The Melbourne Cup 2017 field is starting to take shape ahead of the two mile classic on Tuesday November 7 and below the Races.com.au team look over the confirmed Melbourne Cup horses and hoops.
Humidor is one of two 2017 Melbourne Cup horses confirmed for trainer Darren Weir. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
As it stands there are 18 confirmed Melbourne Cup jockeys for the Group 1 $6.25 million Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) following the official second acceptances on Monday that left 36 stayers in contention for the world’s richest handicap.
The Melbourne Cup field has a capacity 24 starters and one final spot is up for grabs to the winner of Saturday’s Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Stakes (2500m) on Victoria Derby Day.
After the Victoria Derby Day racing action, Racing Victoria take the Melbourne Cup final acceptances and announce the starting line-up for the ‘Race That Stops A Nation’ live from Flemington Racecourse.
Of the Melbourne Cup second acceptances inside the top 24 on the latest order of entry, two are unlikely final acceptors: Gallante (20th) and Qewy (22nd) prepared by Robert Hickmott and England’s Charlie Appleby respectively.
If that proves the case, then the Hugo Palmer-trained international Wall Of Fire (24th) will make the Melbourne Cup field and jockey Craig Williams is on standby for the ride.
Wall Of Fire debuted down under on October 14 in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) finishing second to Lord Fandango and is an $11 shot in pre-field Melbourne Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Right on the cusp of making the final 24 Melbourne Cup horses are Michael Kent-trained mare Abbey Marie (25th), Thomas Hobson (26th) and Harlem (27th).
The only one of those set to race between now and Melbourne Cup Day is the Lindsay Park-trained Harlem who is nominated for the 2017 Lexus Stakes.
It is looking like the Melbourne Cup field will feature around 10 international horses.
2017 Melbourne Cup Field: Likely International Horses
- Tiberian (FR)
- Rekindling (GB)
- Red Cardinal (IRE)
- Marmelo (GB)
- Johannes Vermeer (IRE)
- Max Dynamite (FR)
- Ventura Storm (IRE)
- US Army Ranger (IRE)
- Nakeeta (GB)
- Wall Of Fire (IRE)
The best fancied of those in futures markets is Marmelo ($8) who blitzed his late sectionals when dead-heating for sixth first-up in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
The dour stayer was always tipped to be peaking up over the two miles and jockey Hugh Bowman will retain the ride on the Duke Of Marmalade stallion.
The Andreas Wohler-trained German raider Protectionist (2014) was the last internationally-trained Melbourne Cup winner.
Wohler returns in 2017 chasing a second ‘Loving Trophy’ with Red Cardinal, the $11 shot undefeated over the distance.
Dual Melbourne Cup winning hoop Kerrin McEvoy, who was on Almandin for the 2016 win, is booked to partner Red Cardinal first-up chasing successive wins by a jockey for the first time since Glen Boss rode Makybe Diva (2003-05) for her unprecedented three victories.
The other key international Melbourne Cup horses this spring include Caulfield Cup third placegetter Johannes Vermeer to be ridden by Ben Melham, Rekindling who 2009 Melbourne Cup winning hoop Corey Brown rides, the 2015 runner-up Max Dynamite.
The reigning champion Almandin remains favourite at $6.50 to go back-to-back and Frankie Dettori is the confirmed hoop after the suspension of Damien Oliver.
Trainer Darren Weir will be dually represented in the race this year chasing a second win after the upset of 100/1 winner Prince Of Penzance (2015).
Weir saddles-up Cox Plate runner-up Humidor and The Bart Cummings winning mare Amelie’s Star to be ridden by Blake Shinn and Dean Yendall respectively.
See below for the current Melbourne Cup 2017 field prediction, confirmed Melbourne Cup horses and the latest Melbourne Cup jockeys to have picked up a ride in the classic before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for the markets.
Latest 2017 Melbourne Cup Field
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Ballot | Weight(kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOOM TIME | Cory Parish | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 1 | 53 |
| AMELIE’S STAR | Dean Yendall | Darren Weir | 2 | 51 |
| HARTNELL (GB) | Damian Lane | James Cummings | 3 | 57.5 |
| ALMANDIN (GER) | Frankie Dettori | Robert Hickmott | 4 | 56.5 |
| JON SNOW (NZ) | Stephen Baster | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | 5 | 54.5 |
| HUMIDOR (NZ) | Blake Shinn | Darren Weir | 6 | 56 |
| TIBERIAN (FR) | Olivier Peslier | Alain Couetil | 7 | 55.5 |
| REKINDLING (GB) | Corey Brown | Joseph O’Brien | 8 | 51.5 |
| RED CARDINAL (IRE) | Kerrin McEvoy | Andreas Wohler | 9 | 55 |
| MARMELO (GB) | Hugh Bowman | Hughie Morrison | 10 | 55 |
| SINGLE GAZE | Kathy O’Hara | Nick Olive | 11 | 53 |
| JOHANNES VERMEER (IRE) | Ben Melham | Aidan O’Brien | 12 | 54.5 |
| WHO SHOT THEBARMAN (NZ) | Tommy Berry | Chris Waller | 13 | 54 |
| MAX DYNAMITE (FR) | TBA | William Mullins | 14 | 54 |
| VENTURA STORM (IRE) | Glen Boss | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 15 | 54 |
| WICKLOW BRAVE (GB) | TBA | William Mullins | 16 | 54 |
| BONDI BEACH (IRE) | TBA | Robert Hickmott | 17 | 54 |
| US ARMY RANGER (IRE) | TBA | Joseph O’Brien | 18 | 53.5 |
| BIG DUKE (IRE) | Brenton Avdulla | Darren Weir | 19 | 53.5 |
| GALLANTE (IRE) (unlikely) | – | Robert Hickmott | 20 | 53 |
| LIBRAN (IRE) | Dwayne Dunn | Chris Waller | 21 | 53 |
| QEWY (IRE) (unlikely) | – | Charlie Appleby | 22 | 53 |
| NAKEETA (GB) | Glyn Schofield | Iain Jardine | 23 | 53 |
| WALL OF FIRE (IRE) | Craig Williams | Hugo Palmer | 24 | 53 |
| ABBEY MARIE | – | Michael Kent | 25 | 51.5 |
| THOMAS HOBSON (GB) | – | William Mullins | 26 | 52 |
| HARLEM (GB) | – | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 27 | 51.5 |
| ALOFT (IRE) | – | Robert Hickmott | 28 | 51.5 |
| FOUNDRY (IRE) | – | Robert Hickmott | 29 | 51 |
| VENGEUR MASQUE (IRE) | – | Michael Moroney | 30 | 50.5 |
| PENTATHLON (NZ) | – | John Wheeler | 31 | 50.5 |
| COOL CHAP | – | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 32 | 50 |
| CISMONTANE (NZ) | – | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | =33 | 50 |
| KELLSTORM (IRE) | – | Darren Weir | =33 | 50 |
| GUARDINI (FR) | – | Darren Weir | 35 | 53 |
| ALWARD (IRE) | – | Chris Waller | 36 | 50 |
