The race that stops a nation will have all Australia at a standstill on Tuesday afternoon local time when the 2023 running of the Melbourne Cup takes place at Flemington.
The two-mile Group 1 sees 24 entries this year, and the favourite with William Hill for the lion’s share of the A$8.41m prize money is Irish-trained horse Vauban, at 3.50.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 6th, 12:00 P.M. (GMT)
The five-year-old is trained by top jumps trainer Willie Mullins, who has a rare opportunity to win one of the world’s most prestigious flat races, with 2014 winner Ryan Moore taking the ride.
After switching from hurdling earlier this year, Vauban beat stablemate Absurde to win the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot, then won at Group 3 at Naas in August. He has also won over two miles, but over hurdles.
Vauban may be the clear favourite but he will not win without a fight from Without A Fight, ridden by last year’s winning jockey Mark Zahra, at 6.50.
Winner of the G1 Caulfield Cup just over two weeks ago, Anthony & Sam Freedman’s six-year-old now has three wins in his last four, but could only manage 13th in this race twelve months ago.
Last year’s winner, Gold Trip, is at 7.00 to be the first horse since Makybe Diva in 2005 to retain the title.
Without Zahra, Ciaron Maher & David Eustace have called on James McDonald to ride the six-year-old who has run eight times since the 2022 triumph, winning only once, though that did come at Flemington last month in the Turnbull Stakes.
Only one of those eight have come under McDonald – a 15th of 18 in April’s Sydney Cup.
After finishing second to Vauban, 9.00 chance Absurde has finished sixth in a novice hurdle and then won a York handicap when returning to the flat. He will be ridden by Zac Purton for the first time tomorrow.
Also at 9.00 is Chris Waller’s Soulcombe who was third in the Turnbull and could only manage seventh in the Caulfield Cup. A good omen, though, may be a win in the Queen’s Cup at this meeting twelve months ago.
Hollie Doyle rides Future History (15.00), the next best-fancied of the five Maher & Eustace runners, while Lastotchka (15.00) comes into her first race outside France on the back of a win at Longchamp.
Japanese runner Breakup (17.00) finished in mid-division in the Caulfield Cup in preparation for this, while the rest are between 23.00 and 101.00.
