Global storming as prizemoney turns into Euro cash Hands and heels: Damien Oliver boots Fiorente (left) to victory in the 2013 Melbourne Cup. Gai Waterhouse might have struck a blow for the home side by sending out Fiorente to win the Melbourne Cup, but like so many who make good in Australia, the son of German stallion Monsun has distinctly European antecedents. While the six-year-old goes down as a local winner after spending a year at Waterhouse's Sydney stables, he was the only thing Australia could really crow about after a Cup that again illustrated the dominance of European stayers in Australia's great long-distance races. Fiorente began his career in England with Sir Michael Stoute before being bought for a seven-figure sum by Waterhouse's clients last year, running a slashing second to Green Moon on his first start in this country in the 2012 Cup just a few weeks after arriving at the Werribee quarantine centre. His success is a tribute to Waterhouse's training, as very few horses that win the Cup have started in it previously. The great Makybe Diva aside, you have to go back to Empire Rose in 1988 to find a runner-up who went one better the following year. But there was little succour for the Australian industry beyond the winner. The second, Red Cadeaux, the third, Mount Athos, fourth Simenon and fifth Dandino, are all trained in England or Ireland, by Ed Dunlop, Luca Cumani, Willie Mullins and Marco Botti respectively. All bar Mount Athos (Craig Williams) were ridden by European riders to boot. For Red Cadeaux, the story was one of heartbreak after another second in the race Italian trainer Botti said was the world's greatest staying test. For one other European raider the story was of tragedy. Verema, the highly fancied mare trained by Alain De Royer Dupre at Chantilly near Paris, sustained fatal injuries during the run and was put down, leaving her connections in tears. Red Cadeaux's trainer, Dunlop, had been involved in a spat with prominent owner Lloyd Williams over the possibility that the latter's phalanx of six horses might control the tempo of the race. Williams did not take kindly to the implication that his integrity might be questioned, while Dunlop apologised for his choice of words, insisting that he had come here just to race. And race his old warrior did, seeing off all but the winner and suggesting that despite his age - eight - Red Cadeaux's days are far from numbered. For Cumani, the pursuit of what must feel like an impossible dream continues. Cumani has finished second in this race twice, with Bauer and Purple Moon, and felt that Mount Athos was a certainty beaten last year when he only got out late and finished better than anything. So upset was the Newmarket-based Italian he vowed not to try again. But when the time came, Cumani was in the mounting yard at Flemington legging up Craig Williams. His horse did him proud in running third, but still the itch remains for Cumani to scratch. He ran very well, I can't complain. Craig gave him a very good ride, he got a good position from a bad draw, he ran very well. He said if we had a better draw we would have been able to save ground early on and not have to use him so much to get into a position and that might have made a difference. Will Mount Athos be back for a third try next year? If we have the horse we will be here. Why not? Mullins' only experience of the Cup had been with the badly behaved Holy Orders back in 2003, but this time the Irishman, the leading jumps trainer in his homeland, will leave Australia with much better memories after Simenon ran a brave race to finish fourth under British champion jockey Richard Hughes. Hughes was riding in his first Cup and described the experience as a thrill. He ran a blinder. I am really pleased, he came real good. Myself, the winner and the second went around the whole way together and they just might have quickened a length on me [early in the straight]. In hindsight I might have gone before them, but that would have been an awful long way from home. I got a great trip round. It was a good thrill, just nice to run so well in such a big race. We are very pleased. It looked as if we had a real chance turning for home if we played all our cards. It was just better horses that beat us on the day. He got a great break, no excuses. Simenon could also be back in 12 months. We hopefully will have another one to come with him, we will have no problems coming back. We are looking at Japan and Hong Kong, we will see how he comes out of this race first. Botti believes his galloper, Dandino, didn't quite see out the 3200 metres. He ran another big race, the trip probably stretch him a little bit. We know a mile and a half is his ideal trip. We go on to the Hong Kong Vase. Ryan [Moore, his rider] said he quickened, but in the last furlong he emptied out. We have to accept he is not a two-mile horse, he showed good acceleration and picked up well, but he just got tired. We will have to try to come back and win this race, but it's getting more competitive every year, a lot of owners want to win it, it's the number one staying race in the world. Dandino's owner, Ballarat-based Darren Dance, did not quite agree. I thought he got too far back and left with too much to do. I thought he hit the line pretty well. On the corner he was back third last and there was no gap, he had to go wide. His last 600 must have been very good. These are the best horses in the world running over this distance. Dandino will probably come back. The last word goes to Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, owner of the 2011 winner Dunaden, who ran a brave 11th under his top weight of 58.5 kilos, a burden his owner thought was too great. "When the handicapper knows how to do his job then we can all have a chance; he's joking," he said.