Al Riffa price tumbles with the rain as punter backs top weight to win $4 million

6 hours ago 4

A bet of $500,000 to win $4 million was placed with bookmaker Chris Lester on Al Riffa to win the Melbourne Cup as punters plunged on the top weight at Monday’s Call of the Card in response to the heavy rain that fell on Flemington in the morning.

Lester said the Joseph O’Brien-trained six-year-old had “shortened up a bit over the last little while” before Easygo, the parent company of Stake.com, launched the half a million dollar bet at the $8 he offered for the noted wet tracker.

Al Riffa has been relaxed during trackwork at Werribee.

Australian Bloodstock, who part-own Al Riffa, then got into the action, putting on $200,000 in cash with the bet shared among bookmakers Lester and Swiftbet’s Natalie Hinkley. Wolfden and Tony Gee also had $150,000 on the stayer as his price shortened into $7.

Those behind the $200,000 bet including Jamie Lovett – who never shies from the theatre – figured the price was too good to resist for the class horse in the race whose only query is he will have to lug 59 kilograms over two miles, albeit in the form of in-form jockey Mark Zahra. Lovett also backed Protectionist before he won the Cup in 2014.

Lester admitted Al Riffa’s price shortened as a result of the rain but may well rise again as conditions improve ahead of the race.

Flemington’s track manager Liam O’Keefe was optimistic on Monday night the track would make for a good race.

“We are currently a soft 7 and have had 28mm of rain today. We are expecting a few more showers later night and in the morning but during racing looks OK. I’m hoping we get to a soft 6 at some point tomorrow if the forecast is correct,” O’Keefe said.

Other punters at the Call of the Card said the rain had increased the appeal of backing the international raiders as they were better suited with give on the ground.

Two-time Cup winner Joseph O’Brien, who was at the lunch – just hours after arriving from the Breeders Cup – to watch Al Riffa and Goodie Two Shoes said he wasn’t too perturbed about drawing barriers 19 and 20 for his runners.

“We worry about the things that we can control and whatever happens with that we will deal with,” O’Brien said.

He described Al Riffa as a classier horse than his previous runners, which is why he was carrying 59 kilograms. “We knew that he was going to carry a lot of weight and when the decision was made that we were going to have a focus on this race we were happy to accept whatever,” O’Brien said. “He is a huge big horse. I don’t see the actual weight being an issue. There are plenty of light weights in there so some of them are obviously well handicapped, and he’s had a good preparation.”

Kieran McManus, the son of Irish billionaire JP McManus, who has his first runner in the Cup, Goodie Two Shoes, livened up proceedings early with $5000 each way on Land Legend at $81. McManus then backed Goodie Two Shoes to win $1million and Vauban to win $500,000 proving the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree.

O’Brien said that such plunges were what big race days were all about.

There were the usual punters such as Sam Swanell, who backed Smokin’ Romans at $126 to win $250,000, and was in a hurry to back Meydaan when $31 was on offer, and jumped on Vauban to win $500,000 at $26.

French import Athabascan was the only horse not backed at the Call of the Card.

Tom Waterhouse, son of Gai, backed the favourite Half Yours to win $150,000 at $7.50 with Hinkley and Absurde with Lyndon Cleary to win $50,000, while well-known poker player Tony Gee who has a share in both the race favourites also put $20,000 on Half Yours to win.

Onesmoothoperator also shortened from $41 to $31 after several sizeable bets while More Felons was backed to win a punter $1 million. Swiftbet offered $91 for the American Parchment Party which attracted a $5000 bet.

The Racing Blogger Stephen Power was offered a special quote on Presage Nocturne and placed $1000 at $10 while he also backed River of Stars at $17 to win $34,000.

Across the ditch a New Zealand punter stands to win more than NZ$730,000 from the New Zealand TAB for a $7 bet if $10 chance Buckaroo can finish in the top three. It is the final leg a 12-leg multi placed in January.

Athabascan, who was runner-up in the Moonee Valley Cup, was unloved. He was the only horse who did not attract a bet despite $101 being on offer.

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