Lloyd Williams - Outsources His Horses

Lloyd Williams' quest for an eighth Melbourne Cup later this year gained momentum on Friday with two leading contenders on an incoming flight to Australia while Master of Reality won a stakes race in Northern Ireland. 

Melbourne Cup candidates Pondus and Dawn Patrol are among nine Williams-owned horses currently en route to Melbourne after flying out of England on Friday. 

The horses will complete their mandatory 14 days of post-export quarantine at Mickleham before being prepared by Robert Hickmott from Macedon Lodge, the facility where Hickmott trained Green Moon and Almandin to Melbourne Cup success in 2012 and 2016.

"These horses that are coming over are staying here," Williams told Racing.com, advising that last year's G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (2012m) winner Cormorant and inexperienced Northern Hemisphere three-year-old Point Nepean are also on the flight. 

Master of Reality won the €37,500 (A$60,000) Her Majesty's Plate (2743m) at Down Royal for the second-consecutive year on Friday with stablemate and last year's Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment also winning the Northern Ireland Listed race in 2018. 

"I'm very pleased with Master of Reality's winning performance, he struck a hard track, carried ten stone (62kg) and didn't enjoy an easy run in the race yet still won," Williams said.

Twilight Payment and Master Of Reality remain in Ireland with dual Cup-winning trainer Joseph O'Brien and should be considered doubtful to make their third Australian visits later this year.

While Master Of Reality and Twilight Payment still have time to travel to Melbourne for the Cups, they would need to complete their post-export quarantine at Werribee's International Horse Centre. 

Entering Werribee's quarantine facility requires passing stringent pre-travel veterinary assessments announced by Racing Victoria and the Victoria Racing Club in April. Notably, that includes a highly contentious scintigraphy scan, at significant added expense to connections. 

This avenue of arrival does not appeal to Williams, as is the case for many experienced trainers and owners who have crossed this year's Melbourne Spring Carnival off their itinerary.

However, Williams has an unquenchable appetite for Melbourne Cup success and in the wake of Master of Reality's Down Royal win says he will consider whether the Frankel gelding attempts to travel to Melbourne or is prepared for the Breeders' Cup meeting at Del Mar in early November.

LLOYD WILLIAMS' MELBOURNE CUP WINNERS

1981: Just A Dash (T.J. Smith)
1985: What A Nuisance (John Meagher)
2007: Efficient (Graeme Rogerson)
2012: Green Moon (Robert Hickmott)
2016: Almandin (Robert Hickmott)
2017: Rekindling (Joseph O'Brien)
2020: Twilight Payment (Joseph O'Brien)

Williams said the time and circumstances of arrival for Pondus and Dawn Patrol with a view to a Melbourne Cup campaign is less than ideal. 

"Bringing them out at this time of year with the quarantine (conditions), you need a lot of luck," Williams said. 

"You've got to do 14 days' quarantine in Newmarket and 14 days' quarantine in Mickelham, with no ridden exercise on either side. All they've got access to whilst doing quarantine is a walker.

"But if you have a bit of luck, you'll do alright," Williams added.

Pondus is no stranger to Australian audiences, having raced twice during last year's Melbourne Spring Carnival, finishing runner-up in the G3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) and G3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m).

Pondus encountered minor setbacks during the second half of last year but still almost salvaged something out of his Melbourne visit. 

Lord Belvedere's younger half-brother met severe early interference and sustained a long, wide run but only found 2019 Australasian Oaks winner Princess Jenni better in the Bendigo Cup. 

Pondus gave True Self 1kg when OTI Racing's mare won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington for the second-consecutive year with a perfectly judged Hugh Bowman ride, which was the precursor for True Self's biggest win in the US$1m (A$1.3m) Neom Turf Cup (2100m) in Saudi Arabia on February 20 under Hollie Doyle.

Pondus, a five-year-old son of Sea The Stars, has raced three times since returning to Ireland, each time at the Curragh, finishing second at his past two outings including the G2 Curragh Cup (2816m) at his latest run on June 27. 

Rekindling won the Curragh Cup in 2017 prior to claiming the Melbourne Cup later that year as a Northern Hemisphere three-year-old, while Twilight Payment won the Curragh Cup in 2019 and 2020. 

Dawn Patrol is a recent addition to Williams' team after the son of Galileo was purchased from Coolmore out of the yard of Aidan O'Brien at the end of his three-year-old season late last year.

Dawn Patrol was runner-up, beaten a short head by Cadillac and just finishing ahead of True Self, in the €100,000 (A$157,000) G3 ARM Holding International Stakes (2012m) at the Curragh on June 26 when making his debut in navy and white, while also having his first start as a gelding for Joseph O'Brien.  

The International Stakes has been won by the likes of Johannes Vermeer (2017), Yucatan (2018) and Buckhurst (2019) in recent years.

Dawn Patrol, who is a half-brother to 2011 Derby winner Pour Moi, is a Stakes winner over two miles, having claimed the G3 Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh last September, and has easily recognisable formlines for Australians. 

Dawn Patrol was runner-up to last year's Melbourne Cup second placegetter Tiger Moth in a 2012-metre Leopardstown maiden in which Order Of Australia and Amhran Na Bhfiann finished third and fourth respectively. The former was last year's G1 Breeders' Cup Mile winner while the latter finished third in the 2020 G1 English Derby and also won last month's G2 Curragh Cup by seven lengths from Pondus.

Tiger Moth, Dawn Patrol and Order Of Australia then ran second, third and fourth in last year's G1 Irish Derby (2414m) at their next start, the race won by Santiago, with Dawn Patrol striking trouble early in the home straight. 

The Williams-owned Hosier made his debut in that same Leopardstown maiden, finishing sixth beaten 3.75 lengths by Tiger Moth. Hosier has won his first three Australian starts and is anticipated to have a light spring campaign with a view to vying for top honours next year.

Cormorant, like Dawn Patrol, was purchased from Coolmore at the end of last year and raced once for Joseph O'Brien, fading after leading to finish fourth of five runners as $2.60 favourite in a 1902-metre handicap at Gowran Park as equal topweight with 61.5kg on June 13.

Point Nepean has raced just twice, winning his €12,000 (A$19,000) three-year-old maiden (2615m) at Navan on May 30 before immediately taking on older rivals in the €37,500 (A$60,000) Listed Lenebane Stakes (2391m) at Rosscommon and finishing seventh of eight runners, beaten 4.75 lengths by Royal Hunt Cup (1609m) sixth placegetter Layfayette.