There are now 55 stayers chasing a spot on the coveted 24-horse Lexus Melbourne Cup 2024 field this November following second acceptances for the ‘Race That Stops a Nation’ on November 5.
The VRC took the latest round of declarations for this year’s Group 1 $8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) on Tuesday with the potential line-up down from 72 at first acceptances stage.
The dream of winning Australia’s most famous race is still alive for connections of six international raiders who were paid up for at second declaration stage including the all-in favourite Jan Brueghel.
Ace English hoop Ryan Moore is booked for the ride on the undefeated Aidan O’Brien-trained son of Galileo whose recent Group 1 St. Leger win at Doncaster has shot him to the top of pre-field Melbourne Cup odds at $6 through Ladbrokes.com.au.
Fellow internationals Vauban and Absurde, both trained by Willie Mullins, have also had their Melbourne Cup jockeys confirmed with William Buick and Kerrin McEvoy locked in respectively on the two top gallopers.
Flat and hurdle star Absurde is looking to improve on his seventh to Without A Fight last year when ridden by Zac Purton, while last start Irish St. Leger runner-up Vauban was 14th last year with Moore aboard.
Hong Kong-based Purton is in Australia for the spring majors and will ride the Chris Waller-trained Land Legend this weekend in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) as well as the Melbourne Cup should the last start The Metropolitan champion go all the way.
Waller still has 13 Melbourne Cup-bound horses in total as he looks for a second win following his 2021 triumph with Verry Elleegant.
Other standouts for Waller heading towards the Melbourne Cup include his Underwood champion Buckaroo who is favourite in Caulfield Cup betting and the now topweight Via Sistina who was last seen winning the Turnbull.
The best fancied of the Golden Ticket holders with a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption is the in-form Point King, who Jamie Kah is locked in to ride, for Anthony & Sam Freedman who won the Lexus Archer Stakes before a narrow The Bart Cummings second.
Gai Waterhouse won the Melbourne Cup with Fiorente back in 2013 and is after her first in partnership with Adrian Bott.
The Waterhouse/Bott contingent features four second acceptors including The Bart Cummings winner Just Fine and led in the markets by the consistent import Eliyass.
Eliyass was last seen running third in Flemington’s Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) and lines-up from the outside barrier in Saturday’s Caulfield Cup field.
Tim Clark will ride Eliyass in the Melbourne Cup.
Japan’s Warp Speed is the sole international racing in the Caulfield Cup, and he also holds a Melbourne Cup entry looking to join Delta Blues (2006) as the Japanese-trained champions of the two-mile classic.
Ciaron Maher is emerging as a top trainer of stayers and he has eight still heading towards the famous Flemington Race 7 on the first Tuesday of November including the Sydney Cup winner Circle Of Fire and the intriguing Sayedaty Sadaty who makes his Australian race debut in the Caulfield Cup.
2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup third acceptances close at 10am (AEDT) on October 28.
