Anthony Cummings’ gamble to run Fiveandahalfstar in the Victoria Derby has paid the highest dividend with victory in a race he has dreamed of winning most of his daily life.

Cummings was unusually conservative early in the week about operating the gelding who won his second restricted race in Sydney seven days ago.

While he was wavering, Damien Oliver rode Fiveandahalfstar in trackwork and persuaded the trainer he must run.

“You observe all this stuff when you are a kid in Adelaide and dream of it,” Cummings said.

“I watched Dad (Bart) win this race and it really is superb to win my initial.”

New Zealander It’s A Dundeel was the dominant $ two.70 favourite for the Flemington function with Fiveandahalfstar sent out at $ 41.

Oliver tucked Fiveandahalfstar in behind early leader Jimando and took over coming round the property turn.

With lots of energy conserved mid-race, Fiveandahalfstar denied all comers as they attempted to catch him.

Super Awesome ($ six) received inside one-one/4 lengths with Rawnaq ($ 101) working on for third one more three-quarters of a length away.

“When It truly is a Dundeel got beaten final week it opened the door. He had been the dominant horse going to the race,” Cummings said.

“Our horse won actually properly final week but then I could not get the float I wanted to get him right here and there’s a dilemma with that.

“I could not be positive he’d settle in but he did.

“He turned up on Wednesday and worked truly well.

“It really is most likely the 1st time I have had to be talked into operating a horse in a Group One particular.

“The aim of the steady is to be there and be part of every Group A single race you can.

“You take aim. You will not often get there and at times you are and occasionally you only just must be.

“The reality is if you never have a go you will never know.”

Oliver explained he had a perfect run and had no considerations about the 2500 metres even when the challengers came in the straight.

“Jimando was a bit keen from the 2000 (metres) to the mile but then he switched off and my horse relaxed truly effectively,” Oliver explained.

“The horse is extremely fit. He’s had a busy schedule but has stood up to it well.

“He was so loose and relaxed. He conserves a good deal of power.”

Like Cummings, Oliver believed It’s A Dundeel’s defeat in the Vase at Moonee Valley was a boost to his rivals.

“When he got beaten and they completed in a bunch at Caulfield (Norman Robinson) I imagined there was no standout and it really is really worth a crack.”

Fiveandahalfstar is raced by a syndicate which includes Hal Dyball and Julia Ritchie who also raced his father Hotel Grand, a Group 1 winner of the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and the Randwick Guineas (1600m).

“I knew he (Fiveandahalfstar) would run the trip,” Cummings stated.

“His father was 2000-metre winner and we almost certainly never ever observed the finest of him.

“He is associated to a 3200-metre winner so there have been no concerns there.”

New Zealand trainer Murray Baker mentioned the distance was not the concern for It really is A Dundeel, who kept coming from back in the area to finish seventh.

“He had each chance and he whacked away,” Baker explained.

“I’ll take him residence and bring him back in the autumn.

“It really is not so a lot that he did not keep. He’s had a challenging campaign and I believe it might have caught up with him.”

Casey Stoner has yet again dominated ahead of his tilt at a sixth consecutive Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix victory – posting the quickest time in the Sunday morning warm-up.

Getting dominated practice prior to qualifying on pole, Stoner’s fairytale residence MotoGP farewell seems right on track after an additional sub 1min 30sec lap for the duration of the warm-up at Phillip Island.

He is the only rider to have broken the mark at Phillip Island this weekend – and has accomplished so seven instances.

The latest was his one:29.888 in the twenty-minute session.

Stoner did have 1 brief moment of concern when he veered off the course midway by way of his session, but he recovered to keep posting strong lap instances.

The Australian is retiring from the sport at the end of the MotoGP season.

He is confident a hip knock picked up during a fall in qualifying on Saturday will not derail his attempt to farewell an anticipated record property crowd with an additional Phillip Island win.

