By Michael Lynch
There are not many better feelings in racing than when a long range plan to target a group 1 race comes off.
So it was hardly surprising that Darren Weir, his staff and a whole swathe of owners were wreathed in smiles, back slapping and stomping through the Flemington mounting yard after the $1.5 million Australian Cup. Their former New Zealand galloper Humidor atoned for some earlier defeats in lead up races by putting it all together on the big day.
Damian Lane, riding Humidor, defeats Hugh Bowman, riding Jameka, in the Australian Cup at Flemington.Credit: Getty Images
Ridden by Damian Lane, who was chalking up the fourth group 1 winner of his short career, Humidor ran down Caulfield Cup heroine Jameka, with the fast finishing former European galloper Exospheric third, just ahead of Humidor's stable companion Stratum Star and The United States, from Lloyd Williams' Mt Macedon yard.
Weir has been prolific in Victorian group 1 races this year, chiefly through the exploits of stable star Black Heart Bart, but he has long held the conviction that the ex-Kiwi Humidor could deliver at the highest level if he got his act together.
The four-year-old son of Irish stallion Teofilio is not the easiest of rides, and has been narrowly beaten (by 0.8 lengths, 0.3 lengths and 0.2 lengths) in his three lead-up races before Saturday's 2000 metre classic.
But Lane, who has been atop on all three occasions, has learned his quirks and produced him at the right time to score the most valuable win of his career, getting up in the final 50 metres to run down the gallant Jameka, who had set sail for home under Hugh Bowman early in the long Flemington straight.
Wearing ear muffs in the mounting yard to help calm him down was a key to settling Humidor down pre-race, Weir explained.
"The little gear change in the mounting yard helped, I thought," the trainer said.
"I went and asked the stewards if we could do that because he was playing up a bit out the back and they were good enough to let us parade him in the earmuffs and he went to the barrier well. He just jumped out and lobbed and got a nice truck into it. "
Humidor is now likely to head to Sydney to chase the riches on offer in The Championships.
"The BMW, a mile and a half looks ideal really, providing the horse pulls up well.
"This was the goal, we have just targeted this race. A lot of the time it doesn't come off, but it's nice when it does," said Weir.
*There was a drama surrounding the horse early on race morning when stewards did a stable inspection at 3am on Saturday morning at Weir's Warrnambool yard and found a plunger from a syringe in Humidor's feed bin.
But stable staff said the plunger contained a liquid that should be lathered over the tongue of the horse to help with its digestive system overnight.
"After the inspection it was pointed out that instead of having the liquid put on the horse's tongue it was inadvertently thrown into the feed bin. We have examined the plunger and the liquid inside it and are content that nothing untoward happened," chief steward Terry Bailey said on race morning
"It was merely an oversight by an attendant at the stable."