After a scintillating seven length romp on the weekend’s Stayers Cup in Sydney, the Gwenda Markwell-trained Peal Of Bells has entered early calculations for the 2013 Melbourne Cup this November.

The five-year-old Clangalang gelding ran away with their sixth win from 23 starts at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday blowing their rivals out of the water with an emphatic victory in the $100,000 Stayers Cup (3200m) when ridden by veteran hoop Robert Thompson.

The ease in which they won the race had trainer gushing over their ability as a stayer, the Kembla Grange-based Markwell labeling them as a definite contender for the world’s richest handicap.

“It would not surprise me to see this horse in a Melbourne Cup, if not this year then maybe next year,” Markwell said.

“You know he will stay a strong 3200m and if it happened to be wet on Cup Day, who knows?”

That prediction could just be one to follow too as Markwell was right about the Stayers Cup result saying immediately after the race that having ridden them in trackwork earlier in the week she knew they would win by a big margin.

“After I rode Peal Of Bells work on Wednesday, I thought he would win by 10 lengths!” Markwell said.

The Stayer’s Cup was Peal Of Bells’ second look at the two miles, which is the same distance the iconic $6.2 million Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) run at Victoria’s famous Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday of November.

They first raced over the 3200m in April last year when sixth to Niwot in the Group 1 Sydney Cup which they jumped as a $30 shot in despite having won their four lead-up races on the trot that autumn.

This time in Peal Of Bells finished well back in their first three starts before reentering the winners’ stall at Warwick Farm on May 29 when lumping a hefty 61.5kg to victory over 2120m on a Heavy (8) track.

They improved on that then over the weekend with their big Stayers Cup success having found a lovely passage up the inside to totally own the finish storming home to beat home Thubiaan and Piazza San Pietro.

Markwell was also thrilled with the way the horse pulled up after the run further proving their fitness.

“He’s very clean-winded, a natural stayer,” Markwell said.

“We train him a lot at the beach and I knew I had him fit enough for this race.”

While of course the Melbourne Cup is the dream all trainers of stayers are chasing, a more immediate goal for Peal Of Bells would be the $150,000 Listed Queensland Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on July 6.

Bookies around the country still have them rated as a real roughie in their Melbourne Cup betting markets with our preferred bookmaker.com.au listing them right at the bottom of the odds at a quote of $301.

While we are still a couple of months off the Melbourne Cup nominations even being taken betting on the ‘race that stops a nation’ is currently led by Puissance De Lune at $9 who is easily the best backed runner in the future markets.

To check out the full range of Melbourne Cup 2013 betting odds and options ahead of the spring visit bookmaker.com.au and enjoy betting with the online bookie that rewards its customers better!