2024 Melbourne Cup Second Acceptances
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1x7P41x41x | ABSURDE (FR) | G | 7 | Willie Mullins | |
| 2 | 8x06212x79 | ALEGRON | G | 6 | Bjorn Baker | |
| 3 | 2x6442x800 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | G | 6 | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | |
| 4 | x7x2111234 | BERKSHIRE BREEZE (IRE) | G | 6 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 5 | 113x6x | BIRDMAN (IRE) | G | 4 | Chris Waller | |
| 6 | 8x766x0734 | BRAYDEN STAR (GB) | G | 6 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | |
| 7 | x5356x8112 | BUCKAROO (GB) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | |
| 8 | 43x4411x89 | CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB) | H | 5 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 9 | 5x1131x765 | COCO SUN | M | 4 | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | |
| 10 | 25058×0018 | CONVENER (FR) | G | 6 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 11 | x034021x51 | DENY KNOWLEDGE (IRE) | M | 7 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | |
| 12 | 0x0005x800 | EL BODEGON (IRE) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | |
| 13 | x211x1x113 | ELIYASS (FR) | G | 6 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |
| 14 | x871x31515 | ETNA ROSSO (IRE) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 15 | 8x58610x53 | FANCY MAN (IRE) | G | 7 | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | |
| 16 | x0570x0797 | FRANCESCO GUARDI (IRE) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | |
| 17 | 3x44111x18 | HAARACAINE (IRE) | H | 5 | Nick Ryan | |
| 18 | 11155×670 | IMMEDIACY (NZ) | G | 4 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | |
| 19 | 5916×00086 | INTERPRETATION (IRE) | G | 7 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 20 | 1111 | JAN BRUEGHEL (IRE) | H | 4 | Aidan O’Brien | |
| 21 | 10x85x0501 | JUST FINE (IRE) | G | 7 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |
| 22 | 0x0213x486 | KALAPOUR (IRE) | G | 8 | Kris Lees | |
| 23 | 82×12222 | KINESIOLOGY (GB) | H | 4 | Chris Waller | |
| 24 | 3x24234x90 | KNIGHT’S CHOICE | G | 5 | John Symons & Sheila Laxon | |
| 25 | 095365×342 | KOVALICA (NZ) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 26 | 2755x1x061 | LAND LEGEND (FR) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 27 | 0172x00x89 | LE DON DE VIE (GB) | G | 9 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 28 | 1x0010x330 | MAHRAJAAN (USA) | G | 7 | Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray | |
| 29 | x88520x230 | MANZOICE | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 30 | 1x3568x990 | MILITARY MISSION (IRE) | G | 7 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |
| 31 | x92441x345 | MISSION OF LOVE | M | 5 | John Symons & Sheila Laxon | |
| 32 | x23622x440 | MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) | G | 6 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | |
| 33 | 1116x84x23 | MURAMASA | G | 5 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | |
| 34 | 513x00x802 | OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) | H | 7 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 35 | 364282×174 | ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA) | G | 7 | Brian Ellison | |
| 36 | 28x4x8x112 | POINT KING (IRE) | G | 6 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | |
| 37 | 781291×217 | POSITIVITY (NZ) | M | 4 | Andrew Forsman | |
| 38 | 11x4225x34 | QUANTUM CAT (USA) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 39 | 31×02 | RED ACES | C | 3 | Nick Ryan | |
| 40 | 7x154x1333 | ROYAL PATRONAGE (FR) | H | 6 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | |
| 41 | x31123x849 | SAINT GEORGE (GB) | H | 5 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 42 | L13x225x3x | SAYEDATY SADATY (IRE) | H | 4 | Ciaron Maher | |
| 43 | 104x10136x | SEA KING (GB) | G | 6 | Harry Eustace | |
| 44 | 0x3669x020 | SHARP ’N’ SMART (NZ) | G | 5 | Graeme & Deborah Rogerson | |
| 45 | x12211x905 | THE MAP | M | 6 | Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray | |
| 46 | 11626×6304 | TRUST IN YOU (NZ) | G | 6 | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | |
| 47 | 11x41x3123 | UNUSUAL LEGACY (NZ) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 48 | x212256x00 | VALIANT KING (GB) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | |
| 49 | 11x0x24312 | VAUBAN (FR) | G | 7 | Willie Mullins | |
| 50 | 2x2x12x151 | VIA SISTINA (IRE) | M | 7 | Chris Waller | |
| 51 | 115x8x94 | WALTHAM (GB) | G | 5 | Matthew Smith | |
| 52 | 6x62521x40 | WARMONGER (NZ) | G | 4 | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | |
| 53 | 3x414x325x | WARP SPEED (JPN) | H | 6 | Noboru Takagi | |
| 54 | 11x068x631 | WHISKY ON THE HILL (GB) | G | 5 | Michael Moroney & Glen Thompson | |
| 55 | x0132x6652 | ZARDOZI | M | 4 | James Cummings |
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