Durston has won the $5 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup under the urgings of Michael Dee with the latter claiming his first Caulfield Cup, whilst trainer Chris Waller now has two Caulfield Cups.
Durston has become the first emergency to win the race since the Caulfield Cup transitioned to an 18 horse field with four emergencies.
Durston won the feature Group 1 of the day at a massive $19 with online bookmakers, after getting into the final field after Maximal was scratched earlier in the day due to the state of the track.
Chris Waller has now won two Caulfield Cups after winning his first with Verry Elleegant in 2020.
2022 Caulfield Cup Replay
Chris Waller’s Victorian stable foreman, Jo Taylor, spoke after their second Caulfield Cup victory in last three years.
“It was absolutely unreal, even Crystal Pegasus along the inside. I was trying to watch a few to see if anybody was making ground,” Taylor replied when she was asked what her initial reactions were after the big race.
“The winning line was coming and it almost looked like he may just not get there but you know, Micky Dee did a fantastic job to get him over the line.
“Absolutely, even this morning we kept watching and looking at the track rating cause we expected that Maximal would come out. But if the track had improved too much, maybe he wouldn’t,” Jo Taylor said that the team were watching their computers and listening to any news about any scratchings to see if Durston would get a run.
Michael Dee claimed his sixth Group 1 aboard Durston, which also gave him his first Caulfield Cup of his career.
He was all smiles during his post-race interview.
“I don’t really know how to describe it,” said Dee who was very emotional after his massive win in the $5 million major.
“It’s unbelievable. I gotta thank Chris Waller and his team and the horse Durston.
“We had a good draw and I just dropped straight down to the fence and got him into a rhythm. He does tend to get on the bridle quite strongly and just had to sit against him the whole way.
“Once I found my position that was it and I just had to get him into the best rhythm as possible and they went much, much slower than I anticipated.” Michael Dee explained that he was surprised by the tempo that they went at in the Cup which suited Durston and let him travel in a good rhythm.
Durston is $15 with online betting sites in the Melbourne Cup, if the Waller team choose to go there on November 1.
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