Tuesday’s $8,410,000 Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington could put an exclamation point on an amazing season for Juddmonte Farm’s undefeated champion, Frankel.
With the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban expected to start a short-priced favourite, the red-hot duo of Chris Waller and Joao Moreira team up with the enigmatic Soulcombe (GB).
The son of Frankel looked unlikely to win a race anywhere in his first three starts for William Haggas.
Like so many before and after him, the son of Frankel sparked into life as a gelding, winning three of his next four starts, culminating with a four-and-a-quarter length success under Hollie Doyle in the Melrose Handicap at York in August 2022.
Owners Sir Martyn Arbib, Ben Arbib, and Chris Budge received ‘an offer too good to refuse’ from a syndicate led by Ozzie Kheir.
Sent to Chris Waller, three months later the son of Frankel made a statement at his Australian debut in the Group III Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington.
After an inconsistent autumn, Soulcombe made a winning spring debut in the Listed Heatherlie Hcp (1700m) at Caulfield on September 2 and was competitive against the best WFA horses in the Underwood Stakes and Turnbull Stakes. After blowing the start, he was a solid seventh behind Without A Fight in the Caulfield Cup.
Soulcombe is the best of three winners from as many to race for the Manduro mare Ribbons. Honoured as the Champion Older Female in Ireland in 2015 (Intermediate), Ribbons’ seven wins were highlighted by the Group 1 Deauville Prix Jean Romanet, was runner-up in the Group 1 Longchamp Prix de l'Opéra, and third in the Group 1 Curragh Pretty Polly Stakes.
Her sire Manduro (GER) is a multiple Group 1 winning son of Monsun who has impeccable Melbourne Cup credentials as the sire of the hugely popular 2013 winner Fiorente and the 2016 hero Almandin.
Monsun features in the pedigree of Japan’s leading Melbourne Cup hope, Breakup, through his sire, Novellist (IRE).
A Group 1 winner over a mile and a half in England, France, Germany and Italy, Novellist defeated the 2011 Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden (FR) in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and thrashed an old friend of ours, the MRC Norman Robinson Stakes and STC Gloaming Stakes winner Retrieve in the Group 1 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club Italiano.
The dam of Ribbons, Sister Act (Marju), is a sister to Soviet Song, the Champion older mare in Europe in 2005, and the Champion older mare in Europe in 2004. Her Group 1 highlights came in the Fillies' Mile Stakes, Falmouth Stakes (twice), Sussex Stakes, and Matron Stakes.
A Melbourne Cup success would top off another amazing year for Frankel whose champion daughter Inspiral added Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Fillies and Mares Turf to a glittering resume that includes the Coronation Stakes, Prix Jacques le Marois (x2), and Fillies' Mile.
The Juddmonte Farm champion stands alone as the best sire in Europe, where he will be anointed the champion sire for the third consecutive year. The son of Galileo is an emerging sire of sires, with Cracksman siring the undefeated Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Ace Impact, who embarks on his own career at Haras de Beaumont in 2024.
