Melbourne Cup dream alive for Whisky On The Hill after Roy Higgins win

Whisky On The Hill has secured a start in the Melbourne Cup after winning the Roy Higgins at Flemington on Saturday.

But according to his trainer Glen Thompson, his 6-year-old almost didn’t make it.

His stayer lost a shoe and stood on a nail, meaning he missed some key lead-up opportunities.

But despite ‘’feeling the pinch’’ late, Thompson will now have a Melbourne Cup runner should he want it.

“It’s exciting to see him get the job done. We’ve had a chequered preparation and it is good to get the result,’’ Thompson said.

“We were on the back foot a little bit and it has been very stressful.”

“Damian rides the horse so well and he gets on so well with him. He’s one of the next jockeys in the world. To have him on board makes life a little easier.’’

Lane said that with Whisky On The Hill will be better placed with a seamless preparation.

“Glen has done such a great job with this horse as he’d had a setback early in the prep and threw his schedule out so he had to get him right and then back him up with a couple of quick runs to get the miles into his legs for today,’’ he said.

“He just had him spot on and a really good horse, really effective and adept at these trips.”

“He was feeling the pinch late but probably because of that setback so it was a bit of a rush towards this race. I think he’s still got a touch of improvement. Very good win.”

Thompson said during the week that the Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 11 remains a possibility for Whisky On The Hill.