Cascadian, the Godolphin galloper, has become a champion at Flemington, scoring his second consecutive win in the prestigious Australian Cup. Trainer James Cummings and jockey Ben Melham masterfully guided the horse to victory, mirroring their success from last year.

Just like in 2023, Cascadian secured the win after a strong showing in the All-Star Mile (1600m). This time, his perseverance shone in the Group 1 2000m weight-for-age race on Saturday. In a thrilling finish, Cascadian ($7.50) edged out leader Pride Of Jenni ($3.60) by a narrow half-head. Atishu ($4.80) claimed third place, 1 ¾ lengths behind the winner.

“I tell you what, if I could ever declare a horse on the way to the barrier, this is him,” Melham said. 

“He couldn’t have been in better order which gave me the confidence to ride him like I wanted to. 

“He loves pinching runs and sneaking around the place and to see horses his age still beating the best horses in the land, at this trip, is phenomenal to see. 

“It’s a massive feat for him to win two in a row.” 

Melham’s confidence soared as he led Cascadian, now a seasoned nine-year-old, to the starting barrier. This victory places Cascadian alongside Harlem (2018 & 2019) in Australian Cup history for achieving back-to-back wins.

Tactics proved to be a challenge for the Godolphin team with Pride Of Jenni in the race, according to Cummings’ assistant trainer, Nacim Delmi. Pride Of Jenni took the lead early and steadily increased the pace from the 800m mark, building a significant five-length advantage heading for the final stretch. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare remained strong, holding a three-length lead at the 300m mark, but Cascadian’s relentless pursuit ultimately earned him victory in a heart-pounding finish.

“We knew tactics were going to be tricky obviously with Pride Of Jenni over the 2000 metres and Declan (Bates) rode a great race,” Delmi said. 

“But the tempo suited him (Cascadian) perfectly. When they came up to the top of the straight and he was travelling we knew he was going to give it a good shake. 

“Once he peeled out and Ben Melham timed it perfectly, it was great.” 

“He (officially) turned nine on Tuesday,” Delmi said. 

“He carries on like a young horse and he’s still got so much racing in him. 

“He’s just such a good horse to have in the stables. You’d love to have ten of him in the stables.”