Yesterday the 2010 Caulfield Cup second declarations were taken with a total of 71 horses still in contention for the $2.5 million event on October 16.

Thirty-eight horses from the first declaration stage were not paid up for by their connections yesterday, most notably the John Wallace-trained Shoot Out.

The High Chaparral four-year-old will instead target the 2010 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 23 and the 150^th Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday November 2.

The other big name not paid up for yesterday was the Bart Cummings-trained So You Think.

Last year’s Cox Plate champion was one of the top early fancies in the Caulfield Cup betting markets, but Cummings is instead firmly focused on securing back-to-back Cox Plates with the recent Underwood Stakes winner.

Notable Absentees from 2010 Caulfield Cup Second Declarations:

• Shoot Out (John Wallace)
• So You Think (Bart Cummings)
• Largo Lad (David Hayes)
• Imposing (Robert Hickmott)
• Black Mamba (Gai Waterhouse)
• Moatize (Bart Cummings)

Other notable absentees from the 2010 Caulfield Cup field after the second declaration stage include Largo Lad, British raider Imposing and Cummings injured gelding Moatize.

Bart Cummings still has a vice-like grip over the Caulfield Cup this year, however, with five of his stable stars still in contention including Faint Perfume, Precedence and his brilliant mare Dariana who is the firm favourite to win after her impressive second to So You Think in the Underwood.

Other early favourites in the Caulfield Cup betting at Sportsbet that are among the second declarations include Moudre, Herculian Prince and Valdemoro.

Interestingly, all three are yet to qualify for a spot in the 18-horse final field for next month’s race and with just three of the top 36 already qualified horses not paid up for – So You Think, Shoot Out and Gai Waterhouse’s imported galloper Black Mamba –  it is crunch time for connections to get their hopefuls through.

There are still four races that will earn the winner a Caulfield Cup ballot exemption left in the lead-up to the famous 2,400m handicap and they are the:

• Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 2
• Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 9
• Group 1 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 9
• Group 2 Herbert Power Handicap (2400m) at Caulfield on October 9

International Horses Still in Contention after 2010 Caulfield Cup Second Declarations:

• Tokai Trick (Japan)
• Mr Medici (Hong Kong)
• Americain (France)
• Manighar (UK)
• Drunken Sailor (UK)
• Becqu Adoree (UK
• Laristan (France)

Seven international horses still on track for the Caulfield Cup include Japan’s Tokai Trick and Mr Medici from Hong Kong who has now arrived at the Werribee quarantine centre.

The second declarations for the $3 million Cox Plate were also taken yesterday, with the most noteworthy omissions being Faint Perfume and Mick Price’s Heart Of Dreams, ruled out for the spring after jarring up in Saturday’s Underwood Stakes.

Check out the updated betting markets for both of these spring majors now at [sportsbet] and lock in a better price on your favourites than at the TAB!

