Bart Cummings did it three years ago and now Gai Waterhouse hopes to follow suit with Tullamore in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington.The Cummings-trained Viewed became only the second horse in the Cup's 150-year history to win the Brisbane-Melbourne Cup double in the same year when successful in 2008.Macdougall accomplished the feat for the first time in 1959 when the Brisbane Cup was run over the Melbourne Cup distance of 3200 metres while Viewed's victory in the Queensland feature came whe
Bart Cummings did it three years ago and now Gai Waterhouse hopes to follow suit with Tullamore in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
The Cummings-trained Viewed became only the second horse in the Cup's 150-year history to win the Brisbane-Melbourne Cup double in the same year when successful in 2008.
Macdougall accomplished the feat for the first time in 1959 when the Brisbane Cup was run over the Melbourne Cup distance of 3200 metres while Viewed's victory in the Queensland feature came when it was shortened to 2400.
Cummings will be attempting to claim his 13th Melbourne Cup at Flemington with Precedence and Illo while Waterhouse is chasing her first with Tullamore and Older Than Time.
Waterhouse has gone close to winning the Melbourne Cup twice with Nothin' Leica Dane who was runner-up to Doriemus in 1996 and Te Akau Nick, second to the first European winner, Vintage Crop, in 1993.
Waterhouse is pinning her faith in Chris Munce to repel the overseas invaders which dominate this year's Melbourne Cup.
Munce is chasing a second Melbourne Cup to go with his victory in 1998 on Jezabeel.
The Waterhouse-Munce partnership combined to win last year's Caulfield Cup with Descarado which put the Queensland rider in elite company.
He became a member of the grand slam club joining Neville Sellwood, Pat Hyland, Roy Higgins, Mick Dittman, Damien Oliver and Jim Cassidy after winning last year's Caulfield Cup on the Waterhouse-trained Descarado.
The Caulfield Cup was the final piece of the grand slam jigsaw to fall into place for Munce who has a Cox Plate with Savabeel (2004) and two Golden Slippers - Prowl (1998) and Dance Hero (2004) - to go with his Melbourne Cup.
Munce rode Tullamore when he was out of luck and in need of a run in the Metropolitan at Randwick in October but was replaced by Craig Newitt when the five-year-old finished third to Southern Speed in the Caulfield Cup on October 15.
The son of Savabeel had stable jockey Nash Rawiller aboard when runner-up to Americain in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) on October 22.
Munce rates Tullamore as one of the best local hopes and the gelding has a five kilogram turnaround on Americain in the Melbourne Cup following their last clash in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup.
"Obviously Americain is going to improve a lot but so will my bloke and he's thriving," Munce said.