The 2024 Melbourne Cup is set to be a thrilling contest, with a field of 24 top-class stayers ready to tackle the iconic two-mile journey at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday November 5.
Buckaroo is favourite to win the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Chris Waller Dominates the Field
Trainer Chris Waller has a strong hand in this year’s race, with five runners in the official Group 1 $8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) field including the favourite, Buckaroo leading the markets at $5.50 through Ladbrokes at time of publish.
The Caulfield Cup runner-up and emphatic 3.5 length Underwood winner earlier is prep is a talented stayer with a light weight of 54.5kg who is out to prove he can see out the 3200m despite 1800m being his longest distanced win to date.
Other Waller-trained runners include Kovalica, Land Legend who ran third in the Caulfield Cup which has been the superior Melbourne Cup form race throughout recent history, Valiant King, and late inclusion Manzoice whose last win was the 2022 VRC Derby.
International Contenders
The international contingent includes several intriguing runners despite the attrition rate ruling out a number of early hopes. Willie Mullins‘ Vauban, the topweight with 55.5kg, returns to Australia after a disappointing run last year as the beaten favourite. Absurde, another Mullins runner, also returns, hoping to improve on his seventh-place finish in 2023 and has three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy aboard this season. Other international contenders include Warp Speed from Japan who is out to atone for his Caulfield Cup failure, Harry Eustace‘s brilliant Bendigo Cup winner Sea King from the UK, and the Brian Ellison-trained Ladbrokes Geelong Cup Onesmoothoperator who overcame a heel cut to be passed fit to run.
Local Hopes
The Australian contingent is led by Buckaroo, but other strong contenders include the autumn’s Sydney Cup winner Circle Of Fire, trained by Ciaron Maher with dual defending jockey Mark Zhara chasing his third win on as many horses in as many years, and the Godolphin-raced former VRC Oaks winning mare Zardozi trained by James Cummings and drawn a treat in barrier four. Golden Ticket holder The Map and Positivity are also worth keeping an eye on, as they both have shown potential in recent runs representing the female horses in this year’s race.
A Wide-Open Race
With a competitive field and several unpredictable factors, the 2024 Melbourne Cup is shaping up to be a thrilling race for punters despite having lost some of the key contenders.
Buckaroo is the early favorite, but the international runners and other local contenders could upset the odds.
The race is set to be a memorable event, with plenty of drama and excitement expected on Tuesday in Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (AEDT).
Click here for the latest Melbourne Cup 2024 odds online courtesy of Ladbrokes.
2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Field
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11x0x24312 | VAUBAN (FR) | Willie Mullins | William Buick | 11 | 55.5kg | 115 | ||
| 2 | 5356×81122 | BUCKAROO (GB) | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira | 21 | 54.5kg | 117 | ||
| 3 | 3x4411x890 | CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra | 24 | 54.5kg | 112 | ||
| 4 | x414x325x0 | WARP SPEED (JPN) | Noboru Takagi | Akira Sugawara | 3 | 54.5kg | 113 | ||
| 5 | 95365×3426 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 17 | 53.5kg | 113 | ||
| 6 | x3669x0203 | SHARP ’N’ SMART (NZ) | Graeme & Deborah Rogerson | Michael Dee | 15 | 53.5kg | 110 | ||
| 7 | 0x85x05010 | JUST FINE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jye McNeil | 13 | 53kg | 0.5kg | 110 | |
| 8 | 755x1x0613 | LAND LEGEND (FR) | Chris Waller | Zac Purton | 18 | 53kg | 1.0kg | 110 | |
| 9 | 1x7P41x41x | ABSURDE (FR) | Willie Mullins | Kerrin McEvoy | 7 | 52.5kg | 109 | ||
| 10 | x6442x8001 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | Zac Lloyd (a) | 2 | 52kg | 109 | ||
| 11 | 24234×9005 | KNIGHT’S CHOICE | John Symons & Sheila Laxon | Robbie Dolan | 6 | 51.5kg | 108 | ||
| 12 | 13x00x8021 | OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Ms Jamie Kah | 10 | 51kg | 1.0kg | 107 | |
| 13 | 64282×1741 | ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA) | Brian Ellison | Craig Williams | 12 | 51kg | 1.0kg | 107 | |
| 14 | 132×665245 | ZARDOZI | James Cummings | Andrea Atzeni | 4 | 51kg | 114 | ||
| 15 | 04x10136x1 | SEA KING (GB) | Harry Eustace | Ms Hollie Doyle | 1 | 50.5kg | 0.5kg | 106 | |
| 16 | 212256×009 | VALIANT KING (GB) | Chris Waller | Craig Newitt | 22 | 50.5kg | 105 | ||
| 17 | x58610x536 | FANCY MAN (IRE) | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | Ron Stewart | 19 | 50kg | 104 | ||
| 18 | 916×000862 | INTERPRETATION (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Teo Nugent | 14 | 50kg | 103 | ||
| 19 | 88520×2307 | MANZOICE | Chris Waller | Declan Bates | 8 | 50kg | 102 | ||
| 20 | x23622x440 | MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Karis Teetan | 16 | 50kg | 105 | ||
| 21 | 81291×2178 | POSITIVITY (NZ) | Andrew Forsman | Ms Winona Costin | 20 | 50kg | 103 | ||
| 22 | 31123×8495 | SAINT GEORGE (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Tyler Schiller | 9 | 50kg | 102 | ||
| 23 | 12211×9056 | THE MAP | Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray | Ms Rachel King | 23 | 50kg | 104 | ||
| 24 | 1626×63044 | TRUST IN YOU (NZ) | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | Mark Du Plessis | 5 | 50kg |
106 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia
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