A Melbourne Cup start has comes one step closer for the Peter Moody trained Ibicenco after he received a 1kg penalty for winning yesterday’s Group 3 $300,000 Sportingbet Geelong Cup (2400m) at Geelong.

Ibicenco, white sleeves and white cap, winning the Geelong Cup. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

The 1kg penalty, announced by Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter this morning has lifted Ibicenco to number thirty-five in the order of entry for the Group 1 $6.2m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 5 but the import still needs a lot of luck to go his way before making the final field of twenty-four.

The Geelong Cup has been a good pointer for the Melbourne Cup over recent years with Media Puzzle winning the double in 2002 and that was repeated by Americain and Dunaden in 2010 and 2011.

Carpenter went on to say that as well as those three Internationals winning in the last eight years, Geelong Cup winners Bauer (2008) and On A Jeune (2005) were also runners up in the Melbourne Cup.

“This has been a tremendous Melbourne Cup guide for the last sort of decade so let’s hope it continues. He’s a genuine two miler plus this horse,” Moody said after yesterday’s Geelong Cup win.

Moody is keen to give Ibicenco his chance at Flemington knowing his can run out the tough 3200m after the German import was successful over that journey in winning the Listed $150,000 Sportingbet Sandown Cup at Sandown last Spring.

Moody said that he will take the chance of Ibicenco making the final 2013 Melbourne Cup field and won’t run the import again before November 5.

“He wouldn’t run again, he will go straight into the race. I think he has done his job, he has won two stakes races this time around and that should be sufficient to get him into the race,” Moody said.

Ibicenco is currently a $34 chance in 2013 Melbourne Cup betting which has Fiorente the $5.50 favourite ahead of Dandino at $7 and Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner and Puissance De Line at $11.