some of the older ones were not done with yet.Mark Kavanagh claimed his greatest prize as a trainer when Shocking won the Melbourne Cup and acknowledged he drew inspiration from the man who has won 12 - Bart Cummings.If Cummings wasn't a national treasure before the spring, he was certainly one at the end with his iconic status being compared to that of Don Bradman.While he was gracious with his time and alw

The spring carnival heralded the arrival of some new stars and served as a reminder that some of the older ones were not done with yet.

Mark Kavanagh claimed his greatest prize as a trainer when Shocking won the Melbourne Cup and acknowledged he drew inspiration from the man who has won 12 - Bart Cummings.

If Cummings wasn't a national treasure before the spring, he was certainly one at the end with his iconic status being compared to that of Don Bradman.

While he was gracious with his time and always good natured, "Bartmania" became a little overwhelming for the man who simply does what he loves, trains racehorses.

Much has been made of his age - Cummings turns 82 next Saturday - but his eye is as keen as ever and his wry, dry humour is intact.

More importantly, he is still as the top of his game as evidenced by So You Think's win in the Cox Plate.

The three-year-old was set for the weight-for-age championship but only just scraped into the field after failing to win a Group One lead-up.

But once there, he put on a magnificent front running display to beat another three-year-old, Manhattan Rain, and leave some seasoned campaigners struggling including the raging favourite, Caulfield Stakes winner Whobegotyou, from the Kavanagh stable.

Kavanagh had an even shorter favourite in the Victoria Derby. Shamoline Warrior was the only one the punters wanted but on race morning, things fell apart with the colt ruled out with a high temperature.

No-one will ever know whether the result would have been different with him in the field but there was no doubt Monaco Consul was a worthy winner.

Trained by Mike Moroney, the colt had not started since he won the Group One Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick a month earlier.

But the heavy track that day put a query over whether he was up to the task in the Derby.

He was, and so was his jockey Corey Brown.

It was a wonderful moment for Brown but there was more to come from the popular rider.

After serving a six-month ban for a drug breach in Hong Kong, Brown relocated his family to Melbourne from Sydney for a fresh start.

Unceremoniously sacked as stable rider for Lee Freedman, Brown returned home to get his life together again.

The Derby celebrations were on hold for Brown as he waited anxiously to hear if he had a ride in the Melbourne Cup, a race he had come second in twice.

He was committed to Vigor but as the afternoon wore on it became increasingly unlikely the horse would gain a start.

Brown implored Kavanagh to wait until the last minute so he could ride Shocking if that was the case.

Vigor didn't get a start, Kavanagh stuck with Brown and the rest is now part of history.

Shocking won the Cup from Europeans Crime Scene and Mourilyan with Cummings out of the picture after 2008 winner and this year's Caulfield Cup winner Viewed led his trio home.

No matter, Cummings was back on Oaks day with Faint Perfume who duly did her job.

Cummings plans to keep doing his for some time yet.