Today at midday the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) released the list of 2010 Melbourne Cup first declarations, with the list of hopeful horses vying for a spot in the Melbourne Cup field now down to 151.

Originally 256 top stayers were nominated for the 150^th Melbourne Cup, to run at Flemington as Race 7 on Tuesday November 2, but the connections of only 151 horses paid the $990 fee for first declarations.

The announcement of first declarations has hotted up the Melbourne Cup betting markets at leading online bookie [sportsbet].

International contenders that were not among the first declarations today include Japans’ Jaguar Mail and Meiner Kitz, 2007 Melbourne Cup runner-up Purple Moon, Mastery and Claremont.

One overseas raider that is a surprise inclusion in the first declarations is Illustrious Blue, the Goodwood Cup winner still on track for a trip Down Under according to trainer William Knight.

Other European runners still in contention include Rite Of Passage, Sans Frontieres and Profound Beauty.

Other notable absentees from the first declarations include 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient and horses that had earlier been ruled out Kutchinsky, Littorio and Mark Kavanagh’s Shamoline Warrior.

Trainers and owners that still have a strong number of horses declared for the Melbourne Cup include Bart Cummings with 11 as he attempts his 13^th win, prominent owner Lloyd Williams still with 13 on the Melbourne Cup trail.

The next declaration stage for the 2010 Melbourne Cup will be out on October 5 followed by third declarations on October 25 and then the release of the final field of acceptances on Victoria Derby Day, October 30.

Races.com.au will be the best place to come all throughout the lead-up to the Cup for the updated lists of contenders, Melbourne Cup news, betting odds and form guides on the top Cup chances.

First declarations were also taken for the 2010 Caulfield Guineas, 2010 Thousand Guineas, 2010 Caulfield Cup and 2010 Cox Plate today.

Check out the updated Melbourne Cup Odds following the first declarations at [sportsbet] and lock in your favourite to win at great odds!