“My largest concern was my ankle, and as long as I have not damaged that, we can deal with the rest of it no difficulty,” Stoner mentioned of the badly broken ankle he had surgical procedure on just weeks ago.

“I’m not too worried.”

MotoGP championship chasers Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa will start alongside the Australian on the front row of the grid.

Lorenzo prospects Pedrosa by 23 points in the championship going into the penultimate race of the season.

They are the only two riders who can win the MotoGP title.

Lorenzo, the 2010 MotoGP champion, could wrap up the championship if he finishes second, or picks up a few factors far more than Pedrosa.

Nine-time globe champion Valentino Rossi had a fall in the course of the warm-up session, but seems to have come by means of unscathed.

Manchester City won the longest match in English Premier League history on Saturday as the champions’ one- victory in excess of Swansea lasted 102 minutes and 42 seconds.

The clash at Eastlands featured a lot more than twelve minutes of stoppage time following Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm suffered a calf injury in a failed try to conserve Carlos Tevez’s second-half goal, while City defender Micah Richards required prolonged treatment on a knee dilemma.

That further time extra by referee Martin Atkinson meant the game beat the prior record of 102 minutes and 26 seconds set in Arsenal’s one-one draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in 2011.

A difficult and talented New Zealand racehorse and “an uneducated boofhead” with a great deal of faith and a rare set of riding skills have won a Cox Plate that proved a triumph for knowledge over youth.

Ocean Park and Glen Boss created a best pair, claiming Australia’s most prestigious race at Moonee Valley on Saturday thanks to a easy program and a final, irresistible surge to the line.

“He just would like to win, he’s a winner. Easy as that,” Boss mentioned.

“Each and every time he goes to the races he does a little bit greater.

“His will to win is enormous … he just loves his task and I’ve got to love him for it.”

The victory also made Boss happier than ever with his function, even surpassing Makybe Diva’s classic Cox Plate of 2005 and rivalling her 3 Melbourne Cups.

“This feels like a single of my greatest achievements because I picked this horse out in the autumn,” he stated.

“Everyone kept questioning him. I just kept telling them that he is a winner.”

Ocean Park ($ 6) ran down the 3-yr-old All Also Difficult ($ 9), grabbing the lead 30m out to score by a neck.

Pierro, the 1-time favourite and yet another a few-year-outdated, ran an honest race to finish 3rd, a more 3-3/four lengths away.

The other 3-yr-outdated, Proisir, finished eighth after leading for significantly of the race even though Ethiopia ran over himself to hold fourth ahead of Shoot Out.

Ocean Park’s win also represented a triumph for his trainer Gary Hennessy, a New Zealander of few words, four sons and wonderful horse sense.

“We came here with a program, we caught to it and it worked,” Hennessy said.

“People weren’t confident about him, but I was.

“He goes out and does what he has to do.”

Hennessy said he and Boss had devised a program that involved horse and rider taking part in a waiting game.

“Glen wanted to be the final 1 to come off the bridle,” he stated.

“It did not function also undesirable.”

Boss said Ocean Park’s only error was to miss the start off by half a length.

But the error proved a blessing, permitting Boss to settle his horse ahead of reaching the winning post the initial time.

Ocean Park raced with only 3 behind him for significantly of the race with Boss waiting for Craig Williams ahead of him on the favourite Green Moon ($ 5) to consider him into the contest.

“I was on Craig’s back but I could see him commence to push and he was going nowhere,” he mentioned.

“I couldn’t believe how quick I went past him.”

The pair made regular ground in the run to the property turn but Boss’s self-confidence only rose to a winning degree as they straightened.

“Close to the turn it was as even though he caught sight of the bunny,” Boss said.

“He observed All As well Challenging up ahead and he surged.

“In the last one hundred metres there was no way he wasn’t going to catch him.”

As he reached the line Boss stood in the irons and acknowledged the win with a trademark shake of the head.

“I can’t think I’m here often,” he stated later on.

“An uneducated boofhead who did not get past grade 10.”

