(Andrew Bensley is a leading commentator with Sky Racing and Sky Sports Radio.)

The 2010 Emirates Melbourne Cup Carnival may have wrapped up last Saturday but for the past week Flemington has been a hive of activity as the final days of filming took place for the movie, The Cup, the story of Damien Oliver's emotional ride to success in the 2002 Melbourne Cup aboard Media Puzzle.

Movie director, Simon Wincer, and a massive crew, including 50 specially-trained horses, made Flemington home for the week. Wincer felt the task of training that number of horses was the biggest challenge, with multiple horses required to play the roles of Media Puzzle, Vinnie Roe and Pugin.

Wincer said the use of matchbox size cameras on the jockeys' helmets and saddles look even better than he expected. Filming will be completed this week, when the Geelong Cup won by Media Puzzle will be shot and the big job of putting the movie together begins. The launch of The Cup is expected in the autumn.

The $15 million feature film tells the story of Oliver's win in the 2002 Melbourne Cup on Media Puzzle, just days after his brother, Jason, died following a fall in a trial ride in Western Australia.

Stephen Curry (pictured above) stars as Oliver, who has been a consultant on the film.

***

THE week of racing at Flemington is hectic at the best of times but for Darley chief executive, Henry Plumptre, he was right on his toes with the arrival of Sheikh Mohammed.

Plumptre said it was fantastic to have the owner seeing first hand what Darley was doing in Melbourne and Sydney under the guidance of trainer Peter Snowden. Sheikh Mohammed visited Darley's new training property, Osborn Park, near Richmond in New South Wales, a property that is a five-star hotel for horses.

Osborn Park has a 1600-metre Strathayr grass track and an all-weather pro-ride surface. In total, there are boxes for 88 horses that will quickly be filled during the next month or two.

As for Sheikh Mohammed, after watching Melbourne Cup Day unfold, his dream is to own a Melbourne Cup winner.

***

The spring carnival finishes at Sandown on Saturday and, while many horses are just starting to enjoy a spell, Toorak Toff is back preparing for the Magic Millions carnival at the Gold Coast.

Hore-Lacy said it was amazing just how good Toorak Toff is looking after a three week break following the Caulfield Guineas. The plan is to return Toorak Toff to the races in mid-December and, most likely, he will have two runs before tackling the Magic Millions 3YO race in January.

Hore-Lacy said there is a chance Toorak Toff may tackle the Standish Handicap on New Years day at Flemington.