Lloyd Williams has said in the past he only cares about winning one race a year – the Melbourne Cup. He made an exception in 2013 and included the Caulfield Cup for Fawkner.
Planning started at Flemington 12 months ago when Fawkner was the Emirates runner-up and the result was perfection.
”We’re pretty big on setting horses for their grand finals and this was his grand final and he’s done a great job,” part-owner Nick Williams said.
But there was a lot more to the story. There was the failed attempt to buy the promising son of Reset and a gutsy choice to have only the one runner in the toughest 2400-metre event in the world for the first time
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Team Williams could have had another six runners in the Caulfield Cup. That part of the team was reserved for Flemington and the first Tuesday in November, where Fawkner will now join them.
”I think this is the hardest race to win in Australia,” Williams said. ”It’s a lot harder to get a horse to the Melbourne Cup but because of the way this race is run there are always a lot of hard-luck stories and it’s a very hard race to win.”
There were plenty of hard-luck stories on Saturday.
Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller had four runners, including favourite Hawkspur, which finished seventh, while Royal Descent was his best, at fifth.
”I’m not disappointed,” Waller said. ”Royal Descent ran a great race and might have felt the track a little bit. He ran on well but didn’t get the luck.”
Good fortune followed Fawkner, Williams remembered, when he was sold after the Emirates.
”We’d agreed to sell him and they didn’t stump up the money,” Williams said. ”Dad said he was glad the bloke didn’t pay because he’d been thinking about it and thought we could win the Caulfield Cup with this horse.”
So, a year of planning was left in the hands of Williams’ 26-year-old godson Hall. He did everything right.
Jet Away, who would hold on for fourth, took off at the 800-metre mark when Damien Oliver let him have his head after fighting with him for the first half of the race.
Fawkner was still positioned midfield on the rail, where he had been from passing the winning post for the first time. He was there until to the turn and then eased to the centre of the track and made his winning drive.
”I was in the perfect spot just following Nash [Rawiller on Royal Descent] everywhere and when I produced him I knew we’d have the turn of foot to overcome them.” Hall said. ”He is such a special horse to me and they’ve prepared him to the absolute second.”
Craig Williams, who was looking for a third consecutive Caulfield Cup, was beaten by 1¼ lengths on runner-up Dandino but could only watch as Hall took it away from him.
”The difference between winning and running second was barrier 10 and barrier 16,” he said.
”I saw Nick get into the spot I wanted to be in and then I had to go back. When he made his run and got the gap in the straight, it was where I should have been.
”Dandino ran up to his work at Werribee but we need everything to go right; and that’s what happened for Fawkner.”
Williams believes Dandino can be a factor in the Melbourne Cup, where he is now the $6 favourite.
”His best form is at 2400 metres, but on that run you would think he is right in the Melbourne Cup and he doesn’t get a penalty,” Williams said.
Clarry Conners was left with a tear in his eye from Dear Demi’s brave effort to run nosed out in the final stride by Dandino.
”The plan from the gate was to get to the fence and she ran a wonderful race,” Conners said.
Dear Demi was jagged out of the stalls from the outside draw and copped the backwash of interference coming down the straight the first time. James McDonald rode the perfect race from there.
”I just kept picking run on the inside from the home turn and halfway down I thought I was going to win, but the horse down the outside had the momentum,” McDonald said.
