2013 Caulfield Cup bids go on the line on Caulfield Guineas Day this weekend with a field of stayers vying for the ballot exemption for Saturday week’s classic in the $220,000 Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m).

Sea Moon (outside) will make a final play at the Caulfield Cup in Saturday's Herbert Power Stakes 2013. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

The final chance for the horses engaged to make the cut for the $2.5 million Group 1 BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) back at Caulfield Racecourse on October 19, Saturday’s Herbert Power Stakes 2013 is set to be a hotly contested affair.

All but three of the 11 Herbert Power Stakes runners are still in the mix for the Caulfield Cup, one of the most notable being the Lloyd Williams-owned Sea Moon.

Sea Moon is one of the three third Caulfield Cup acceptors yet to pass the first ballot clause, the Herbert their last shot at doing so.

After two well beaten runs in their opening two starts down under the European import showed nice improvement when stepped up to the 2520m for the Listed The Bart Cummings at Flemington last Saturday.

Overcoming barrier 13 of 13 and a hefty 60kg weight impost the Beat Hollow five-year-old was first past the post and looking every chance of making the Caulfield Cup field.

However a protest by second over the line Araldo’s jockey Glen Boss was upheld by stewards and Sea Moon lost their Caulfield Cup ballot exemption when regulated to second.

They currently pay $41 in the futures Caulfield Cup odds, a price sure to shorten dramatically should they handle the seven day back-up and 59.5kg top weight and take out the Herbert Power.

The shortest priced of the Herbert Power Stakes hopes in the futures Caulfield Cup betting markets meanwhile is the Peter Moody-trained Kesampour at $17.

Another import, this King’s Best stallion from France has had just toe two runs down under for Moody.

A Group 2 winner and Group 1 performance in their homeland, Kesampour was last seen running a brave second to Mr O’Ceirin in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on September 21.

A proven stayer, their abilities should be on display even more when they go up to the mile and a half on the weekend.

A good edition of the Herbert Power Stakes should be made even more interesting by the inclusion of William Mullins’ Irish stayer Simenon.

Equal second heaviest weighted with 56.5kg, the Marju gelding hasn’t race since August when they ran a nice second, defeated just a long neck by Ahzeemah, in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup (3299m) in York.

Prior to that they were also a narrow runner-up at Group 1 level behind Estimate in the Ascot Gold Cup (4023m) – form that should bode well in the Herbert Power down under.

Also allocated 56.5kg is then Sea Moon’s stablemate Tanby who has been racing below par this season including last Saturday’s ninth in The Bart Cummings, a race they won when in better form last spring.

Other notable hopes in the mix include the Ciaron Maher-trained eight-year-old Moudre, Al Maher mare Oasis Bloom and Motivado.

See below for the full Herbert Power Stakes 2013 field, barriers, jockeys and weights.

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2013 Herbert Power Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Caulfield Race 8 – 4:20pm (AEST) – 12/10/2013