This Wednesday a final field of 13 stayers will face off in the Bendigo Cup 2013, the country Victoria feature won 12 months ago by one-time Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune.

Mourayan is the only Bendigo Cup hope still accepted for the 2013 Melbourne Cup. Photo: Steve Hart.

Darren Weir’s emphatic five length winner of last year’s $240,000 Listed Jayco Bendigo Cup (2400m) was only withdrawn from Melbourne Cup 2013 calculations at second declaration stage today due to a post-Cox Plate injury.

The grey, ridden to victory in the Bendigo Cup last Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival by Glen Boss, was a disappointing 12^th in the Cox Plate behind Shamus Award and subsequently not accepted for the $6.2 million Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) to run on Tuesday November 5.

The Bendigo Cup form however is still strong and it should be another top edition of the handicap clash this week.

Ballarat-based trainer Weir will shoot for back-to-back wins with Gotta Take Care (barrier six) who gets in with 54.5kg.

The consistent Rubiton nine-year-old may be getting well on in the years, but the Moonee Valley specialist ran a convincing third on the weekend to the Bart & James Cummings-trained Precedence in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m).

Of the 13 final acceptors for Bendigo Race 8 at 4:00pm (AEST) this Wednesday though it is the Robert Hickmott-trained Mourayan topping the weights with a hefty 61.5kg impost.

Drawn in gate one with last year’s winning Melbourne Cup jockey Brett Prebble to ride, the veteran eight-year-old Sydney Cup winner was last seen running eighth to stablemate Seville in the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick at the start of the month.

They are still officially on contention for the Melbourne Cup Tuesday week, guaranteed a start sitting 16^th on the updated order of entry, but are a $61 outsider to win.

Mourayan is the only Bendigo Cup horse still in the mix for the Melbourne Cup 2013.

Hickmott and owner Lloyd Williams will also be represented in the Bendigo Cup field this year by Massiyn (barrier 12), also listed as a Brett Prebble mount.

The imported stallion, runner-up to Melbourne Cup-bound Royal Diamond in the Irish St Leger in September, has had two runs down under.

The first was a dead last at Moonee Valley over an unsuitably short 1500m on August 24.

They improved with more distance at Caulfield on October 12 however when fourth in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) behind the since retired star mare Atlantic Jewel.

The form in that race is stacking up too with runner-up Foreteller and third placed Super Cool finishing fourth and fifth respectively in the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) over the weekend.

Following Mourayan in the Bendigo Cup field and weights both on 57.5kg are then the Peter Moody-trained Naturalism Stakes runner-up Kesampour (barrier 10) and dour stayer Tuscan Fire (barrier 13) who was outclassed when 12^th in the Caulfield Cup last time out.

A number of gallopers meanwhile come off better form including last start Cranbourne Cup runner-up Sertorius (barrier five), the Robert Smerdon-trained Verdant (barrier two) who was second in the Geelong Cup behind Ibicenco last Wednesday and Umatic (barrier 11) who will be shooting for their third win on the trot following victories at Swan Hill and Mildura.

See below for the full Bendigo Cup 2013 field, barriers, jockeys and weights.

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2013 Bendigo Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Bendigo Race 8 – 4:00pm (AEST)