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Diesmal stehen die Australier wirklich kopf: Taufan´s Melody, der Sieger des Badener Steher-Cups hat down under die Gemüter erhitzt. In einem umstrittenen Verfahren erhielt er einen Startplatz im Caulfield Cup (Gr.I), dem traditionellen Aufgalopp für den Melbourne Cup und nach diesem die zweitwichtigste Prüfung des Landes, und ein einheimisches Pferd wurde damit Ersatzpferd.
Was von den australischen Fans lauthals zu "einem der größten Skandale des australischen Rennsports" gemacht wurde, war folgendes:

Bevor Lady Herries, die Trainerin von Taufan´s Melody, ihn für das Rennen nannte, mußte sie die bisherige Gewinnsumme des Achtjährigen angeben - wegen der Ausschreibung - und bekam die Mitteilung vom zuständigen Rennverein Victoria Amateur Turf Club (VATC), das Pferd zu nennen und anzureisen, da es hinreichend qualifiziert sei. Der Caulfield Cup ist ein Handicap, das Starterlimit ist 18 Pferde. Als es wenige Tage vor dem Rennen darum ging, die endgültigen Startplätze zu vergeben, stellte man im VATC fest, daß Taufan´s Melodys Gewinnsumme nach den aktuellen Wechselkursen nicht ausreichte, eine Summe in der Höhe von weniger als 1500 DM fehlte. Weil es sich um einen Fehler des Rennvereins gehandelt hatte, beschloß der VATC, Taufan´s Melody trotz mangelnder Qualifizierung die Startberechtigung zu erteilen, und so erhielt Our Unicorn, ein Leichtgewicht und zweiter Favorit, die Startnummer 19, wurde also zum Ersatzpferd. Die Möglichkeit, ein Pferd, das laut Ausschreibung nicht qualifiziert ist, dennoch laufen zu lassen, ist in den Regeln

des Rennvereins verankert (das nennt sich discretionary powers).

Über dieses Thema entspann sich im AusRace-Forum, einer Internet-Diskussionsrunde, eine heftige Debatte mit witzigen, aber auch bissigen Kommentaren und Meinungen - hier ein "Best of"...

Why have qualifying rules at all if they're going to be swept aside at the last minute because someone made a cockup and lured a foreign horse here to run in a race for which it was not qualified. This makes Australian racing look bloody silly.

The VATC is including an unqualified horse in the Caulfield Cup rather than a fully qualified horse who happens to be the 2nd favorite? This has to be the most astonishing piece of decision-making in Melbourne racing, nay Australian racing, ever. It is a farce.

What annoys me even more is the deliberate deception that has apparently occurred in recent weeks, with the stewards, the VRC Handicapper and the club all aware of the likely controversy and saying nothing. In the meantime, thousands of punters put their money on Our Unicorn, unaware that plans are already afoot to blow him out of the race (or any other runner that happened to get in the way of Taufan's Melody). This is a farce. It is a disgrace. Especially as they've got my money...:-)

The VATC has put the "Amateur" right back into Victoria Amateur Turf Club.

Because of the Our Unicorn/Taufans Melody controversy, punters should boycott the race thereby showing the TABs/Turf Clubs that the rules are the  rules and that those rules  can't be changed to suit circumstance.

Once more, if Our Unicorn gets a run, I'd put my house and my street on him that he'd finish infront of that imposter Taufan's Melody ... the Caulfield Cup is one of Australia's premier Hcp races and therefore Australian (and NZ) horses should have priority .... The Caulfield and Melbourne Cups would still be great races without the imports

What if a second UK horse, owned say by the Queen, was in Our Unicorn's place?  Who stays in and who goes out then? I suspect one of the other Aussie horses!

Und in - ironischer - Verzweiflung malen sich die Wetter von Our Unicorn Szenen wie diese aus:

The owners of Our Unicorn in a last ditch effort to obtain a run in the Caulfield Cup tomorrow are right now at Melbourne Airport, cheque book in hand awaiting to meet the owners (or at least one of them) of Count Chivas. Our Unicorn's owners intend making an offer, believed to be about $80,000, to buy Count Chivas, and if successful then scratch him from the Caulfield Cup thus obtaining a run for Our Unicorn.

Taufan's Melody should start and the committee should also allow Our Unicorn to run. They should move the rail in from 6m to 4m and allow 19 starters this year. This would compensate Our Unicorn's connections, as Taufan's Melody had not been invited (as he is not qualified), the Unicorn would be in the field.

The person I really feel sorry for here is Lady Herris. She's done everything she was told to do to get the horse in to the race and now people are trying to make her feel guilty for being here. It's not her fault that exchange rates have moved around or that Our Unicorn has gained so much support. She was told the horse could run and I feel it would be crazy if she wasn't allowed to. It's a hell of a long way to bring a horse for nothing. I hope the horse runs some sort of a race for her and the owners.

Nothing is impossible in a handicap, but Taufans Melody would have ZERO chance in an English group 3 (three) race. He is a tough performer who in five years has won three 'listed' events, but two of those were in Germany where opposition is often mediocre.

Let me repeat Taufans Melody cannot win the Caulfied or Melbourne Cups, unless Oz group1 horses are CONSIDERABLY inferior to their European counterparts. I am not qualified to pass an opinion on Our Unicorn, but will not be unhappy if the horse finishes last on Saturday.

Taufans Melody is owned by the 'All At Sea' syndicate, a group of racing enthusiasts who work as cooks and stewards on a luxury liner. At least two of them have invested their lifes savings in this trip (while a third has sold his house), and they are certainly not to blame for the current fiasco. On European form the horse has little chance of winning either the Caulfield or Melbourne Cups, but perhaps it's time for some 'divine intervention'.

But murphys law says Taufans Melody will win dosnt it :)

I'm tipping Taufan's Melody to win by at least two lengths. Proven over the distance, and in the wet, I think he'll be sure to "make his presence felt". A good chance at the weights. I can only get 25's though, a touch dissapointing.

Und wo ist er nun gelandet, dieser sieben- bzw. achtjährige (je nach Hemisphäre) Störenfried des australischen Turfs? Das Ergebnis des Caulfield Cup