West Australian galloper Scenic Shot scored an easy win in the Mackinnon Stakes while Viewed turned in the best Melbourne Cup trial by finishing third in the Group One weight-for-age feature at Flemington despite being galloped on in running.Bart Cummings, striving for his 13th Melbourne Cup, said the reigning Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winner Viewed suffered a superficial cut to the off-hind hock which was bleeding when he returned to scale.The master trainer said he thought the horse woul

West Australian galloper Scenic Shot scored an easy win in the Mackinnon Stakes while Viewed turned in the best Melbourne Cup trial by finishing third in the Group One weight-for-age feature at Flemington despite being galloped on in running.

Bart Cummings, striving for his 13th Melbourne Cup, said the reigning Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winner Viewed suffered a superficial cut to the off-hind hock which was bleeding when he returned to scale.

The master trainer said he thought the horse would be alright to run on Tuesday while stewards later reported Viewed was not lame.

Jockey Brad Rawiller said Viewed had been galloped on 1600m from home but was rapt with his effort.

Viewed was the first Melbourne Cup horse home while Master O'Reilly (fifth) and Newport (sixth) both ran respectable races in the 2000m feature.

"He just ran terrific towards the Melbourne Cup. He got galloped on at the mile which had me very concerned for a couple of strides there," Rawiller said.

"I thought `Oh,oh'. He got struck pretty hard but he got balanced and got himself together.

"He was very solid the last 400 metres."

There was drama before the Mackinnon when Zipping got down in the barrier and was subsequently scratched after a veterinary examination.

However stewards later reported the eight-year-old had taken no harm from the incident.

Veteran New Zealander Sir Slick, scratched from the Cox Plate on race morning by stewards, was found to have pulled up lame in the off-foreleg.

But the race was a triumph for WA trainer Danny Morton and Queensland jockey Shane Scriven who also won this year's Group One Doomben Cup and the Group Two Brisbane Cup on the gelding.

Morton was not at Flemington as he was preparing to leave for Hong Kong on Sunday to train stablemate and reigning Horse of the Year Scenic Blast for the Hong Kong International Sprint in December.

Seven-year-old Scenic Shot showed how tough he was after running fifth to star colt So You Think in the Cox Plate and then backing up to win seven days later.

Morton's father, former trainer Len Morton, said he would now be prepared for the Group One Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot on December 5, a race in which he was runner-up to Niconero in 2006.

Scriven said he was "smoking the pipe" a long way from home in the Mackinnon after guiding Scenic Shot ($8.50) to a two-length victory over Miss Maren ($31) with Viewed ($8) a long neck away third.

"The spring was in his step during the week and that was after the Cox Plate. He's so tough," Scriven said.

Vlad Duric described Master O'Reilly's effort as a "nice Cup trial" while jockey Peter Wells liked Newport's effort.

"Good run - finished off well," he said of the grey.

The Luca Cumani-trained Cima De Triomphe led but capitulated to finish ninth, prompting Damien Oliver to say he was "disappointing".