Blake Shinn Reunites With Bart For Melbourne Cup

Jockey Blake Shinn will reunite with Bart Cummings to ride Precedence in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup in what will be his first mount in the $6 million staying race since he piloted Viewed to victory for the legendary trainer in 2008.

Blake Shinn

Blake Shinn has secured the ride on Precedence in the Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart.

Shinn has only just returned from a trip to the USA where he spent time with high profile American trainer Wesley Ward but wasted no time securing a ride in Australia’s biggest race.

“Just got confirmation from the Cummings camp that I’ve been booked for the ride on Precedence in the Melbourne cup,” Shinn said on twitter.

It is the second time Shinn has been booked to partner Precedence in the Melbourne Cup after missing the ride on the Zabeel gelding in 2010 following a fall in an earlier race on Melbourne Cup day.

At 23rd in the order of entry, seven-year-old Precedence is assured of a start in the Melbourne Cup and is joined by Sanagas (11th) as one of two Cummings-trained runners already in the field.

Cummings is hoping to qualify a third runner with Dare To Dream competing in the Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) this Saturday which provides ballot exemption to the winner.

But it would take a remarkable form turnaround if any of Cummings’ chances can deliver him a 12th Melbourne Cup title, with both Sanagas and Precedence failing to impress in the lead-up.

Precedence won at Moonee Valley in September but has been well beaten in three starts since while Sanagas has finished towards the back of the field in four spring starts.

Dare To Dream finished third in the Craven Plate earlier this month but will have to bounce back from a disappointing seventh in the Tattersalls Club Cup at Randwick in his last start.

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