Racing: Australian Cup fortune not so shocking

Shocking enjoyed the hot pace in the Australian Cup at Flemington on Saturday to win well. Photo / Getty Images

MELBOURNE - Corey Brown has ridden through the pain barrier to reunite with Melbourne Cup winner Shocking and land the Australian Cup at Flemington.

Trainer Mark Kavanagh had reason to think he would never have a runner in the race after having four favourites scratched from the event in three years but on Saturday his persistence was rewarded.

Nursing sore ribs after a horse fell on him at the Randwick barrier trials a week ago, Brown felt nothing but elation as Shocking stormed home from last to become the fifth Melbourne Cup winner to win the Australian Cup since 1981.

Brown was forced to stand down from rides at Randwick on Wednesday and Hawkesbury on Thursday and thanked his chiropractor for getting him fit for Flemington.

"To be honest, after riding Wednesday I didn't think I was going to get here," Brown said.

"Luckily, I've got a decent chiropractor in Sydney and he pushed four ribs back into the position where they needed to be."

The Lloyd Williams-owned Mourayan set up a cracking pace as the tearaway leader which made the race for Shocking who was out the back and waiting for the field to come back to him.

Halfway up the home straight it was clear Shocking was the danger as he came with raking strides.

Mourayan's stablemate Linton had barely reached the lead from the Perth 3-year-old Playing God when Shocking dashed past the pair to score easily by two lengths.

"Halfway through the race, when the pace was right on like that ... I thought he was going all right," Kavanagh said.

Kavanagh, who was literally jumping for joy, recalled how luck had deserted him over the past few years when Maldivian was scratched twice from the Australian Cup in 2008 and 2009, while Shocking was pulled out twice last year when the race was postponed a week.

"It hasn't been my best race," Kavanagh said.

"Shocking is my first runner in an Australian Cup so I'm pretty excited."

"He grows a leg at Flemington and this week he has been as crisp and as good as I could have him."

Brown said Shocking, who has won five of his eight starts at Flemington, seemed to lose interest when the pace quickened from the 1000m to 800m but picked up as the runners came back to him.

The Australian Cup was Shocking's first weight-for-age win at 2000m and Kavanagh is keen make it two in next Saturday's Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill before tackling The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill on April 2.

Craig Newitt said Playing God got flushed out earlier than he wanted but was full of praise for the Blackfriars colt.

Steven Arnold said the Bart Cummings-trained Precedence (fifth) followed Linton and held his ground to the line, while Damien Oliver said the favourite, Heart Of Dreams (eighth), raced "a bit flat".

- AAP