Williams already planning seventh Cup win

Melbourne Cup-winning owner Lloyd Williams is already looking ahead to his next winner.

After winning a sixth Melbourne Cup, owner Lloyd Williams says planning for a seventh has already began.

Rekindling gave Williams his sixth win in Australia’s most famous race when he defeated another of the owner’s horses, Johannes Vermeer, at Flemington on Tuesday.

Williams first won the Cup in 1981 with Just A Dash with his second coming in 1985 with What A Nuisance.

He had to wait until 2007 and Efficient then Green Moon won in 2012 and Almandin last year.

“We start today,” Williams said.

“I haven’t got much time. I’m in the last quarter but we’re living and hoping.

“We’ve got horses with Aidan and Joseph (O’Brien), we’ve got yearlings, two-year-olds, three-year-olds and you live in hope.

“Hopefully there’ll be something coming through.”

Williams visited both horses at the Werribee quarantine centre on Wednesday and was happy with how they had come through the race.

Rekindling, trained by Joseph O’Brien, and Johannes Vermeer trained by Aidan, will head from Werribee to Williams’ training complex at Mt Macedon as the owner and their trainers determine the next path for the pair.

Williams wants Rekindling to be set for the Ascot Gold Cup in England during the Royal meeting in June and take on another of his stayers Order Of St George.

“I’d love to see Rekindling go back and run him in the Gold Cup against Order Of St George,” he said.

“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and then but I’d like to give him three or four weeks on the grass, no more so he doesn’t get fat.”

Williams said for those prepared to listen he thought as a three-year-old, Rekindling had strong credentials for Tuesday’s race.

He said the English form of three-year-olds in staying races had been strong throughout the year and he could see that playing out on Tuesday.

But he was just as pleased with the performance of Johannes Vermeer who he said could develop into a top weight-for-age horse in Australia, but that was something he would discuss with Aidan O’Brien.

Williams defended Frankie Dettori’s ride on last year’s Cup winner Almandin who finished 12th and pulled up with a knee issue on Wednesday morning.

“He rode to instructions,” Williams said.

“I told him to be three-deep but Almandin unfortunately didn’t get cover.

“The horse is sore this morning and when Frankie got off him, he said the horse was flat.

“He’s not badly sore. Frankie gave him a test at the 600 metres and there was nothing there.

“It’s too early to tell you if it is serious or not so we’ll monitor him over the next 10 days.”