Racing Victoria today took the early entries for a number of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival’s crucial feature races with 236 stayers making up the list of 2011 Caulfield Cup nominations including reigning Melbourne Cup winner Americain.

2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain is among this year's Caulfield Cup nominations

Connections of the Alain De Royer Dupre-trained champion Americain have confirmed plans to return down under and target successive victories in the $6 million Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), with the Caulfield Cup also on the six-year-olds’ spring hit list.

“He looks as good as last year, he’s got his mind back on the job,” Americain’s Australian part-owner Gerry Ryan said.

One of the ‘Big Three’ thoroughbred majors during the Victorian spring racing season along with the 2011 Cox Plate and 2011 Melbourne Cup, the $2.5 million Group 1 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) is scheduled to light-up Caulfield Racecourse this year on Saturday October 15.

Nominations for the Caulfield Cup 2011 were up one on the 235 horses entered for the event last year.

Along with Americain, another former Melbourne Cup winner on the Caulfield Cup path this spring is the Robert Hickmott-trained Efficient, the Zabeel gelding winning the 2007 Emirates Melbourne Cup.

Efficient is a surprise entry for the Caulfield Cup, the eight-year-old not seen on the racecourse since their Group 1 Turnbull Stakes success three springs ago.

Early Caulfield Cup betting markets are lead by a trio of female contenders with the Peter Moody-trained Lights of Heaven ($13), Queensland Oaks winning Kiwi Scarlett Lady ($15) and dual Group 1 champion Shamrocker ($17).

Along with the current Caulfield Cup betting favourite, Victoria’s Premiership winning trainer Moody has paid the nomination fee for nine other horses including last year’s Caulfield Guineas winner Anacheeva.

Also among the top nominees is defending Caulfield Cup winner Descarado, rated a $26 chance in the Caulfield Cup odds to win back-to-back editions of the race, as well as New Zealand galloper Harris Tweed who finished second in the event last year.

Other notable 2011 Caulfield Cup nominees include:

• Absolutely (Michael Kent) – Redoute’s Choice mare who won the Group 1 AJC Oaks (2400m) at Randwick last start
• Glass Harmonium (Michael Moroney) – Star import for Moroney, won the Eagle Farm Cup at their third start in Australia, set to improve over more distance this spring
• Maluckyday (Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes) – Runner-up in the Melbourne Cup last year and early favourite to win this year’s Melbourne Cup
• Lion Tamer (Murray & Bjorn Baker) – New Zealand-trained four-year-old, winner of the 2010 Victoria Derby last spring
• My Kingdom Of Fife (Chris Waller) – One of Waller’s best-ever imports, won their opening three races in Australia including the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes
• Sincero (Stephen Farley) – Untapped Wyong galloper won six straight earlier in their career before hitting the big time with an upset win in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap during the Brisbane Winter Carnival

One notable omission from the Caulfield Cup nominations is Jimmy Choux, John Bary’s glamour Kiwi galloper who won the Rosehill Guineas in Sydney during the autumn.

As throughout Caulfield Cup history, this year’s race is set to feature a strong international presence with headline overseas raiders nominated including former Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer, the fellow Luca Cumani-trained Drunken Sailor, and Ed Dunlop’s Red Cadeaux.

The number of gallopers heading towards the first of the spring cups will be cut when Caulfield Cup first declarations are taken on Tuesday September 6, 2011.

Third declarations will follow on October 4 before the 2011 Caulfield Cup final field of acceptors is released on Tuesday October 11.

Other spring feature race nominations released today included 2011 Cox Plate, 2011 Caulfield Guineas and 2011 Thousand Guineas.

To access the best futures betting markets for all the upcoming spring races in Melbourne and Sydney, visit Luxbet now and open your account with the online bookmaker that offers better odds and bigger payouts.

2011 BMW Caulfield Cup Nominations