Precedence gives Cummings early 86th birthday present Queen Elizabeth Stakes Precedence just missed giving Bart Cummings a chance to win his 13th Melbourne Cup but he gave the master trainer an early 86th birthday present with a win in the $300,000 group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The celebrations had to be postponed briefly, when Ryan Maloney, rider of the runner-up Sertorius, protested for alleged interference over the final 200 metres, but stewards dismissed it. "There was some contact, but from the 100 metres both horses were unimpeded and it came down to a battle between two horses," chief steward Terry Bailey said. There was little pace early in the race and Sertorius was able to settle on the rails just behind the leader Mourinho. As they straightened for home, Sertorius started to edge through on the inside, with Precedence, who had raced just outside him, easing to the outside to put in his bid. The pair fought out the race over the final 300 metres with neither willing to concede, but Precedence ($6.50) got the bob in to win by a short half-head from Sertorius ($4.20 favourite). Let's Make Adeal ($8), who also narrowly missed out on a Melbourne Cup, was third. "It was a real duel and I was confident my horse had plenty to give and I didn't want to take him off stride," said Craig Williams of his decision to ride Precedence out hands and heels. After being at Flemington on Cup and Derby day, Cummings, who has been in poor health, was not at the track on Saturday. "He enjoyed his trip to Melbourne but was disappointed that Precedence failed to get a run in the Melbourne Cup, but this is a pretty good consolation," his co-trainer James Cummings said. However he was upbeat about his grandfather's health. If he was a horse you'd say he's picked right up in his feed and you'd want to be on him next week. Precedence may well be the last winner to be trained from Cummings' famous Saintly Place stables behind Flemington racecourse. The stables have been sold to a developer and the Cummings partnership will shortly move to stables on-course at Flemington. Precedence has now won two of his four starts this preparation and Reg Fleming, the stable's long-time Melbourne foreman, said a trip to Queensland over the winter had rejuvenated the veteran stayer. "He's never been going better," Fleming said. The difference is that I said to Bart, 'let's go to Brisbane' [with Precedence] and it has turned him around. We'll never know what he might have done on Tuesday," said Fleming of what would have been Precedence's fourth Melbourne Cup start. While immediate plans for the eight-year-old gelding depend on how he comes through Saturday's run, Fleming said there was a chance he could back up in either the Sandown Cup or Sandown Classic at Caulfield next Saturday.