The race to secure a start in next week’s Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington remains hotly contested with a total of 47 horses – up from 36 at the same time last year – among Monday's second acceptances for the $7.3 million race.
Headlining the horses that remain in contention for Australia’s most famous horse race is Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m) champion Best Solution, The Bart Cummings (2500m) winner Avilius and Yucatan Ire, the Irish-trained stayer who rocketed to favouritism with his victory in this month’s Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield.
Other notable acceptors on Monday include Saturday’s ruling AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) favourite, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Thinkin’ Big, his stablemate and last week’s Geelong Cup (2400m) winner Runaway and Saturday’s impressive Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) winner Ventura Storm.
The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Best Solution and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Yucatan Ire are two of 15 internationally-trained horses that feature among the second acceptances with 11 of those guaranteed a start in the Melbourne Cup.
Included amongst the 11 internationals currently inside the top 24 is the Andrew Balding-trained Duretto who will undergo an examination at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre tomorrow to determine his suitability to be a final acceptor.
O’Brien has also accepted with Caulfield Cup placegetter The Cliffsofmoher and northern hemisphere three-year-old Rostropovich who debuted in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate on Saturday, but has elected to withdraw Our Idaho.
Monday's other notable withdrawals were Cox Plate placegetter Humidor, Caulfield Cup runner-up Homesman, the injured Kings Will Dream and a trio of horses that finished unplaced in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup in The Taj Mahal, Egg Tart and Big Duke.
With the withdrawals, Runaway is tantalising close to a guaranteed start moving to 23rd in the Order of Entry, whilst the Mike Moroney-trained Vengeur Masque (17th) is assured of his place next Tuesday after narrowly missing a berth in the past two years.
The horses currently occupying the five spots directly outside the top 24 are New Zealand-trained Sir Charles Road (25th), Scottish entry Nakeeta (26th), Japanese visitor Sole Impact (27th), locally-trained Miss Admiration (28th) and UK visitor A Prince of Arran (29th).
For those outside the top 24, the only guaranteed way to secure a start is to win Saturday’s Group 3 Hotham Handicap (2500m) at Flemington which offers a ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup.
The Victoria Derby is not a ballot exempt race for the Melbourne Cup, however if Thinkin’ Big was to win then he would receive a weight penalty or, in lieu of any penalty, have his weight below the benchmark adjusted in accordance with the conditions of the race which could deliver him a start.
If Thinkin’ Big, who is currently last in the Order of Entry, was to run second or third in the Derby then he will pass the ballot, but his weight below benchmark cannot be adjusted and thus he would be reliant solely on attrition to secure a start in the Cup.
Final acceptances for the Melbourne Cup will be taken at 4.30pm (AEST) on Saturday, 3 November 2018.
