Grateful for the gift of Red Cadeaux

Given how desperate Red Cadeaux’s condition appeared at the conclusion of the Melbourne Cup (G1), when the infamous green screens were put up around him at Flemington, only an extreme optimist could have envisioned a recovery. But the globetrotting warrior is fighting his serious injury – a career-ender to a sesamoid – with the same pluck we’ve seen from him on the racecourse.

Like racing fans the world over, I felt that sick wrenching of the gut when Red Cadeaux’s life appeared to be in jeopardy, if not nearing its end. Adding further pain was the occasion: not only Australian racing’s grandest event, but the very race that made Red Cadeaux an international racing celebrity. The nine-year-old has become a Melbourne Cup legend through three remarkable runner-up efforts – to Dunaden by an almost infinitesimal margin in 2011, to Fiorente by less than a length in 2013, and yet again second to Protectionist in 2014. This marked his fifth consecutive attempt at the Cup; to think that it would also mark his tragic end was just too much to take.

 

But as identifiable as he is with the Melbourne Cup, Red Cadeaux isn’t a one-trick pony. A roving ambassador from the yard of Ed Dunlop, whose past luminaries include Ouija Board and Snow Fairy, the lovable chestnut has plied his trade all over. He scored his signature win in the 2012 Hong Kong Vase (G1) – fittingly enough, since he’s owned by former Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman Ron Arculli.