Melbourne Cup 2024

The Field

1	VAUBAN (FR)	[0.00/0.89]	[2-5-20-9-0]
2	BUCKAROO (GB)	[0.59/1.97]	[15-11-25-7-0]
3	CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB)	[-0.13/0.60]	[2-0-8-6-0]
4	WARP SPEED (JPN)	[0.78/3.00]	[5-4-9-0-0]
5	KOVALICA (NZ)	[0.12/1.48]	[0-10-11-3-2]
6	SHARP ’N’ SMART (NZ)	[0.24/1.34]	[3-8-17-6-0]
7	JUST FINE (IRE)	[0.33/1.48]	[5-6-21-4-0]
8	LAND LEGEND (FR)	[-0.03/0.77]	[4-3-19-12-0]
9	ABSURDE (FR)	[0.66/2.23]	[14-9-23-4-0]
10	ATHABASCAN (FR)	[0.50/3.00]	[0-5-5-0-0]
11	KNIGHT’S CHOICE	[1.03/5.67]	[10-12-7-1-0]
12	OKITA SOUSHI (IRE)	[0.23/1.09]	[9-5-22-12-0]
13	ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA)	[0.62/2.47]	[5-9-9-3-0]
14	ZARDOZI	[0.06/1.12]	[0-8-3-7-0]
15	SEA KING (GB)	[0.38/2.00]	[1-8-14-1-0]
16	VALIANT KING (GB)	[0.69/2.56]	[4-4-7-1-0]
17	FANCY MAN (IRE)	[0.13/1.17]	[2-8-21-7-0]
18	INTERPRETATION (IRE)	[0.07/1.00]	[3-9-18-12-0]
19	MANZOICE	[0.92/5.00]	[3-5-4-0-0]
20	MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE)	[-0.33/0.45]	[1-0-13-10-0]
21	POSITIVITY (NZ)	[0.63/1.91]	[6-1-7-1-1]
22	SAINT GEORGE (GB)	[0.04/0.85]	[3-2-12-7-0]
23	THE MAP	[-0.17/0.71]	[2-1-19-6-2]
24	TRUST IN YOU (NZ)	[0.71/3.80]	[4-12-6-1-1]

Comments

It looks like a year for favourites to me in what has turned into quite a disappointing field. The top weight carries only 55.5kg while there are eight horses carrying only 50kg. In terms of dosages, I see only five real chances in the race:

1. VAUBAN - a top quality international who could easily win the race. Drawn nicely in barrier 11 and to be ridden by the top UK jockey William Buick. Buick has ridden in the race on multiple occasions but without success. Vauban traces to the family of a legendary German stallion called Windwurf.

2. BUCKAROO - impossible to fault his form but drawing barrier 21 does him no favours. He has the remarkable Joao Moreira on board so if anyone can offset this, he is the man.

8 LAND LEGEND - another who is drawn wide but Zac Purton is riding and is another of those special jockeys who can overcome these sorts of setbacks. He won the Metropolitan in Sydney but the last Metrop winner to go on to take the Melbourne Cup was Macdougal in 1959

9 ABSURDE - a son of Fastnet Rock like Buckaroo who we do not usually consider a staying sire in Australia. Isn't it remarkable how stallions can achieve markedly different results with different broodmare bands? He has won over the Hurdles in the UK and his form is certainly not around the top level of racing like Vauban. Still, he has drawn well and should run a solid two miles giving him a live chance on Tuesday.

12 OKITA SOUSHI - a Japanese horse who came out to race in the Cup last year but failed on the hard track. He was subsequently sold through an Inglis online sale and he has gone from strength to strength this campaign after acclimatising well to his new conditions. To be ridden by Jamie Kah and has drawn well in barrier ten. He is by the champion stallion in Galileo out of a Fastnet Rock mare, and he hails from the same family as Elvstroem, who finished fourth behind Makybe Diva in the 2004 Melbourne Cup.

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The Field

Comments