Ozzie Kheir has tasted Melbourne Cup success before as an owner, but never in his own colours. On Tuesday, he has four chances to do just that but shuns comparisons to leviathan Cup owner Lloyd Williams.
At the end of last century, the egalitarian nature of the Melbourne Cup was to the fore when Rogan Josh, a horse owned by Darwin school teacher Wendy Green, held off Central Park, owned by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed.
It is fair to say underdog results like that have proven the exception rather than the rule in recent times, but while the race itself has become the domain of global wealth, money is no guarantee of success.
It took Sheikh Mohammed 30 years of trying to win the famous race, eventually getting hold of the three-handled Cup in 2018 thanks to Cross Counter. His cousin, Sheikh Obaid, would follow suit last year thanks to Without A Fight.
Without A Fight is not back this year, but Sheikh Mohammed is out to double his total, with one of just three locally bred horses in the race, Zardozi, in his Godolphin blue.
Local casino and property magnate Lloyd Williams won the Cup on seven occasions as an owner, five of them between 2007 and 2020. The famous navy with white hoops won’t be present this year. but another prolific Australian owner has filled his place, Ozzie Kheir.
Kheir has been one of the biggest investors in Australian racing in recent years and got his reward as a part-owner in Verry Elleegant when she powered to an impressive win in the 2021 Cup. He also had a share in the second horse Incentivise and the third horse, Spanish Mission.
But while his navy colours with pale yellow spots he shares with John O’Neill have won Cox Plates, Blue Diamonds, Victorian and Australian Derbies, they have never won a Melbourne Cup.
Warwick Barr
On Tuesday, they will by carried by four runners, in a bit of a nightmare for main racecaller Matt Hill. Buckaroo is likely to start favourite, while Interpretation, Saint George and Valiant King are all in the race.
“We're very fortunate because you normally start with three or four runners when you nominate and you're lucky to actually get one in the race after you're in bad form or they get unwell or you fail vetting,” Kheir, who wears a lapel pin with his colours, told The Straight.
“There's a lot that goes wrong, so to get four runners in the race is great because these horses have been around for over a year. They've been here and settled. There's different owners for each horse, different friends and that, so it's good for everybody and it's quite rewarding.”
All four of his runners were privately purchased overseas through his bloodstock agent of choice, Mat Becker, a path well-trodden by Kheir over recent years.
“It's never easy. But we work hard on picking these right horses and you've got to pick them a long way out,” Kheir said.
“You try to pick them after a couple of starts and they've got to be progressive before the handicap gets to them.
“You've really got to plan a year in advance now and try to hopefully buy a progressive horse.
“A lot of it is sort of, you're taking a chance, you're taking a punt. And sometimes it comes off and sometimes they'll come here and they get beaten 15 lengths and you think, why the hell did I buy that horse?”
"Sometimes they'll come here and they get beaten 15 lengths and you think, why the hell did I buy that horse?" - Ozzie Kheir
Kheir’s considerable wealth has been built through his property development group Resimax. Buckaroo is the pick of the Cup quartet in his owner’s eyes.
“I think he’s a good example of the horse that we thought would progress really well,” he said.
“When the weights first came out I thought it was hard done by, when you sort of compare him to like a Vauban. You know, a kilo off him. But now, you know, there's no complaints from my end now.”
Rich Ricci and his trainer Willie Mullins have been obsessed for some time with winning the Melbourne Cup. “I’ve never experienced anything like the Melbourne Cup,” the former Barclays banker, who worth is estimated to be north of $200 million, said this year.
He came closest with Max Dynamite in 2015, beaten in one of those Cup fairytales, by Prince Of Penzance. That same horse ran unlucky third in 2017.
Last year, Vauban, who races under the name of Ricci’s wife Susannah, was heavily favoured last year but faded to finish 14th. That horse returns this year carrying Ricci’s pink and light green silks.
Mullins also returns with Absurde, who ran seventh last year, and is owned by the HOS Syndicate set up by highly successful Irish businesswoman Margaret Heffernan for her family.
“You just don't arrive and pick up the prize,” Mullins said.
“Last year a lot of people had us marked down for that but I think our horses preparations this year have been good. Vauban's form has been very good all season and he brings great depth of form into the race.
“Absurde has done nothing wrong and I think he's a horse that's maturing all the time in his mind.”
"You just don't arrive and pick up the prize."
- Willie Mullins
Third favourite Onesmoothoperator, trained by Brian Ellison, comes from more humble background. A one-time 5000 pound yearling purchase, he has become a flagbearer for bloodstock figure Patrick Boyle and his family.
Ellison had Carte Diamond set for the Cup in 2005 when the horses was struck down by injury, while Moyenne Corniche and Saptapadi both ran midfield in 2011.
OTI Racing knows plenty about Melbourne Cup heartbreak, with Bauer having been nosed out by Viewed in 2008. Terry Henderson enjoyed Cup success with Doriemus before his OTI days, and while his syndication company has had multiple Cup winners since in the white navy and gold, it has yet to taste success.
This year they have two horses, impressive Bendigo Cup winner Sea King, a recent acquisition and part of the Harry Eustace stable, and Athabascan, who bypassed the Cup last year and was second in the Sydney Cup, for John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
OTI are prolific owners both in Australia and overseas. There are 106 current horses listed on their website.
Bren O’Brien
Circle Of Fire, an imported son of Almanzor, features Mick and Alise Johnston in its ownership. That pair have previously enjoyed Group 1 success with Kenedna and Explosive Jack as well as with Everest winner Bella Nipotina. They own a Melbourne-based blind company.
Circle Of Fire is one of four in the race for Ciaron Maher, who also has Kheir’s St George and Interpretation, as well as Okita Soushi. That son of Galileo is owned by Alana Saini, whose interest in racing is shared with her husband Rohit, who has gone from nightclub bouncer to car wash franchisee.
There are five horses trained by Chris Waller, who has had 30 runners in the race since 2009, and won it once. He finished second and third last year.
Land Legend carries the colours and ownership of Bon Ho, another significant investor in Australian racing from his Hong Kong base. Ho has won The Everest with Classique Legend and two years’ ago had the well-backed favourite Deauville Legend in the Cup. He loomed to win but would finish fourth.
Waller also has Kovalica, owned by the partnership of Queensland businessman Neville Morgan and David Devine. Morgans colours, white with royal blue hoops, have featured regularly in Group 1 victories through other horses such as Kukeracha, Kolding and Rangirangdoo
Waller’s Valiant King carries Kheir’s colours, while Manzoice is in the ownership of billionaire businessman Brian Flannery and his wife Peggy.
Gary and Lorilie Cunningham founded their considerable wealth on American physiotherapy franchise and have been major investors in the Australian thoroughbred industry through Ridgmont Farm. Mostly Cloudy, trained by Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, carries their colours on Tuesday.
Among the ownership of Fancy Man are property magnate Neil Werrett and Colin and Janene Madden, who were also in the ownership of the unbeaten superstar Black Caviar.
Japanese raider Warp Speed will tackle the Cup in the colours of Hiroshi Yamada, the same colours worn by triple Group 1 winner Titleholder during his career. Singapore-born and Hong Kong based businessman Ben Kwok has Positivity in the race.
Then there is Just Fine, who will have more owners cheering him on than any other runner. He is part owned by micro syndicator MyRacehorse, which breaks up ownership into literally thousands of parts. Also involved in the horse are the Australian Chinese Jockey Club.
Given the way the race has evolved, fractional ownership is one of the few avenues for an average investor to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup.
Matt Stewart
