Historical winter meeting at Flemington

Dating back to 1849, the Flemington Cup, now known as the Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849, is one of Australia’s oldest thoroughbred races, pre-dating even the Melbourne Cup (1861) and Victoria Derby (1855).

Racing in Victoria commenced on the 15th of January 1838, outside of a pub not far from Flemington itself, before the ‘Melbourne Racecourse’ found its home at Flemington, named for the town in Scotland where the landowners’ wife was from.

The original Flemington Cup was run on the 15th of January 1849, just 11 years later, however it has been debated that this was not run on the traditional course but was again, a ‘pub meeting’ just two kilometres away.

Regardless of where it was run, the race was won by Belzoni, with entry costing one guinea (approximately $2.05 in today’s money), while the trophy, which was worth 15 guineas, is now held in the National Gallery of Victoria.

Fast forward 176 years, and the Flemington Cup is a race storied with history that has only grown in recent years, named for the late Deane Lester.

To many, Lester was the voice of Victorian racing radio and a person every punter respected, and every form analyst looked up to.

This year’s puzzle is no mean feat, but in our attempt to simplify things as Deane could do better than any, it is Muktamil that comes up as the most likely winner.

Simple weights and measures will show that he meets Bold Soul 5kg better off at the weights for a 1/2 length defeat to him here on June 21.

Bold Soul had first run on that occasion and Muktamil now gains the services of Craig Williams, who is riding at 24% for his last 50 runners—the hunger for a 10th Victorian Metro Jockeys Premiership evident.

Muktamil ticks the boxes and can add his name to the honour roll of the storied Deane Lester Flemington Cup 1849.

Complementing the 2800-metre contest is another test of stamina, the Byerley Handicap at 1800 metres for two-year-olds, which is the equal-longest distance two-year-olds race over in Australia.

Offering the winner a ballot free exemption into either the Victoria Derby (2500m) or Crown Oaks (2500m), the experience gained from testing a mature two-year-old over a trip can certainly be beneficial.

We only have to go back five years to see one of the biggest upsets in a Victoria Derby, Johnny Get Angry, continue to improve his race craft and gain experience by running second in the Byerley.

Bayou Music was best from the back behind Buccleuch in the Taj Rossi Series Final, his late splits suggesting he’ll relish 1800m, and his breeding has ‘Classic’ written all over it.

By Street Boss, he’s out of a Zabeel mare called Zydeco, who won the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington in 2012, finishing second as a short-priced favourite in the VRC Oaks to Dear Demi five days later.

With the grounding he’s had, there’s every chance Bayou Music can win the Byerley on Saturday before following in mum’s footsteps towards the Classics.