Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Chris Waller has made the bonzer admittance that helium didn't privation to tally Verry Elleegant and stewed implicit the telephone until the past imaginable moment.
The greatly respected trainer, who watched the contention from his Sydney location to debar a five-day isolation upon returning from Melbourne, had acceptable October's Cox Plate arsenic the apical precedence for the mighty mare's spring. He had been highly wary of overtaxing the equine by committing to the Melbourne Cup, too.
But aft Verry Elleegant stormed location to triumph the 161st variation of The Great Race, surging past raging favourite Incentivise with 200 metres to spell and collecting the $7,750,000 crown, Waller is ecstatic with his determination to participate the equine successful the race.
LIVE UPDATES: Verry Elleegant wins 2021 Melbourne Cup; Results arsenic it happened
The 48-year-old had gone excruciatingly adjacent to forgoing that unthinkable moment.
"I conscionable didn't privation to tally her," Waller told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
"But I couldn't find a crushed not to – it's arsenic elemental arsenic that. I deliberation it was 3:30pm connected Saturday (that we had to marque the call)."
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The triumph marks the archetypal Melbourne Cup triumph for some Waller and jockey James McDonald, who executed a superb thrust connected the six-year-old mare.
Verry Elleegant storms to Melbourne Cup victory
Verry Elleegant has go the archetypal equine to triumph a Melbourne Cup from the once-cursed obstruction 18, arsenic good arsenic the archetypal of her enactment to triumph the iconic lawsuit since Makybe Diva won 3 connected the trot betwixt 2003 and 2005.
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"It's astir apt arsenic bully arsenic it gets," Waller said.
"The kids were beauteous excited. They were much excited than me. It hasn't sunk in."
Waller's Melbourne assistant, Jo Taylor, gave him a shout-out pursuing the Cup victory.
READ MORE: Melbourne Cup 2021 afloat finishing order
"I truly privation Chris could person been here," Taylor said connected Channel 10.
"COVID has been a cruel happening to him.
"I would accidental he's conscionable arsenic elated conscionable by having those victories and by watching (McDonald's) reaction.
"I deliberation it conscionable shows you however peculiar this contention is."
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