Ben Melham didn’t hold back after the Melbourne Cup when asked to describe his run and how horse Camorra faired.
Camorra walked across the finishing line alongside Serpentine, finishing 99 lengths behind winner Gold Trip.
Camorra didn’t finish last in the race, Interpretation was the only runner in the field of 22 who failed to cross the line after pulling up as the field came around the final bend.
Failing to impress in the great race often leaves jockeys feeling flat, but Melham delivered a brutal assessment after it was run and done.
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“He was hopeless on the ground when I let him down,” Melham said of Camorra.
He wasn’t alone in delivering a blunt statement on the horse he sat on the back of with Hugh Bowman (Duais) also critical after finishing 18th.
“I thought she’d go better than that,” he said.
Winning jockey Mark Zahra who missed out on riding the 2021 winner Verry Elleegant couldn’t believe his luck after saluting on the winner.
“I can’t (put this into words). I’ll start crying.
“It’s unbelievable. What a day.
“I got to the front a bit soon but he’s a horse that when you want to go for you want to go for. I don’t give him a chance to think about it.
“That last 100 (metres), I was thinking ‘just piss off’ and no one come near me. Elation, just elation across the line.”
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Here’s what every Melbourne Cup jockey had to say about their horse following the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
Emissary (Patrick Moloney, 2nd (beaten 2L): “What a horse. Great run. He gave me a lovely ride. The plan was to ride him quiet, conserve all his energy. We did that and he ran a massive race. Beaten by a better horse on the day.”
High Emocean (Teo Nugent), 3rd (3.25L): “Wowee. What a thrill. She is the ultimate professional racehorse. The more we raise the bar, the more she keeps delivering.”
Kerrin McEvoy (Deauville Legend – 4th): ““He’s run a good race. The ground has probably just gone against him a little bit.”
Realm Of Flowers (Damien Thornton), 5th (6L): “She ran well, we were a little bit further back than I would have hoped but she didn’t have the speed. She travelled OK once we got a third into the race and she just kept coming.”
Daqiansweet Junior (Daniel Moor), 6th (7.25L): “He ran as well as we thought he would and that was excellent He was a little slow out and the field found its place really quickly and that probably relegated us a few lengths further back than I would have liked but he had a really, really cruisy, cheap run through and he finished off super.”
Smokin’ Romans (Jamie Kah), 7th (7.65L): “It was a good run. I just don’t think he sticks the trip out.”
Stockman (Sam Clipperton), 8th, (7.85L): “He’s run terrific. I just couldn’t work into the race but he’s finished it off strong.”
Knights Order (Tim Clark), 9th (8.6L): “He didn’t show his usual muster. I had cover for probably the first half and then lost that and then he was exposed a long way from home.”
Vow And Declare (Blake Shinn), 10th (8.7L): “He ran well. The track wasn’t 100 per cent to his liking but he still fought it out and ran a good race.”
Arapaho (Rachel King), 11th (10.95L): “He’s run super. I had to go back to last from a horrible gate. It was a stop start race, but I’m really proud of him.”
Hoo Ya Mal (Craig Williams), 12th (20.95L): “He was just too brilliant, he tried to get it over and done with too fast. He was far too aggressive but for a horse that pulled and charged that hard throughout the race, he did an amazing job to enter the straight on the bridle like he did.”
Without A Fight (William Buick), 13th (21.15L): “He didn’t get through that ground. He’s a fast ground horse.”
Grand Promenade (Harry Coffey), 14th (21.35L): “He travelled well, like he was going to be a top 10 chance, but just when I let his head go his action got lost in the soft going.”
Young Werther (Damian Lane), 15th (22.85L): “Unfortunately he didn’t stay the trip. He travelled into well from about the 1000-metre mark and then at the 500 metres I was a beaten runner.”
Montefilia (Jason Collett), 16th (23.05L): “Settled a long way back, I did have the back of the winner in saying that, but just didn’t settle well enough. She was on and off the bridle and then when I needed to I couldn’t go and didn’t have enough in the tank.”
Tralee Rose (Dean Yendall), 17th (30.05L): “She just wants a firm track.”
Duais (Hugh Bowman), 18th (38.05L): “I thought she’d go better than that.”
Numerian (Tommy Berry), 19th (73.05L): “He just got deleted at the top of the straight.”
Serpentine (John Allen), 20th (99L): “Disappointing. Probably didn’t really back up from Saturday.”
Camorra (Ben Melham), 21st (99L): “He was hopeless on the ground when I let him down.”
Interpretation (Craig Newitt), failed to finish: “He’s not right, that horse.”
– with Luke Sheehan, punters.com.au
