Jockey Ben Allen was slapped with a $5,000 fine and a 16-meeting suspension by Racing Victoria stewards following his extraordinary ride aboard the $51 outsider Royal Supremacy, who shockingly led the 166th running of the Melbourne Cup by 20 lengths before finishing fifth.
Allen Starts Ban Before Maher Secures Historic Trifecta
- Suspension Timeline: Allen begins his 16-race ban on Friday, November 6, ruling him out of rides through November 20 while clearing him for two mounts at Flemington on Thursday ahead of the penalty taking effect, though he has no rides in the Crown Oaks (2500m).
- Stable Dominance: Ciaron Maher secured a historic trifecta with Point Of Law, Zahrann, and Juja Kibo, completing a trifecta for the first time in the history of the great race and overshadowing the early tearaway drama, while Joseph O’Brien galloper Sons And Lovers also finished ahead of Royal Supremacy in fourth.
The Tactical Masterclass That Wasn’t
The 3200-metre staying test delivered an unbelievable visual at Flemington when Royal Supremacy sprinted clear of the field, establishing a massive 20-length advantage midway through the race, with the five-year-old gelding leading by 20 lengths with less than 1000m to go. Nine.com.au reported that commentators and punters watched in stunned disbelief as the five-year-old gelding made every post a winner before finally running out of gas and fading in the final 150m of the home straight.
Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett, who previously won the Cup in 2014 with Protectionist and again in 2022 with Gold Trip, admitted he briefly allowed himself to dream of a Melbourne Cup victory for about two seconds as the runner was eight lengths clear with 400 metres remaining. Lovett stated that the horse simply gets keen and takes off, noting, I wasn’t expecting that,
and adding, He obviously gets running,
It’s very hard to lead for that far in a Melbourne Cup,
He’s a tough bugger,
and He’s one of those horses that when he gets into a stride… he’s no good when horses are around him, he wants to race them,
while also mentioning, I just wish he could harness that energy early,
and concluding, I didn’t think he would run the trip, but he ran it out.
Trainer Ciaron Maher described it as a true staying test for his successful stable.
Joseph O'Brien could become the youngest trainer to win three Melbourne Cups if one of his five runners succeeds in the early hours of tomorrow morning 🇦🇺 Take a look back at Ireland's previous triumphs in the race that stops a nation 👉 https://t.co/09NpsiQ2Si pic.twitter.com/MnV1NIrLWk
Stewards Intervene on Whip Breaches
While Racing Victoria stewards ultimately cleared Allen of running an illegal pacemaker tactic after reviewing his race intentions, they severely penalized his handling inside the closing stages. Fox Sports detailed that Allen pleaded guilty to breaching rule AR132(7)(a)(ii) after utilizing his whip 10 times prior to the final 100-metre mark—double the maximum allowance—reaching 12 strikes overall.
| Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Finish Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point Of Law | Ciaron Maher | Ethan Brown | 1st |
| Zahrann | Ciaron Maher | Not Named | 2nd |
| Juja Kibo | Ciaron Maher | Not Named | 3rd |
| Royal Supremacy | Ciaron Maher | Ben Allen | 5th |
Jockey Defends Midrace Decisions After Missing Cover
Defending his mid-race decisions to stewards in a post-race statement, Allen maintained that his mount failed to secure cover behind Kizlyar as initially mapped out in the pre-race instructions, explaining, the primary plan was to ride the horse with cover behind the leader, which he expected to be Kizlyar
and When Kizlyar did not muster speed as he expected, rather than restrain his mount, he allowed the horse to stride forward and lead.
Zac Lloyd, rider of ninth-placed co-favourite Hopewell Rock, corroborated the unusual pace dynamic in post-race remarks covered by News.com.au, noting, (It was a) bit of a non-event. The way he ran it, he ran a strong two-mile. Very game in defeat.
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