Onesmoothoperator's Geelong Cup

English raider Onesmoothoperator made short work of his opposition in Wednesday's Geelong Cup in a performance which signalled he can end his Yorkshire-based trainer Brian Ellison's frustrating history with the Melbourne Cup.

Onesmoothoperator gave Craig Williams his sixth win in the race and the leading hoop has identified him as the galloper who can give him his second Melbourne Cup.

Onesmoothoperator ($11) defeated Interpretation ($21) by two-and-a-quarter lengths, with Muramasa ($7) a short neck away in third.

The Chris Waller-trained favourite Unusual Legacy was pulled out of the race in the early stages by Joao Moreira after breaking down, with Racing Victoria vets confirming the horse has a suspected soft-tissue injury.

Sportsbet reacted to Onesmoothoperator's hollow victory by slashing his price from $51 to $10 for the Melbourne Cup.

WATCH: Onesmoothoperator's Geelong Cup win

Ellison has had a checkered history with the Melbourne Cup, especially with his talented stayer Carte Diamond, who was scratched from the race in the lead-up in two-successive years, but that did not deter him from coming back.

"You've just got to put your head down and keep checking on. Everybody has bad luck. So anyway, I know I've got a good horse," Ellison said.

WATCH: Hear from Ellison post-race

In 2005, Carte Diamond crashed through the running rail when he was taken to Flemington for a gallop, while 12 months later he was also scratched in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup by RV veterinarians due to a tendon injury.

Wednesday's win will give Ellison his third runner in a Melbourne Cup after Moyenne Corniche and Saptapadi finished 15th and 16th respectively in the 2011 edition of the race.

Despite this, Ellison couldn't have sold the virtues of the Melbourne Cup more highly to Onesmoothoperator's owner Patrick Boyle after he finished seventh in the Ebor at York where he said he got too far back.

"I said you have to go to Australia for this time of year; it's fantastic. This horse has got a good chance if we get in the Cup; it's a good chance," Ellison said.

" I think he's well-placed for this year's race and that's all you're ever asking for. You're looking for the best horse in that year and he ticks good boxes.

"The fact is that he stays really well. He can handle firm tracks and he's won on soft and he runs over a long distance."

Northern Hemisphere-trained horses who have won the Geelong Cup have had a great record this century in the Melbourne Cup with Media Puzzle, Americain and Dunaden all completing the double.

Onesmoothoperator is number 31 in the Melbourne Cup order of entry but he's likely to get a weight penalty from RV handicapper David Hegan.

Williams said it was great to get an understanding of the stayer by winning the Geelong Cup on him.

"It worked out really well and it was good to get an understanding of him going forward, which is great. But most importantly, he got the win and it's a great lead-up race, especially for international horses going to the Cup," Williams said.

WATCH: Hear from Williams after the win