Following wins in the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup in the past, Danny O’Brien won the last leg of the big three in Melbourne when Vow And Declare just got in with the 2019 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday.
He'd won with Shamus Award (Cox Plate) and Master O'Reilly (Caulfield Cup).
It's the AUSSIE!!! Vow And Declare has won the #MelbourneCup.
What a moment, what a race… pic.twitter.com/DvAoinx0cp
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 5, 2019
Winning Trainer: Danny O'Brien"The stamina won us the race today."
Scientifically Vow And Declare is a staying machine and he proved that today for @DOBrienRacing who has achieved #MelbourneCup glory! pic.twitter.com/6Nlb9FLRqz
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 5, 2019
On winning the race: "It's an amazing thing to happen. I really can't believe it. I feel incredibly blessed to have had a horse good enough to be in it. He was ridden so beautifully by Craig. The last 100m he wouldn't give in, wouldn't give in and put his head out on the line and now we've won the Melbourne Cup."
"It doesn't get much better than this. It was a race which wasn't going to plan. To be fair to Craig he grabbed the bull by the horns early when nothing went forward. He ended up in front by the post. With 100m to go I thought you've led early and three are on you now. I was hoping he'd hang on for a place to be honest. He's a courageous horse, he's got great stamina. I'm sure he was headed but wanted to get his head out on the line."
On the horse: "He's definitely got a great motor. His recovery is the best we've seen. To get full advantage of that you probably need to run 3200m. We got outsprinted in the Caulfield Cup but the stamina won it for us today."
On what has happened in the recent past: "Everyone in the racing game has their ups and downs. The main thing is you keep persisting, keep working. Sometimes you have a bit of luck."
On the plans to go forward: "I left it up to Craig. It's been the winning move. He rolled the dice, he's an outstanding jockey and he wasn't afraid to try something different. Ultimately it was the winning move."
His son: "Oh God I've been waiting years for this moment."