And now a winner of 3 Cox Plates to match his three Melbourne Cups.

The Geelong Cup has once more fallen into foreign hands and the grip of the worldwide raiders on this year’s Melbourne Cup has grown stronger with the win of Gatewood in the race that shapes the large a single.

Thanks to a perfectly executed strategy devised in a cellphone contact in between jockey Glen Boss and English trainer John Gosden, Gatewood ($ three.twenty fav) triumphed by a half neck above nearby runner Chateau Margaux ($ ten) in the $ 300,000 Group Three race.

Brigantin ($ 3.50) held third, a short half-head away in a battle for the minor placings that ongoing in the stewards area.

Gatewood’s win followed those of Americain in 2010 and Dunaden last yr, the two of whom went on to win the Melbourne Cup.

For Gatewood’s owners, the OTI syndicate headed by former Test cricketer Simon O’Donnell and Terry Henderson, the win was the second in 4 years, their colours getting been carried to victory by the English galloper Bauer in 2008.

Bauer went on to finish the closest of seconds in the Melbourne Cup two weeks later and Henderson is searching for an improvement on that result from Gatewood.

Before that can take place, Gatewood demands to have a penalty of at least 1kg extra to his Melbourne Cup handicap of 51.5kg.

“It will indicate he has to run three instances in five weeks which is uncommon for a European horse,” Henderson mentioned.

“But it seems like that is how it will come about.”

Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter, who will announce any penalty on Thursday, says the tempo will make it a hard race to interpret.

He and his panel will study the sectional times of the race and the kind all around Gatewood who completed a luckless seventh behind but an additional international, Shahwardi, in the Herbert Energy Handicap at Caulfield last Saturday week, his Geelong win proving that kind sound.

Henderson praised Boss and trainer John Gosden who has won significant races on both sides of the Atlantic and in France, including the Epsom Derby and a Breeders’ Cup occasion.

“John and Glen had a good chat last evening on the cellphone and gave every other details on the horse and the race,” Henderson said.

“I’m not certain what they mentioned, but I am hunting forward to John becoming here in particular person to give guidelines in the Cup.”

Boss said Gatewood had raced like a genuine stayer, even however the horse reeled off an astonishing final 600m of 32.09.

“I knew I was breaking 33, it felt quick,” Boss mentioned.

“In the end I had trouble pulling him up.”

The Geelong Cup gave Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli a rough-and-tumble introduction to Australian racing that he believes price him second spot.

Rispoli rode Brigantin into third area and claimed rival jockey Luke Nolen had improperly pushed his mount back into a pocket rounding the property turn.

Rispoli pleaded with the stewards to be permitted to phone the horse’s trainer Andre Fabre in France just before lodging a protest.

The stewards told him it was not essential, permitted him to lodge his objection and then rapidly threw it out.

Damien Oliver has place the controversy of betting scandal aside to pilot Commanding Jewel to a decisive win in the Group A single Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.

Trainer Leon Corstens and the filly’s owners had no hesitation sticking with the champion jockey who is below investigation by stewards more than allegations he had a $ ten,000 bet in a race in 2010.

Commanding Jewel, a half sister to final year’s Thousand Guineas winner Atlantic Jewel, was a decisive winner in excess of Dear Demi with Oliver taking manage of the race at the top rated of the straight.

“I had no 2nd thoughts about maintaining Damien on,” Corstens explained.

“Why would I? He’s the greatest in Australia. He knows her and it would have been stupid to alter.”

Oliver, who has been dumped from rides in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate since the allegations surfaced, thanked connections for staying with him.

“I cannot thank Leon ample and all the owners who stuck by me,” he said.

“I’ve been by way of a good deal worst than this and will come via it.”

Australia’s Mark Webber completed second as his teammate Sebastian Vettel won the Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday to take more than at the top of the championship standings.

It was the 1st 1-2 finish of the season for the Red Bull team.

