The 2010 Melbourne Cup second declarations were taken by VRC today narrowing down the list of stayers vying for a spot in the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field to 78.

Seventy-three horses have dropped out of contention since the first declaration stage for the 150^th Melbourne Cup, due to run as Race 7 at Flemington on Tuesday November 2.

Cups King Bart Cummings has paid up for five of his stable stars to continue on the $6 million Melbourne Cup path as the legendary trainer attempts his 13^th Melbourne Cup win.

Cummings still has Cox Plate champion So You Think, recent JRA Cup winner Precedence, top mare Faint Perfume, seven-year-old Empires Choice coming back into contention after an eye-catching third in the George Main Stakes, and Dariana entered for the famous handicap.

Bart Cummings Horses Still on 2010 Melbourne Cup Trail:

• So You Think
• Precedence
• Faint Perfume
• Empires Choice
• Dariana

Notable absentees from the Melbourne Cup second declaration stage include Gai Waterhouse’s imported galloper Black Mamba, Godolphin’s Cavalryman, the David Hayes-trained Chartreux, British galloper Imposing, Rebel Raider and Rite Of Passage.

Notable Absentees from 2010 Melbourne Cup Second Declarations:

• Black Mamba (Gai Waterhouse)
• Cavalryman (Saeed Bin Suroor)
• Chartreux (David Hayes)
• Doubtful Jack (Peter Moody)
• Imposing (Robert Hickmott)
• Rebel Raider (Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas)
• Rite Of Passage (Dermot K Weld)
• Speed Gifted (Lee Freedman)
• Trusting (John P Thompson)

A number of quality international horses are also still heading towards a run in the 2010 Melbourne Cup including French stayer Americain, Hong Kong’s Mr Medici, the Dermot Weld-trained Profound Beauty and the only horse yet to pass the Melbourne Cup ballot exemption, Sans Frontieres.

Also released at midday today were the 2010 Caulfield Cup third declarations leaving 41 in contention, and the 2010 Cox Plate third declarations with just 24 weight-for-age runners paid up for, heating up the betting markets for these other Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival features.

Third declarations for this year’s Melbourne Cup are taken at the end of the month on October 25.

Leading online bookmaker Sportsbet are set to reopen their Melbourne Cup betting shortly following the reshuffle after second declarations, with reigning champion Shocking still expected to be the favourite.

Get ready to back your favourite at the best price in Australia by signing up with [sportsbet] now!

2010 Emirates Melbourne Cup Second Declarations

#	Horse	Trainer	Hcp. Rating
1	ABOVE AVERAGE (IRE)	Lee Freedman	100
2	AJHAR (USA)	Lee Freedman	94
3	ALCOPOP	Jake Stephens	106
4	AMERICAIN (USA)	Alain de Royer Dupre	110
5	APPREHEND	Tony Vasil	96
6	AVIENUS	Mark Webb	93
7	BASALTICO (IRE)	Bill & Symon Wilde	95
8	BAUER (IRE)	Luca Cumani	110
9	BECQU ADOREE (FR)	Luca Cumani	82
10	BERLIOZ (NZ)	David Hayes	93
11	BUCCELLATI (GB)	Tony Noonan	109
12	C’EST LA GUERRE (NZ)	Robert Hickmott	108
13	CAMPANOLOGIST (USA)	Saeed Bin Suroor	116
14	CAPECOVER (NZ)	Patrick Payne	106
15	CEDARBERG	Pat Carey	66
16	COUNT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	93
17	CROCODILE CANYON (NZ)	Howard Mathews	–
18	DARIANA	Bart Cummings	106
19	DESCARADO (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	107
20	DOCTOR FREMANTLE (GB)	Lee Freedman	109
21	DRUNKEN SAILOR (IRE)	Luca Cumani	108
22	EASTERN ARIA (UAE)	Mark Johnston	108
23	EMPIRES CHOICE (NZ)	Bart Cummings	103
24	EXCEPTIONALLY (NZ)	Terry & Karina O’Sullivan	82
25	FAINT PERFUME	Bart Cummings	108
26	GET UP JUDE	Kevin Moses	91
27	GOLDEN CHARMER	Dan O’Sullivan	82
28	GOTHIC CROWN	Todd Balfour	64
29	HARRIS TWEED (NZ)	Murray & Bjorn Baker	107
30	HERCULIAN PRINCE (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	104
31	HOLBERG (UAE)	Saeed Bin Suroor	107
32	HOME ON A WING	Anthony Cummings	–
33	ILLUSTRIOUS BLUE (GB)	William J Knight	112
34	JESSICABEEL (NZ)	John O’Shea	108
35	JEUNEYS END	Allan Fitzgerald	78
36	LINTON	Robert Hickmott	99
37	MALUCKYDAY (NZ)	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	73
38	MANIGHAR (FR)	Luca Cumani	110
39	MASTER O’REILLY (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	109
40	METAL BENDER (NZ)	Chris Waller	116
41	MILES ABOVE	Denis Daffy	88
42	MONACO CONSUL (NZ)	Michael Moroney	108
43	MONTAHLIA (NZ)	Michael Kent	89
44	MOUDRE	Ciaron Maher	100
45	MOURAYAN (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	107
46	MR CHARLIE (NZ)	Peter G Moody	82
47	MR MEDICI (IRE)	Peter Ho	112
48	MUIR (GB)	Robert Hickmott	82
49	MY BENTLEY (NZ)	Michael Kent	82
50	NIPTIOUS	Danny Curran	86
51	NO WINE NO SONG	Kevin Moses	108
52	NOTHIN’ LEICA CAT (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	89
53	ONCE WERE WILD	Gai Waterhouse	108
54	PERSIAN STAR	Robert Smerdon	101
55	PHAZE ACTION	Robbie Laing	86
56	POMPEYANO (IRE)	Saeed Bin Suroor	101
57	PRECEDENCE (NZ)	Bart Cummings	101
58	PROFOUND BEAUTY (IRE)	Dermot K Weld	112
59	RED RULER (NZ)	John Sargent	108
60	RIGHT FONG	David Balfour	97
61	RUNDLE	Robert Hickmott	78
62	SAINT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	–
63	SANS FRONTIERES (IRE)	Jeremy Noseda	117
64	SEA GALLEON	Colin & Cindy Alderson	70
65	SHOCKING	Mark Kavanagh	115
66	SHOOT OUT	John Wallace	115
67	SO YOU THINK (NZ)	Bart Cummings	118
68	STANSTILL (IRE)	Michael Kent	–
69	STERLING PRINCE (NZ)	Wayne Hillis	102
70	THE HOMBRE	John Bary	–
71	TOKAI TRICK (JPN)	Kenji Nonaka	111
72	TRIPLE HONOUR (NZ)	Chris Waller	114
73	VALDEMORO	Tony Vasil	98
74	VIGOR (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	110
75	ZABRASIVE (NZ)	John O’Shea	107
76	ZANTELAGH	Mark Kavanagh	71
77	ZAVITE (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	110
78	ZIPPING	Robert Hickmott	116