2010 Emirates Melbourne Cup First Declarations

No.	Horse	Trainer	Hcp. Rating
1	ABOVE AVERAGE (IRE)	Lee Freedman	100
2	AJHAR (USA)	Lee Freedman	94
3	AKMAL (GB)	John Dunlop	7
4	AKZAR (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	9.5
5	ALANDI (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	118
6	ALCOPOP	Jake Stephens	6
7	AMERICAIN (USA)	Alain de Royer Dupre	5.5
8	ANUDJAWUN (NZ)	Shaun Dwyer	68
9	APPREHEND	Tony Vasil	96
10	AVIENUS	Mark Webb	93
11	BALLYGORAN (NZ)	Sharon Cunningham	66
12	BASALTICO (IRE)	Bill & Symon Wilde	96
13	BAUER (IRE)	Luca Cumani	110
14	BECQU ADOREE (FR)	Luca Cumani	9.5
15	BERLIOZ (NZ)	David Hayes	93
16	BILLSON	Robert Hickmott	68
17	BLACK MAMBA (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	6
18	BOOMING (NZ)	Jeff Lynds	95
19	BRIGHTNIGHT (NZ)	Bart Cummings	68
20	BUCCELLATI (GB)	Tony Noonan	109
21	C’EST LA GUERRE (NZ)	Robert Hickmott	108
22	CAMPANOLOGIST (USA)	Saeed Bin Suroor	3.5
23	CAPECOVER (NZ)	Patrick Payne	106
24	CATS FUN	Jarrod McLean	96
25	CAVALRYMAN (GB)	Saeed Bin Suroor	2
26	CEDARBERG	Pat Carey	66
27	CHARTREUX	David Hayes	95
28	COUNT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	9
29	CROCODILE CANYON (NZ)	Howie Matthews	9.5
30	DARIANA	Bart Cummings	106
31	DARLEY SUN (IRE)	Saeed Bin Suroor	9
32	DESCARADO (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	5.5
33	DOCTOR FREMANTLE (GB)	Lee Freedman	109
34	DOUBTFUL JACK	Peter G Moody	102
35	DRUNKEN SAILOR (IRE)	Luca Cumani	6.5
36	EASTERN ARIA (UAE)	Mark Johnston	7.5
37	EMBLEM OF LIBERTY (SAF)	Darren Weir	95
38	EMPIRES CHOICE (NZ)	Bart Cummings	103
39	EXCEPTIONALLY (NZ)	Terry & Karina O’Sullivan	82
40	EXTRA ZERO	David Hayes	100
41	FAINT PERFUME	Bart Cummings	108
42	FAIRFIELD FLAME (GER)	Michael Moroney	75
43	FANJURA (IRE)	Lee Freedman	101
44	GALLANT LADY	Lee Freedman	72
45	GET UP JUDE	Kevin Moses	9.5
46	GHOSTMILK (IRE)	Peter G Moody	100
47	GOLDEN CHARMER	Dan O’Sullivan	82
48	GORKY PARK (NZ)	David Hayes	102
49	GOTHIC CROWN	Todd Balfour	64
50	HAPPY SPIRIT (SAF)	Darren Weir	95
51	HARRIS TWEED (NZ)	Murray & Bjorn Baker	107
52	HASTEIN (NZ)	Mark Kavanagh	76
53	HERCULIAN PRINCE (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	8
54	HISSING SID	Bill & Symon Wilde	104
55	HOLBERG (UAE)	Saeed Bin Suroor	6
56	HOME ON A WING	Anthony Cummings	9.5
57	ILLUSTRIOUS BLUE (GB)	William J Knight	4.5
58	IMPOSING (GB)	Robert Hickmott	82
59	IREL (NZ)	Robert Hickmott	68
60	JESSICABEEL (NZ)	John O’Shea	5.5
61	JEUNEYS END	Allan Fitzgerald	78
62	JOE BLOW	Bart Cummings	75
63	KEEP THE PEACE (NZ)	Shaune Ritchie	7
64	KING OF MOUNTAINS	David Hayes	65
65	LADY ECLAIR (IRE)	Mark Johnston	9
66	LANDLOCKED (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	9.5
67	LANDLORD	Bart Cummings	9.5
68	LARGO LAD	David Hayes	104
69	LARISTAN (FR)	David Hayes	9
70	LETHAL ARROW	Peter G Moody	61
71	LIBEL LAW (GB)	Saeed Bin Suroor	9
72	LINTON	Robert Hickmott	99
73	LORDS RANSOM	Bill & Symon Wilde	105
74	MACEDONIAN (NZ)	Peter G Moody	86
75	MAJESTIC CONCORDE (IRE)	Dermot K Weld	9.5
76	MALUCKYDAY (NZ)	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	9.5
77	MANIGHAR (FR)	Luca Cumani	5.5
78	MARTIAL LAW (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	80
79	MASTER O’REILLY (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	109
80	METAL BENDER (NZ)	Chris Waller	116
81	MILES ABOVE	Denis Daffy	88
82	MISS ALIA (NZ)	Pat Hyland	68
83	MISS KEEPSAKE (NZ)	Andrew Scott	7
84	MOATIZE	Bart Cummings	105
85	MONACO CONSUL (NZ)	Michael Moroney	108
86	MONTAHLIA (NZ)	Michael Kent	89
87	MONTJEU MADAME (NZ)	Darryl Dodson	89
88	MOUDRE	Ciaron Maher	100
89	MOURAYAN (IRE)	Robert Hickmott	107
90	MR CHARLIE (NZ)	Peter G Moody	82
91	MR MEDICI (IRE)	Peter Ho	4.5
92	MUIR (GB)	Robert Hickmott	82
93	MY BENTLEY (NZ)	Michael Kent	82
94	NAADJI (NZ)	Bevan & Richard Laming	9.5
95	NAZABEEL (NZ)	Richard Otto	62
96	NEWPORT	Paul Perry	8
97	NIPTIOUS	Danny Curran	86
98	NO WINE NO SONG	Kevin Moses	6.5
99	NOTHIN’ LEICA CAT (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	89
100	OCEAN DREAM	Peter G Moody	71
101	OLYMPIC WIN (NZ)	John Sadler	82
102	ONCE MORE DUBAI (USA)	Saeed Bin Suroor	8
103	ONCE WERE WILD	Gai Waterhouse	5
104	OUR ARISTOCRAT (GB)	Robert Hickmott	70
105	OUR CANNAVARO (NZ)	Chris Waller	9.5
106	PERSIAN STAR	Robert Smerdon	101
107	PHAZE ACTION	Robbie Laing	86
108	POMPEYANO (IRE)	Saeed Bin Suroor	8.5
109	PRECEDENCE (NZ)	Bart Cummings	101
110	PROFOUND BEAUTY (IRE)	Dermot K Weld	4
111	REBEL RAIDER	Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas	112
112	RED RULER (NZ)	John Sargent	108
113	RIGHT FONG	David Balfour	9.5
114	RITE OF PASSAGE (GB)	Dermot K Weld	2.5
115	RUN FOR NAARA	John P Thompson	101
116	RUNDLE	Robert Hickmott	78
117	SAINT ENCOSTA	John P Thompson	9.5
118	SAINTHOOD	Rick Worthington	9.5
119	SALINAS	Peter G Moody	82
120	SANS FRONTIERES (IRE)	Jeremy Noseda	4.5
121	SCOUTING WIDE (NZ)	Tim Martin	9.5
122	SEA GALLEON	Colin & Cindy Alderson	70
123	SHERPA TENZING (NZ)	Jim Conlan	9.5
124	SHOCKING	Mark Kavanagh	115
125	SHOOT OUT	John Wallace	115
126	SMALL MINDS	John P Thompson	94
127	SMOKIN’ GUN (NZ)	John O’Shea	9.5
128	SNOW ALERT	Chris Waller	9.5
129	SO YOU THINK (NZ)	Bart Cummings	118
130	SOPRANIST (GB)	Saeed Bin Suroor	9.5
131	SPEED GIFTED (GB)	Lee Freedman	107
132	STANSTILL (IRE)	Allan Swinbank	9.5
133	STAR RIPPER	Bart Cummings	9.5
134	STERLING PRINCE (NZ)	Wayne Hillis	102
135	TACTIC (GB)	John Dunlop	5
136	THE HOMBRE	John Bary	9
137	TOKAI TRICK (JPN)	Kenji Nonaka	5
138	TOKEN OF HONOUR	David Hayes	75
139	TRIPLE HONOUR (NZ)	Chris Waller	5.5
140	TRIUMPHANT CHOICE	Peter G Moody	72
141	TRUSTING	John P Thompson	7
142	VALDEMORO	Tony Vasil	96
143	VIGOR (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	110
144	WARRINGAH (GB)	Chris Waller	9.5
145	WELL ROUNDED	Lee Freedman	66
146	WOW (NZ)	David Hayes	62
147	ZABDUED (NZ)	Bart Cummings	9.5
148	ZABRASIVE (NZ)	John O’Shea	107
149	ZANTELAGH	Mark Kavanagh	71
150	ZAVITE (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	110
151	ZIPPING	Robert Hickmott	116