CIARON Maher and David Eustace are planning on being Melbourne Cup-bound with Interpretation, after the six-year-old gelding delivered the gun training pair their second $500,000 Group 3 Apiam Bendigo Cup in a row.
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Interpretation, the well-backed favourite at $2.50, staved off a spirited challenge from the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Brayden Star in the charge to the line to claim the cup in a photo finish.
The Phillip Stokes-trained Taramansour was close by in third, with the top weight Luncies fourth and the Busuttin-Young stable's other runner Suizuro fifth after taking up the role as pacemaker and being the first horse to turn for home.
Having his last ride in a Bendigo Cup, the retiring Damien Oliver finished seventh on Hezashocka.
Ninth in the race was the Bendigo-trained Wertheimer, for Matthew Enright.
The rank outsider of the field was backing up after finishing fourth in last year's Bendigo Cup, and worked to the line nicely after being caught wide from the 600m.
Maher and Eustace will be hoping lightning can strike twice, with last year's Bendigo Cup winner High Emocean going on to finish third in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) six days after his Bendigo win.
Interpretation was 31st in the cup order of entry at the start of Wednesday.
He failed to finish last year's Melbourne Cup after starting as a 50-1 chance.
Maher is convinced the pair have a better horse on their hands this time around and a genuine contender.
"The horse was a colt last year when he ran in the (Melbourne) Cup and it didn't really go to plan,'' the trainer said post-race.
"He went forward and there was a lot of pressure, but he's a gelding now and I think he's a lot more genuine.
"I thought he just presented super today and the team have done a great job - Jack Turnbull and team down at Cranbourne."
Maher said the son of Galileo was given a great ride by Michael Dee, who captured his first Bendigo Cup success.
"Micky Dee, he had to go back from a wide gate, it beautiful ride today and he needed all of his strength to get him over the line," he said.
"I think he had a bit of think about it as well."
"He did have to want it, but I thought he had the right run.
"It looked like he had to go early, but he took off and took luck out of it, got on the back of the horses moving into the race.
"He presented him early but I think Mick's strength got him over the line."
Maher said him and Eustace were totally committed to running Interpretation in next Tuesday's cup should he be able to force his way into the field.
"Bloody oath. It should hopefully get him up a couple of places (in the order of entry) and hopefully he can take his spot," he said.
"That's what we always bought him for and to sneak him in on the minimum, that's the idea of trying to win a cup, and hopefully he can. He's certainly in good form.
"High Emocean ran well out of this race last year, so hopefully he can do the same.
"I think Ozzie (Kheir) and John (O'Neill) are at The Emerald Hotel, so they'll be tearing the walls down, and Col McKenna is in the ownership as well. It's a great group."
Winning jockey Michael Dee praised an outstanding performance from both horse and trainers.
"He come into it really well. Credit to the second horse Brayden Storm, he came with us, but I think my bloke just had the last crack and the stamina left in the tank and was able to just put his head in front on the line," he said.
"It was a) great training performance by Ciaron and David and the team.
"He ran super last start with not much luck and after the Bart Cummings he is right where he needs to be and was building perfectly for a race like today."
Not only was Interpretation Maher and Eustace's second straight Bendigo Cup winner, he was the second favourite to win the race in those two years.
From an initial field of 16 horses, 14 ran in the cup following the overnight scratching of the Michael Moroney-trained Speak.
Also hoping to force their way into the Melbourne Cup field, the Sue Murphy-trained Hasta La War (29th in the order of entry) disappointed by finishing last.
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