After Ethical Diamond won the Ebor Handicap in August the obvious path was the Melbourne Cup but he did not meet strict veterinary requirements, so Irish trainer Willie Mullins bought a bell, and went to win the Group I Breeders Cup Turf with his seven time hurdler.

The late Wootton Basset was one of those stallions whose progeny can excel over all distances and he will have two runners in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday and in the meantime we saw a taste of his merit as a staying sire at Randwick on Saturday when his French bred five year-old Wootton Verni (Fr) won the $750,000 Group III ATC Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m).