A superstar jockey on a brazen colt has upstaged the world's best sprinters on a day when a Hall of Fame trainer also scored an overdue Group One win.
Even Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist and the $7 million perennial bridesmaid Red Cadeaux were overshadowed on Super Saturday at Flemington.
Hong Kong-based Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira was treated like a rock star when he jumped off Brazen Beau after beating the world's three highest-rated sprinters in the $1 million Newmarket Handicap.
"Joao, Joao, Joao" chanted the three-year-old colt's ecstatic owners.
Ontrack Thoroughbreds' Grant Morgan was "remarkably calm" after Brazen Beau outclassed Chautauqua and Terravista, while Lankan Rupee was unplaced.
"He's been a very special horse to us but we had confidence in him today," Mr Morgan told AAP.
"We got an 11 out of 10 ride from Joao which is what you'd expect from the world's best rider."
Mr Morgan says Brazen Beau's connections ignored the hype surrounding the top three sprinters.
"We felt like he flying under the radar again."
Trainer Chris Waller was leaving it to others to judge who is the world's best sprinter.
"I only train the horse that won a very competitive race," he said.
"Leading a quality field like that from the barriers is not easy, so it shows he's got the speed at the front and the back end of a race."
A humble Moreira let the colt take the credit.
"A good horse always makes a good jockey. He makes me look good," the star international rider said he told Mr Waller after the race.
Last year's Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist met runner-up Red Cadeaux in the $1 million Australian Cup but it was Australian Hall of Fame trainer David Hayes' turn to shine.
Even he wasn't sure which of his two runners had won the photo finish before the shot showed Spillway just edged out stablemate Extra Zero.
"It was probably the most pleasant photo I've been involved in for awhile," he said.
It was Hayes' first Group One win since 2011, and his first Australian Cup with training partner and nephew Tom Dabernig.
Three-time Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux missed out on adding another significant chunk to his $7.32 million prize money in a career notable for the fact he rarely wins.
The gelding "ran out of runway" in the 2000-metre race, foreman Robin Trevor-Jones said.
"It's a super run. He's just finished fifth in a Group One beaten two lengths over a trip way too short for him. It's not a bad run."