With four races to go starting in India in two weeks, Vettel, the reigning champion who is chasing a third drivers’ title in a row, sits atop the standings with 215 factors. Alonso, who completed third, is on 209.

It was the 25-year-old German’s third win in three races and he will now be favourite to retain his crown, in what had been a extremely unpredictable season till he took the championship by the scruff of the neck.

Alonso’s fellow Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, second at Suzuka seven days ago, ongoing his resurgence with a fourth-placed finish on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton, who nonetheless had title aspirations going in this race, completed down in 10th.

Fifth was Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus, followed by Nico Hulkenberg in a Force India. Romain Grosjean (Lotus), Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo (both Toro Rosso) and Hamilton rounded out the leading 10.

Vettel, who began second on the grid behind Webber, nipped in front of his teammate at the first corner. Behind them Alonso and Hamilton duelled in excess of third area, with the Spaniard winning by way of.

Jenson Button’s poor weekend finished practically as quickly as the race started. His fine start from lowly 11th was wrecked when Kamui Kobayashi came flying down the within, smashing into Button and destroying his suspension.

“I have just been hit by Kobayashi. What an idiot,” the McLaren driver and 2009 globe champion exclaimed above the team radio.

Also out, not lengthy afterwards, was Nico Rosberg, who retired his Mercedes since of the exact same incident. Sauber driver Kobayashi, third final week in his native Japan, was forced to pit for a new nose and tyre.

He was then handed a drive-by way of penalty for triggering the early carnage, and bowed out quickly afterwards when Sauber determined that the damage to his auto was as well considerable.

Vettel, the man in type immediately after victories at the last two races in Singapore and then Japan last week, was in firmly command.

Webber – intentionally or not – was a buffer between the leader and the chasing pack.

The Red Bull duo had been exchanging fastest laps in front of a great crowd – the final two races at Yeongam have failed to entice spectators – even though an enhancing Massa shoved a struggling Hamilton even more down the field.

Vettel had a shaky moment on lap 35 of 55 when he ran broad, prior to pitting to go onto softer tyres.

Youthful Australian Ricciardo fought from 21st on the grid to finish ninth in his Toro Rosso.

Sally Pearson has declared the pressure off in her quest for a planet record immediately after capping off a wonderful year with recognition as the athlete who most inspired Australia in 2012.

Pearson won The Don award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame dinner in Melbourne on Thursday evening.

Her Olympic 100m hurdles gold medal under crushing expectation was judged Australia’s most inspiring sports activities overall performance of the yr towards a high-class field, like fellow London gold medallist and friend Anna Meares.

In pics: Pearson’s sparkling career
In pics: Pearson will take gold in photograph finish
Perform video: Relive Pearson’s golden minute

Pearson, who induced a stir on the awards red carpet in a elegant low-cut dress, says her bid to break the extended-standing women’s 100m hurdles planet record is on track.

With an Olympic gold medal extra to her planet championships and globe indoor and Commonwealth Games titles, the 26-year-old Queenslander feels she can now just concentrate on becoming the quickest ever female hurdler instead than just winning medals.

“I’ve been in a position to say I’ve carried out everything I wished to accomplish in the sport, and now I can go out in the key competitions and see how quickly I actually can run with no stress on me,” Pearson said.

Eight-time Olympic swimming medallist Susie O’Neill was officially elevated to Legend standing in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

She is the 34th athlete – and 10th lady – to obtain the status.

Former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist, rugby league legends Andrew Johns and Wayne Bennett, and former Wallaby Stephen Larkham had been amongst eight former athletes, coaches and administrators inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Gilchrist explained his induction into the Hall of Fame was 1 of the highlights of his glittering career, and recognition which came as a pleasant surprise for any Australian sportsperson.

“No a single sets out with an finish aim to be awarded this kind of honour,” Gilchrist said.

“You set out (playing sport) simply because you are passionate about what you do.”

