Nick Williams knows he and his father Lloyd won’t have the best horse in this year’s $10 million Melbourne Cup, but hopes of an eighth family win in the great race remain alive. For the time being at least.

There are five horses among the 120 Melbourne Cup nominations sporting the Williams family’s familiar navy blue and white racing colours and it appears the Melbourne Cup fate of all five could be decided as early as the October 4 Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington.

‘’The truth is, the whole spring changes on Turnbull Stakes day,’’ Nick Williams said this week. ‘’It does seem very open and there will be a few questions answered on that day.’’

The Turnbull Stakes has a major bearing on the feature spring races as again borne out last year when the eventual Cox Plate winner Via Sistina beat the Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo with Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa in fourth place.

The previous year’s Turnbull was won by Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip with eventual Caulfield Cup runner-up West Wind Blows in second and eventual Melbourne Cup second placegetter Soulcombe in third place.

The Bart Cummings has a more direct link to the Melbourne Cup with the winner free from the ballot and, on the same day at Randwick, the G1 Metropolitan (2400m) is run with last year’s winner Land Legend then running third in the Caulfield Cup and Metropolitan runner-up Zardozi finished fourth in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

Qualifying a horse for the Melbourne Cup is one thing yet beating one of Europe’s star horses is quite another and that is the task before the Williams’ horses with the likely arrival in Melbourne in less than three weeks of the Irish St Leger winner Al Riffa.

‘’He’s the best horse to be going around at Flemington by quite some space in my view,’’ Nick Williams said. ‘’But can he win with 59kgs? A big ask I reckon but he’s a bloody good horse and he’s honest.

‘’Barring the travel situation, you know what you will get with him but there’s always something down the weights going well.

‘’Joseph (O’Brien) knows what he’s doing bringing horses down here and I really like that horse.

‘’If it was a set weights race you couldn’t have enough on him. But it’s not.’’

 

TEAM WILLIAMS’ MELBOURNE CUP HOPEFULS

Changingoftheguard (current Melbourne Cup odds $18): Currently 38th in order for a start so is well placed to make it to the Melbourne Cup.  ‘’Most likely he could go to the Metropolitan (Randwick) with the option of coming down for the Bart Cummings as well. He’s going really well. He’s (trainer Kris Lees) is really happy with him.’’

Adelaide River ($31): As his best form is two years old, he sits outside the first ballot clause for the race at 83rd in order. ‘’He qualified on Saturday for the Caulfield Cup, which was a good start for him. He could go there. Either the Metropolitan or Turnbull Stakes likely to be next. I thought he was pretty good last start and his previous two starts weren’t too bad either given circumstances. I think he’s going very well that horse.’’

Point King ($51): Is 44th in order for a start. Had an issue last spring and failed to get to the Melbourne Cup and has been brought along slowly since. ‘’He had a bit of a setback but he’s probably a few weeks away. Time will tell. He’s still there. He had a trial the other day and have another trial in the next week and that will tell us where he’s going.’’

Cleveland ($101): Has all the work ahead of him as he’s not passed the first ballot clause and is currently equal 85th in order. ‘’I think Cleveland will probably run on Saturday in the Colin Stephens (at Randwick). He ran very well in the Sydney Cup last year but knocked over at the top of the straight. You’d want him to be running well on Saturday. He won the Moonee Valley Cup two years ago and might go that way again. He seems to have rediscovered his interest in racing, but you want to see it.’’

Post Impressionist ($101): Comes in at 49th in order for a start. Was second-up when finished midfield in the Archer Stakes. ‘’He’s going to the Bart Cummings. He went alright last time in an unsuitably run race. It was very slow. He needs a properly run race and I think you’ll see his best run next time.’’

 

LLOYD WILLIAMS’ MELBOURNE CUP WINNERS

Just A Dash (1981) – Started at $16. Trained by Tommy Smith

What A Nuisance (1985) – Started at $16. Trained by John Meagher

Efficient (2007) – Started at $17. Trained by Graeme Rogerson

Green Moon (2012) – Started at $20. Trained by Robert Hickmott

Almandin (2016) – Started at $11. Trained by Robert Hickmott

Rekindling (2017) – Started at $15. Trained by Joseph O’Brien

Twilight Payment (2020) – Started at $26. Trained by Joseph O’Brien

Â