As the 154th Melbourne Cup Carnival gets underway on November 1, all eyes will be focusing on the Group I Melbourne Cup to run at a distance of 3200m for a purse of AUS$6.2M. The race will be run at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on November 4. For Australians, the race is affectionately called “The Race That Stops a Nation”. For some, it is referred to as the race that empties a pocket.
Melbourne Cup News
The Offer Sits This One Out – While considering all the gallant horses that will line up for this year’s edition of the Melbourne Cup, the race’s early favourite, The Offer, will not be able to face the starter. The Offer is trained by last year’s winning trainer Gai Waterhouse. After having to withdraw his charge prior to the Caulfield Cup, the connections were confident he could over come his medical issues and meet the starter for the main event. Oops!! Without The Offer in the line up, favouritism now falls to Caulfield Cup winner Admire Ratki.
Final Spot for Melbourne Cup Up for Grabs
As 12 horses line up for the Lexus Stakes on opening day (November 1) of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, they will be vying for an invitation into the Melbourne Cup to be run on Tuesday, November 4th. The key contenders are Big Memory, Caravan Rolls, Lord Van Percy, La Armistad and the favourite Signoff. The race will be run at 2500m with the winner earning the last spot in the Cup. 5700m in four days? Good luck with that!Melbourne Cup Weather Forecast With just a few days until the running of the
Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, November 4, the weatherman is painting a less that ideal scenario. For the 100,000 racing fans expected to crowd into the Flemington Racecourse grounds, the temperature is expected to be around 29C at race-time with winds ranging from 25 to 40km/h and a 30 percent chance. While the horses may not mind the conditions, fashion hounds will be watching closely and holding onto their hats.
Current Odds
As the race nears, odds are beginning to shift. With the number of runners limited to 24, the current odds for the 154th Melbourne Cup provided by Betfair are listed for the top 25 horses pre-entered:
Admire Rakti (JPN) $5.10
Lucia Valentina $8.80
Protectionist (GER) $9.60
Fawkner $12.00
Mutual Regard (IRE) $12.50
Red Cadeaux $24.00
Araldo $24.00
Signoff $26.00
Who Shot Thebarman $29.00
Cavalryman (GB) $29.00
Willing Foe (USA) $32.00
Junoob (GB) $38.00
Brambles $48.00
Amralah (IRE) $55.00
Ambivalent (IRE) $55.00
Gatewood (GB) $65.00
Van Percy (GB) $70.00
Royal Diamond (IRE) $75.00
Au Revoir (IRE) $80.00
Seismos (IRE) $85.00
Caravan Rolls On (GB) $85.00
Opinion $95.00
Lidari (FR)
Green Moon $95.00
Horses to Watch
This year’s edition of the Melbourne Cup is wide open, creating a slew of possible scenarios for punters to figure out. In lieu of a series of coin flips, here are some key contenders to consider.
Admire Rakti – Won the 2014 Caulfield Cup by a narrow margin becoming the first Japanese based horse to win one of Australia’s big three races, Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup. Also finished a fine fourth in the 2013 Japan Cup behind the brilliant Gentildonna.
Fawkner – Finished a hard fought third in last year’s Melbourne Cup behind favourite Fiorente and has maintained decent form this year.
Red Cadeaux – Only entrant in the field to race consistently well against Group I over the last couple of years including a solid 2nd in this race last year.
Protectionist – Lightly raced youngster has raced well in 2014 against Group rated stayers in England, France and Germany. A little rain would bode well for this horse that enjoys playing in the mud.
Lucia Valentina – Best of the locals is coming off of a nice 3rd in the Caulfield Cup, only 1/2 length off the winner.
Prediction: – While this list of entries represents many of the best stayers in the world, the reality is this year’s Melbourne Cup lacks a true star. With Admire Rakti trying to stretch out from 2400m to 3200m after a hard fought race and only two weeks rest, look for the well-rested German based Protectionist to take a step forward and capture the race for Europe.
