Cumani's Mad Rush leads Melbourne charge

Having performed so effetely on home soil, Newmarket trainers are certainly finishing the international campaign in imperious fashion.

Indeed, two of the world's most precious trophies – the Breeders' Cup Classic and Melbourne Cup – may yet end up on mantelpieces barely 200 yards apart on the Bury Road.

True, it would take something pretty extraterrestrial to surpass the success of Raven's Pass at Santa Anita nine days ago. In the early hours of tomorrow morning, however, John Gosden hopes to learn of another global breakthrough by his neighbour, Luca Cumani.

Thwarted narrowly in Melbourne with Purple Moon last year, Cumani saddles Mad Rush and Bauer, who have each warmed up with eye-catching trials out of the quarantine barn. Mad Rush, indeed, is favourite to become the first winner trained in Britain after his late finish through traffic in the Caulfield Cup.

Sadly for Godolphin, whose own place in the international vanguard has been so diminished of late, the winner of that race, All The Good, misses out after a setback. But no fewer than eight of the 24 runners come from Europe, and the locals dread another blow to sporting self-esteem following defeat for their cricketers in India.

Cumani's daughter, Francesca, an occasional model, has sugared the pill for the Australian press, having supervised the horses for several weeks pending his arrival. But it is his own cuteness that has enabled Cumani to identify the ideal type for this test. Dermot Weld's pioneering success with Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle led many trainers to concentrate on established Group stayers, but Cumani has worked out that "Ebor" types might have an edge, with a superior hustling ability and less weight.

Having said that, Septimus has so much class that he could well be equal to a burden not overcome since 1974. In theory both his stablemates, Alessandro Volta and Honolulu, deserve respect but the fact is that he is in a different class. If coping with the firm conditions, Septimus could provide a result more in keeping with the season's overall trends.

Regardless, Aidan O'Brien seems doomed to end the year short of Bobby Frankel's world record of 25 Grade One wins. With 22 on the board, he could not muster a candidate for the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud yesterday, and the race instead fell to Zafisio – a surreal taste of paradise for a trainer in purgatory.

Last month Paul Blockley was warned off for two and a half years following an investigation into alleged corruption. Along with Dean McKeown, whose long riding career would surely be ended by his four-year ban, Blockley expects written explanations from the British Horseracing Authority this week, after which they will have seven days to appeal.

The domestic season ends at Doncaster on Saturday but there is already an infectious rhythm to the jumps season. Yesterday morning Paul Nicholls confirmed Kauto Star in fine fettle following his exuberant comeback at Down Royal on Saturday. And a little later there was a reminder that the 2007 Gold Cup winner will have a new crop of rivals to deal with, never mind Denman, when Tidal Bay made a fluent resumption of his own at Carlisle.

The Arkle Trophy winner made one mistake, at the first ditch, but was otherwise untroubled in cruising home by 11 lengths. In contrast the other Festival winner in the field, Albertas Run, proved short of fitness in the testing conditions and trailed in last of four. Jonjo O'Neill, his trainer, was by no means downhearted – and nor should he be, having had Exotic Dancer thrashed 28 lengths in this same race two years ago. That horse was beaten only by Kauto Star himself through the rest of the season. But it is Tidal Bay who has landed running and Howard Johnson's next move, whether down to two miles or up to three, is awaited with interest.