The classy Group 2 winning Darren Weir-trained mare Real Love is the top weight in Friday night’s JRA Cup 2016 field at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Moir Stakes Night.

Real Love is the top weight in Friday night’s 2016 JRA Cup at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Photo: Daniel Costello.

Set to run as Moonee Valley Race 3 at 7:30pm (AEST), this season’s $200,000 Group 3 The Sporting Globe After The Last JRA Cup (2040m) has attracted a final field of 11 stayers.

Jumping from a midfield barrier five draw on the 58kg top weight is six-year-old Desert King mare Real Love who has Brad Rawiller retaining the ride.

Rawiller rode her a fortnight ago at Caulfield for a seventh to Jameka in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m).

Real Love won back-to-back Doomben races in the winter including the Queensland edition of the JRA Cup, and is out to atone for her last start loss even under the heavy kilos this weekend.

After nominating for four from his Victorian stables, Weir has just the two final JRA Cup acceptors with Real Love joined in the field by stablemate Taiyoo drawn the rails and coming off a last (16^th) in the Naturalism.

Following Real Love in the JRA Cup weights on 57kg are the Terry & Karina O’Sullivan-trained Magnapal and the Robert Smerdon-trained Maurus drawn in barriers eight and 11 respectively.

Luke Currie continues his recent association with Magnus seven-year-old Magnapal who is up in the kilos from the 55.5kg he carried to a fifth in the Naturalism Stakes over the distance two weeks ago.

Smerdon’s six-year-old son of Medicean meanwhile is out to atone for a last start 11^th behind Royal Rapture over 1700m at Flemington from September 10.

The import has trialled since winning over 1550m at Cranbourne on September 19 and drops from 60kg last time out.

His last win was at the Sunshine Coast during the winter in the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) under 59kg, and out over the extra metres on Friday night he is a livewire chance to return to form in his first Moonee Valley run.

Godolphin and John O’Shea also have two JRA Cup hopefuls this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival with Sydney Black-Type winner Arab Dawn and Tarquin.

Hard Spun four-year-old Tarquin has his first look at the tight Valley circuit, but has won his only previous start over the distance at Caulfield in late April in a Benchmark 90.

His last run was a ninth in the Gold Nugget (1700m) on September 17 and he is set to enjoy stepping up in distance on Saturday but down two kilos to the 54kg minimum with Michael Dee booked for the ride.

The other most notable runner is the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained Tom Melbourne out to keep the dream of a run in the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) on October 22 alive.

The imported Dylan Thomas six-year-old backs up from a sixth in the Naturalism Stakes and is lightly-raced for his age having won five of his 10 career runs to date, and two from four over the 2000m.

See below for the full JRA Cup 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights.

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2016 JRA Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Moonee Valley Race 3 (7:30pm) – 30/09/2016