Racing: No precedent set for Cummings

Savvy Nature dashes into Derby calculations. Photo / Getty Images

The Bart Cummings Melbourne Cup saga is unlikely to have a fairytale footnote.

The win by Precedence in Saturday's A$273,000 ($274,000) Moonee Valley Cup will almost certainly not be good enough to get him a start in the A$6.2 million Melbourne Cup and provide Cummings with an opportunity for his 13th Cup success.

The Zabeel 8-year-old with three New Zealand owners, including his breeder Sir Patrick Hogan, will need a fearsome attrition rate among those qualified ahead of him to land yet another Melbourne Cup spot.

On Saturday, Racing Victoria ruled out any chance of "inviting" Precedence into the field and handicapper Greg Carpenter said there was little he could do to assist.

"He had 53kg in last year's Melbourne Cup and finished ninth. He has 52kg this time and it can't be justified giving him more as an older horse," said Carpenter. Rider Craig Williams was quite taken with the Precedence victory.

"He felt like he was racing on fresh legs," he said.

Precedence had three races in his preparation leading up to last year's Moonee Valley Cup and one less this time.

There is always an attrition rate into a Melbourne Cup and Puissance De Lune looked to be the first victim when he pulled up sore at the end of Saturday's Cox Plate.

Puissance De Lune has been to the forefront of Melbourne Cup betting for two months.

James McDonald might have missed out aboard It's A Dundeel in the Cox Plate, but his Flemington carnival looks to be on track.

Last week, McDonald was talking up his Victoria Derby and Oaks chances and his mounts Gypsy Diamond (Oaks) and Savvy Nature assured they'd do the talking for him from this point by winning at Moonee Valley on Friday night and on Saturday.

Gypsy Diamond won the A$220,000 Fillies Classic on Friday and Savvy Dancer looked all over a Derby type running away from the opposition in Saturday's A$230,000 Vase.

Savvy Dancer has to run a further 460m in the Victoria Derby, but the way he finished off the 2040m on Saturday suggests that shouldn't be a problem.

McDonald is also sitting pretty on Mike Moroney's mare Voleuse De Coeurs in the Melbourne Cup.

Cambridge filly Ruud Awakening finished out of a place two lengths behind the winner in Saturday's Red Anchor Stakes at Moonee Valley, but it was a much better run.

She had to work extremely hard to lead from her outside barrier and in a hectic race where the placed horses swished home from the back of the field, she was not disgraced.

A better draw in a slightly less helter-skelter race would suit.