Pre-post favourite Hartnell has been allocated the 58kg top weight for the Caulfield Cup 2017, handicaps for it and the Melbourne Cup both announced by Racing Victoria today.

Hartnell is the 2017 Caulfield Cup top-weight as a multiple Group 1 winning seven-year-old. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

It has been a decade since weights for both the famous Spring Cup features were released on the same day and, in another big announcement, chief handicapper Greg Carpenter also confirmed no penalty for the Caulfield Cup winner should they already be allocated 56kg or more in the original 2017 Melbourne Cup weights.

“On the basis of the research we’ve done as a handicapping panel over the past 40-year period, it seems obvious it is very difficult to win a Caulfield Cup and then 17 days run in a Melbourne Cup with more than 56kg,” Carpenter said.

“So, for this year, should the winner of the Caulfield Cup already have 56kg or more in the Melbourne Cup, the Racing Victoria handicapping panel won’t be issuing a penalty.

“Secondly if the winner of the Caulfield Cup has less than 56kg, the quantum of that penalty won’t take the winner beyond 56kg.”

Run on October 21, this year’s Group 1 $3 million BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) drew 142 nominations, and of those the Godolphin-raced, James Cummings-trained Hartnell is allocated the most kilos.

The seven-year-old leads pre-field Caulfield Cup betting at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $6.50 to continue the nice recent record of that age group in the mile and a half feature.

If successful, the gelding would join Dunaden (2012) and Admire Rakti (2014) as seven-year-old Caulfield Cup winners who both also carted 58kg to victory.

Hartnell resumed racing with a Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) win at Caulfield and races again this weekend at Flemington in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m).

He is a proven spring performer boasting a Cox Plate second and Melbourne Cup third from 2016, but is yet to line-up in a Caulfield Cup field.

The only other current single-figure fancy in all-in Caulfield Cup odds online is the Kiwi mare Bonneval ($8) who won the NZ Oaks – ATC Oaks double last season.

Co-trained by Murray Baker who won the Caulfield Cup two years back with Mongolian Khan, the daughter of Makfi kicked off her four-year-old season last Saturday with success in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m).

Bonneval is allocated just 52.5kg in the Caulfield Cup weights, the same kilos then four-year-old mare Jameka carried to victory over the boys last spring.

Baker also has another livewire Caulfield Cup hope in ATC Derby winner Jon Snow ($17), the four-year-old entire allocated 54.5kg.

After Hartnell the other highest weighted Caulfield Cup nominees are the reigning Melbourne Cup winner Almandin (56.5kg), and the Darren Weir-trained duo of Japanese expat Admire Deus (56kg) and Australian Guineas winner Humidor (56kg).

Of the 22 international Caulfield Cup nominees there are three heaviest weighted on 55kg: Roger Varian-trained Hardwicke Stakes runner-up Barsanti, last start Prix Kergorlay winner over 2000m Marmelo and Prize Money prepared by Saeed Bin Suroor for Godolphin.

Check out the full Caulfield Cup 2017 weights below before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for updated odds on the spring showdown.

2017 Caulfield Cup Weights

Caulfield Racecourse – 21/10/2017