Former Olympic cyclist Kathy Watt, ex-Oarsome Foursome member James Tomkins, 1930s South Melbourne VFL player and worldwide cricketer Laurie Nash and cricket and basketball administrator Malcolm Speed have been also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Far more than one,000 individuals attended the awards dinner at Melbourne’s Crown Casino.

Holden pair Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell have won Sunday’s Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercars endurance race.

Whincup held off a fast finish by Ford youngster David Reynolds to take out his fourth Bathurst crown and strengthen his grip on the V8 Supercars championship race.

Reynolds, along with co-driver Dean Canto, finished 2nd in what is the initial podium of his V8 Supercars profession.

Whincup’s teammate and championship rival Craig Lowndes came property 3rd following a enormous final stint in which he hauled in the Commodores of both Michael Caruso and James Courtney to claim yet another Bathurst podium with co-driver Warren Luff.

Reynolds pushed Whincup all the way over the race’s final laps in a thrilling finish, missing out on his very first V8 Supercars victory by just .3sec.

Nevertheless, the outcome is a marvellous a single for the 27-yr-old, although Whincup joins Allan Moffat and Greg Murphy as four-time winners at Mount Panorama.

The victory is Dumbrell’s first in his 12th start off in the excellent race.

Holden Racing Team’s Courtney came residence fourth in his best result of the season even though Caruso completed fifth.

At the other end of the area, another championship contender, Ford Overall performance Racing’s Will Davison, started on pole and was leading in the early stages but endured a horror day.

He and co-driver John McIntyre had to settle for a 24th location finish immediately after Davison was fortunate to survive when his brakes failed going into Conrod Straight and he was sent spearing across the track at more than 250km/h, narrowly missing a passing car on the track.

Davison’s teammate Mark Winterbottom came in 11th following failing to get himself up to the front during the race and has relinquished second location in the championship to Lowndes.

Defending champions Garth Tander and Nick Percat also had a shocker, their title defence successfully ending in the 38th lap when their Holden Racing Group Commodore was broken following a collision with a wall at the top of the mountain.

Percat was behind the wheel when it appeared to endure a mechanical issue and regardless of the pair finding back on the track, the time lost to fix the automobile left them out of contention.

Trainer Peter Snowden almost apologised for Epaulette immediately after his narrow win in Sunday’s Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).

He will almost certainly be undertaking the same immediately after the colt’s following commence in the Group A single Caulfield Guineas.

The colt who announced himself with victory in the Group One Golden Rose in Sydney at his preceding begin looked to have small a lot more to give in beating the latest maiden winner Allow Go Lenni.

But Snowden explained that Epaulette had a habit of switching off right after reaching the lead.

“He’ll only chase what’s in front of him,” Snowden mentioned.

“It really is the exact same in trackwork, he’ll chase them down and then ease up when he hits the front.”

When he runs in the Guineas on Saturday week, Epaulette will have the super colt Pierro to chase – which indicates he will almost certainly be doing a lot of it.

The Prelude end result improved Epaulette’s Guineas credentials somewhat and Pierro’s substantially.

The Snowden-skilled colt is in to $ seven from $ 9 although Pierro has been slashed from $ 1.70 to $ one.40, possessing firmed from $ 2 before his Stutt Stakes win at Moonee Valley final Friday evening.

“Pierro’s surely set a powerful benchmark,” mentioned winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy.

“He’s the measuring stick,, he’s a fantastic horse.”

Epaulette ($ two fav) turned a performance much more workmanlike than dynamic, collaring the leader Let’s Go Lenni 100m out and grinding it out to score by a half-neck.

Let Go Lenni ($ 18) held off Wonderful Bro ($ eight.50) to consider 2nd by a lengthy neck.

The two placegetters will also line up in the Guineas above 1600 metres.

By Commands out of Accessories, Epaulette is a half brother to Helmet, winner of the two the Prelude and the Caulfield Guineas last year.

Helmet has considering that been retired and has begun stallion duties at Darley’s Northwood Park Stud in Victoria.