Racing: Persian raider ready to land killer punch

By MIKE DILLON

MELBOURNE - No nine-year-old has won the Melbourne Cup.

What does that mean? It means if the English horse Persian Punch gets over the line first in today's $A4 million Melbourne Cup, next year people will be saying only one nine-year-old has won a Melbourne Cup.

And that's all it means.

Persian Punch doesn't know he's nine and he sure as hell doesn't look it.

Watch the cup parade this afternoon and with the possible exception of Sky Heights and Ethereal, Persian Punch will looks the most youthful, bright and exuberant runner.

Watching him work at the quarantine compound at Sandown, it was impossible to believe he's nine.

As a six-year-old, Persian Punch finished a great third to Jezabeel and Champagne in the 1998 Melbourne Cup after covering a huge amount of extra ground.

His gracious trainer, David Elsworth, says the horse was not mentally mature at that stage of his career.

Which is remarkable for a horse from a country where five-year-olds are considered veterans.

"He hasn't been over raced, he's had an average of only five or six starts each year, and as a result he's worn well and become more mentally fit."

Mentally fit is not a term you hear often, not unless you're talking to Elsworth - he uses the term continuously when talking about Persian Punch.

"He's also a very tough horse mentally now. He's ready for anything."

Melbourne Cups are rugged affairs - there's no quarter given when $A4 million goes on the line - but Elsworth is unconcerned about a bit of push and shove.

What he is concerned about is Persian Punch having the speed to take up his favoured forward position in the hectic dash down the home straight the first time when half the 24 jockeys are trying to get the first six positions.

Champion rider Damien Oliver says the European horses each year gets lost in what he describes as the hurly burly of the first 1000m of a Melbourne Cup.

"That is the only part of the race I'm worried about," said Elsworth.

"He'll have to go as fast as he can at that early stage and we can only hope he will end up where we want him to be."

In 1998 English jockey Richard Quinn copped a decent hiding from the press for what looked to be a terrible ride which saw Persian Punch three and four wide for most of the trip before somehow ending up on the inside rail for the final 500m.

England's Racing Post editor Alan Byrne is a big Persian Punch fan and defends the Quinn ride.

"Persian Punch does not have tactical speed and Richard had to go forward and put pressure on the leaders at a very early stage. He's simply not a horse you can bury back on the rails and hope to sprint the final stages.

"His style is to go hard right from the start and put real pressure on the others to get past him.

"His style of racing has made him the most popular flat horse racing in England. The public love the way he takes up the running, they love his guts."

Everyone believes Persian Punch's form this campaign is the best of his life. He was narrowly beaten in the 4023m Ascot Gold Cup in June, won the Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Stakes in August and at his last start got squeezed up late when fourth in the Irish St Leger.

While 11 of his wins have been on firm tracks he has won two of his five starts on soft footing.