The Melbourne Cup field is made up of the world’s best staying types with both local Australian gallopers and international raiders fighting it out for the richest handicap prize every November.
Held on the first Tuesday of November each year at Melbourne’s famous Flemington Racecourse the Melbourne Cup field features a capacity 24 starters and has no emergencies.
Every spring the Melbourne Cup field of final acceptances is released on the Saturday before Melbourne Cup Day. That Saturday is Victoria Derby Day and the live announcement of the Melbourne Cup field is made from Flemington directly after the day’s racing action at around 5:30pm (VIC time).
This means that the 2013 Melbourne Cup Final Field will be released on Saturday November 2, 2013.
Official Melbourne Cup Field 2013
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DUNADEN (FR) | Mikel Delzangles | Jamie Spencer | 1 | 58.5kg | 118 |
| 2 | GREEN MOON (IRE) | Robert Hickmott | Brett Prebble | 10 | 57.5kg | 116 |
| 3 | RED CADEAUX (GB) | Ed Dunlop | Gerald Mosse | 23 | 56.5kg | 114 |
| 4 | SEA MOON (GB) | Robert Hickmott | Steve Arnold | 7 | 56.5kg | 114 |
| 5 | BROWN PANTHER (GB) | Tom Dascombe | Richard Kingscote | 6 | 55kg | 112 |
| 6 | FIORENTE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse | Damien Oliver | 5 | 55kg | 113 |
| 7 | FORETELLER (GB) | Chris Waller | Craig Newitt | 15 | 55kg | 112 |
| 8 | DANDINO (GB) | Marco Botti | Ryan Moore | 4 | 54.5kg | 112 |
| 9 | ETHIOPIA | Pat Carey | Ryhs McLeod | 14 | 54.5kg | 109 |
| 10 | FAWKNER | Robert Hickmott | Nick Hall | 8 | 54.5kg (inc 1.5kg penalty) | 112 |
| 11 | MOURAYAN (IRE) | Robert Hickmott | Breton Avdulla | 19 | 54.5kg | 110 |
| 12 | SEVILLE (GER) | Robert Hickmott | Hugh Bowman | 9 | 54.5kg (inc 1.0kg penalty) | 110 |
| 13 | SUPER COOL | Mark Kavanagh | Corey Brown | 13 | 54.5kg | 113 |
| 14 | MASKED MARVEL (GB) | Robert Hickmott | Michael Rodd | 2 | 54kg | 108 |
| 15 | MOUNT ATHOS (IRE) | Luca Cumani | Craig Williams | 22 | 54kg | 109 |
| 16 | ROYAL EMPIRE (IRE) | Saeed Bin Suroor | Kerrin McEvoy | 11 | 54kg | 109 |
| 17 | VOLEUSE DE COEURS (IRE) | Michael Moroney | James McDonald | 21 | 54kg | 113 |
| 18 | HAWKSPUR | Chris Waller | Jim Cassidy | 18 | 53.5kg | 110 |
| 19 | SIMENON (IRE) | William Mullins | Richard Hughes | 8 | 53.5kg | 107 |
| 20 | IBICENCO (GER) | Peter G Moody | Luke Nolen | 17 | 53kg (inc 1.0kg penatly) | 107 |
| 21 | VEREMA (FR) | Alain de Royer Dupre | Christophe Lemaire | 3 | 53kg | 110 |
| 22 | DEAR DEMI | Clarry Conners | Chris Munce | 16 | 51kg | 108 |
| 23 | TRES BLUE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse | Tommy Berry | 20 | 51kg | 110 |
| 24 | RUSCELLO (IRE) | Ed Walker | Chad Schofield | 24 | 50kg | 80 |
It is a long process to whittle down all the hopeful horses to reveal the official Melbourne Cup field. Things start at the beginning of September when the Melbourne Cup nominations are taken, numbers usually exceeding 150 early entries.
First declaration stage narrows down the number of Melbourne Cup horses a month later at the start of October but as much as half.
Second declarations follow about three weeks on at the end of October before the final declaration or acceptance stage on Victoria Derby Day.
2013 Melbourne Cup Field Dates
- Nominations: Tuesday 3 September 2013
- Late Nominations: Tuesday 10 September 2013
- Handicaps: Tuesday 17 September 2013
- First Declaration: Tuesday 8 October 2013
- Second Declaration: Monday 28 October 2013
- Final Field: Saturday 2 November 2013
- Jockeys: Saturday 2 November 2013
- Barrier Draw: Saturday 2 November 2013
Of course betting on the Melbourne Cup field opens at bookies around the country including Ladbrokes.com.au before even the Melbourne Cup nominations are taken.
Melbourne Cup odds are open nearly all year round with futures betting offering great prices, the favourite paying over $20, for those that want to get in on the action early.
To check out the latest Melbourne Cup betting markets for this year’s showdown head to Ladbrokes.com.au, the country’s most trusted bookie for Melbourne Cup odds.