2010 Caulfield Cup Second Declarations

#	Horse	Trainer	Ballot	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	ALANDI (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	2	58	118
2	SHOCKING	Mark Kavanagh	1	57	117
3	METAL BENDER (NZ)	Chris Waller	3	56	116
4	MR MEDICI (IRE)	Peter Ho	=5	55	112
5	TOKAI TRICK (JPN)	Kenji Nonaka	=7	54.5	110
6	MONACO CONSUL (NZ)	Michael Moroney	4	54	108
7	AMERICAIN (USA)	Alain de Royer Dupre	=11	54	109
8	BUCCELLATI (GB)	Tony Noonan	=11	54	108
9	DOCTOR FREMANTLE (GB)	Lee Freedman	=11	54	108
10	HARRIS TWEED (NZ)	Murray & Bjorn Baker	=11	54	107
11	MANIGHAR (FR)	Luca Cumani	=11	54	109
12	MASTER O’REILLY (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	=11	54	108
13	TRIPLE HONOUR (NZ)	Chris Waller	=11	54	114
14	ZAVITE (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	=11	54	111
15	C’EST LA GUERRE (NZ)	Robert Hickmott	52	54	108
16	ALCOPOP	Jake Stephens	=21	53.5	106
17	MOURAYAN (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	=21	53.5	107
18	RED RULER (NZ)	John Sargent	=21	53.5	107
19	SPEED GIFTED (GB)	Lee Freedman	=21	53.5	107
20	VIGOR (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	=21	53.5	111
21	ZABRASIVE (NZ)	John O’Shea	=7	53	107
22	DRUNKEN SAILOR (IRE)	Luca Cumani	=27	53	107
23	DESCARADO (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	=11	52.5	107
24	JESSICABEEL (NZ)	John O’Shea	=11	52.5	108
25	FAINT PERFUME	Bart Cummings	=5	52	108
26	DARIANA	Bart Cummings	=7	51.5	109
27	ONCE WERE WILD	Gai Waterhouse	=7	51.5	108
28	EXTRA ZERO	David Hayes	=27	51.5	100
29	ABOVE AVERAGE (IRE)	Lee Freedman	=34	51.5	100
30	FANJURA (IRE)	Lee Freedman	=34	51.5	101
31	HERCULIAN PRINCE (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	=34	51.5	100
32	RAFFAELLO	Jim Marconi	=34	51.5	104
33	CHARTREUX	David Hayes	=29	51	95
34	LINTON	Robert Hickmott	=29	51	99
35	BRILLIANT LIGHT	Kerry Parker	=38	51	104
36	GINGA DUDE (NZ)	Graeme Boyd	=38	51	100
37	MOUDRE	Ciaron Maher	=38	51	101
38	STERLING PRINCE (NZ)	Wayne Hillis	=38	51	102
39	TRUSTING	John P Thompson	53	51	103
40	EMPIRES CHOICE (NZ)	Bart Cummings	=54	51	103
41	GORKY PARK (NZ)	David Hayes	=54	51	101
42	SMALL MINDS	John P Thompson	=21	50.5	94
43	PRECEDENCE (NZ)	Bart Cummings	=42	50.5	101
44	KEEP THE PEACE (NZ)	Shaune Ritchie	=29	50	102
45	MISS KEEPSAKE (NZ)	Andrew Scott	=29	50	102
46	VALDEMORO	Tony Vasil	=29	50	102
47	COUNT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	=42	50	93
48	LARISTAN (FR)	David Hayes	=42	50	95
49	PERSIAN STAR	Robert Smerdon	=42	50	100
50	AVIENUS	Mark Webb	=46	50	100
51	FAIRFIELD FLAME (GER)	Michael Moroney	=46	50	82
52	GALLANT LADY	Lee Freedman	=46	50	75
53	MR CHARLIE (NZ)	Peter G Moody	=46	50	93
54	RUNDLE	Robert Hickmott	=46	50	78
55	SNOW ALERT	Chris Waller	=46	50	100
56	APPREHEND	Tony Vasil	=56	50	96
57	BECQU ADOREE (FR)	Luca Cumani	=56	50	89
58	BERLIOZ (NZ)	David Hayes	=56	50	93
59	BRIGHTNIGHT (NZ)	Bart Cummings	=56	50	68
60	COUNT DEWIN	Mathew Cooper	=56	50	76
61	HASTEIN (NZ)	Mark Kavanagh	=56	50	81
62	LANDLOCKED (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	=56	50	69
63	MILES ABOVE	Denis Daffy	=56	50	89
64	MUIR (GB)	Robert Hickmott	=56	50	86
65	NO JURISDICTION	Danny O’Brien	=56	50	91
66	NOTHIN’ LEICA CAT (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	=56	50	–
67	ROWLAND	Robbie Laing	=56	50	78
68	SAINT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	=56	50	–
69	TOKEN OF HONOUR	David Hayes	=56	50	82
70	TRIUMPHANT CHOICE	Peter G Moody	=56	50	72
71	ZANTELAGH	Mark Kavanagh	=56	50	72