The greatest horse race on Earth?
It is nearly time for one of the greatest horse races on Earth. The Melbourne Cup is, without a doubt, the most important thoroughbred horse race in Australia. It ranks right up there with the most prestigious events in the world. Not only is it Australia’s premier horse-racing event, but it is also a national holiday. The meet takes place on the first Tuesday in November and has been a constant in the sporting calendar since it was first to run in 1861. The action takes place at the Flemington track which has a maximum capacity of 24 horses. The entrants are not yet confirmed, but hopeful punters are eyeing the competition.
How to pick a ‘winner.’
Some people pick a horse based on its name or the colour of the jockey’s silk. Some choose based on a lucky number. Others enter the workplace sweepstakes and find they have the favourite on their card. The more serious gambler will make all kinds of calculations based on how the horse has performed over the season, who the jockey is and what the racing conditions will be like. However they like to choose, they can find plenty of information, the latest odds and a list of betting payment methods at aussiebet.com. The Melbourne Cup is the day everyone likes to have a flutter, and someone is going to be lucky.
International competition
The Melbourne Cup is a fixture on the international horse-racing calendar, and over the last seven years, five of the winners have been trained at overseas stables. A serious punter must look for a good galloper, a horse who can stay the course. The official list of entrants is announced on the Saturday before the race. Then the draw takes place to determine the positions the contenders will line up at the barrier. The Melbourne Cup is fascinating because it isn’t always the favourites who romp to glory. In 2015, the Prince Of Penzance won with odds of 101 to 1.
Under starters orders
While the final lineup is yet to be confirmed, here is a look at a couple of horses that are getting attention from the bookies.
The Favourites
The two most favoured horses are currently at 8:1. They are Deauville Legend and Loft. However, odds move all the time, so this could change over the coming weeks.
Deauville Legend is a four-year-old gelding from Newmarket, UK. He is trained by James Ferguson and has had massive success, including winning by nearly three lengths in York in August. He may have a French name, but he is of Irish thoroughbred stock, and his stables hope he will claim the cup for the British. It is expected that three times champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy will be in the saddle.
Loft is a five-year-old German-bred gelding trained by Marcel Weiss. Weiss is hoping that Loft will be the first German winner since 2014. He had three clear lengths over the opposition at the Belmont Gold Cup. Last year’s winning jockey James McDonald is booked to ride him. The choice of jockey could be what has moved Loft from second to joint-favourite in the early stakes.
The Outsiders
It is hard to pick any particular underdogs at the moment. Until you know which horses have made the final cut, the list of potential runners is undecided. This is one of the factors that make it such an exciting race.
How many horses are in contention?
One hundred eighty-six have been put forward for the 162nd running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington this year. The draw includes 43 horses from international stables. The number of international entries could have a real effect on the result – as previously stated, the favourites are both non-Australian thoroughbreds. The increase in the overseas contingent is all part of the world settling back to pre-global pandemic norms. In 2021 there were only 15 international entries by comparison to this year.