The in-form Team Hayes-trained topweight Here To Shock heads betting on The Big Dance 2024 race in Sydney this Melbourne Cup Day.

While Tuesday’s racing action is headlined by the 164th running of the ‘Race That Stops a Nation’ with the 2024 Melbourne Cup stealing the show at Flemington at 3:00pm (AEDT), up in Sydney at Randwick on the same day the country gallopers face off in the lucrative $3 million The Big Dance (1600m) which officially gained Listed status this year.

Sitting top of The Big Dance field and betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au, Here To Shock chases a hat-trick but will need to be good with the hefty weight.

The talented Shocking seven-year-old is drawn the inside alley in the bumper 20-starter field with Nash Rawiller, who rode the inaugural winner Rustic Steel to victory in 2022 for Kris Lees, booked to ride on 62kg.

Here To Shock won the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) at Newcastle two back with 59kg before a last start $1.5 million Alan Brown win at Rosehill by a narrow margin last start.

The dangers occupying the equal second line of The Big Dance betting at $5.50 each are the Alan Brown Stakes runner-up Gringotts with the second outside alley to overcome and Kris Lees‘ last start winner Tavi Time dropping notably in weight.

Gringotts may have suffered a blow with a nasty The Big Dance barrier draw, but there’s money for the Ciaron Maher-trained Per Incanto five-year-old to overcome the alley and return to winning form.

He won three on the trot last prep and comes off back-to-back seconds this time in with Tommy Berry coming aboard in Sydney this weekend.

Tavi Time meanwhile is the horse to back in The Big Dance based on the weights with the Newcastle-based son of Tavistock a last start winner over the Warwick Farm mile with 60kg.

He is in The Big Dance field on just 53kg and will be flying under those kilos with Chad Schofield in the saddle from barrier nine.

Despite a capacity field, currently no other The Big Dance contenders are at single-figure odds for the win.

The early The Big Dance market mover meanwhile is the Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald-trained Redstone Well ($23 into $17) who has won two of his past three starts.

The six-year-old impressed with a big weight in the Port Macquarie Cup to earn his spot in Tuesday’s event and drops from 62kg to 55.5kg.

The 2024 The Big Dance is set to run as Randwick Race 5 at 2:20pm (AEDT).

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