Robert Hickmott’s Caulfield Cup hero Fawkner heads the nominations taken for Saturday’s 2013 Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington, one of the two Victoria Derby Day races offering a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption to the winner.

Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner will back up in Saturday's 2013 Mackinnon Stakes. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

Reset six-year-old Fawkner hit headlines on October 19 with their upset win as an $11 shot over international Melbourne Cup hope Dandino in the $2.5 Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).

They will now shoot for back-to-back Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival Group 1’s when they travel to Flemington Racecourse on the weekend for the $1 million Group 1 Longines Mackinnon Stakes (2000m).

Their last run at the famous Victorian track produced a nice third to subsequent Cox Plate runner-up Happy Trails in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m), a horse they will likely face off again in the Mackinnon.

The now Byron Cozamanis-trained Good Journey six-year-old Happy Trails, winner of the Emirates Stakes last Melbourne Cup Carnival, was brave in defeat behind the Danny O’Brien-trained colt Shamus Award who broke their maiden status in the most spectacular of efforts to take out the Cox Plate on Saturday.

Having pulled up well from that run connections are keen to run Happy Trails again who does not need the Melbourne Cup ballot exemption not being on the Cup path.

“He’s come through the run without a worry,” Cozamanis told the Herald Sun on Sunday.

“He’s been nominated for the Mackinnon.

“I’ll just monitor him over the next couple of days before we make the final decision.”

Fawkner meanwhile is number one on the latest Melbourne Cup order of entry after second acceptances for the $6.2 million feature were taken by Racing Victoria today.

They are a $34 outsider in Melbourne Cup betting however as an unlikely final acceptor.

Hickmott has also nominated for Mourayan who is also accepted for Wednesday’s Bendigo Cup where they are the 61.5kg topweight and Sea Moon for the Mackinnon.

Last start Herbert Power Stakes winner Sea Moon was a Melbourne Cup second acceptor sitting fifth on the ballot for the ‘race that stops a nation’ and paying $13 in Melbourne Cup betting.

Mourayan is a $61 Melbourne Cup chance and is also guaranteed a run in the 24-horse field should connections accept sitting 1th.

Sea Moon is the shortest-priced of the Cup hopes nominated for the Mackinnon followed by the David Hayes-trained import Jet Away ($14).

Caulfield Cup fourth placegetter Jet Away will be ridden by Glen Boss on Saturday as they look to score a Melbourne Cup start currently placed 30^th on the order of entry with 53kg.

The other 2013 Mackinnon Stakes nominees outside the top 24 on the Melbourne Cup ballot are then:

• Kelinni (25^th – $61)
• Moriarty (28^th – $31)
• Precedence (29^th – $61)
• Mr O’Ceirin (31st – $251)
• Moudre (33^rd – $151)
• Julienas (34^th – $81)
• Let’s Make A Deal (40^th – $101)

The most notable of those is the Bart & James Cummings-trained Precedence.

Veteran galloper Precedence is fighting to line-up in their fourth consecutive Melbourne Cup field after a Cox Plate Day win in the Moonee Valley Cup to earn a 1kg penalty for Tuesday week’s big one.

If they make the field they will be Bart Cummings’ 88^th Melbourne Cup starter, the 85-year-old veteran trainer shooting for his 13^th win in the ‘race that stops a nation’.

The other big name Mackinnon Stakes players, all inside the top 24 on the Melbourne Cup ballot, are then Clarry Conners’ Caulfield Cup third placed mare Dear Demi, Kiwi mare Silent Achiever and the Chris Waller-trained Foreteller.

One of three Mackinnon nominations for Waller along with Kelinni and Moriarty, Dansili seven-year-old Foreteller won the Makybe Diva first-up this prep and has run second (Caulfield Stakes) and fourth (Cox Plate) respectively in their two most recent runs.

They have been confirmed as a Mackinnon Stakes acceptor but Waller said there is only about a five percent chance of them running again on Melbourne Cup Day.

A number of horses have been dually accepted for the Mackinnon Stakes as well as the $300,000 Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) the winner of which is also guaranteed a Melbourne Cup start.

Those dually nominated for both races are: Julienas, Kelinni, Let’s Make A Deal, Moriarty, Moudre, Mourayan, Mr O’Ceirin, Precedence and Sea Moon.

See below for the official Mackinnon Stakes 2013 nominations.

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2013 Mackinnon Stakes Nominations

Flemington Racecourse – 02/11/2013