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Racing Victoria today closed first acceptances for four of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival majors including the Caulfield Cup 2014 with 121 stayers still in the mix for the October 18 classic.

Sydney Cup winner The Offer is one of the headline 2014 Caulfield Cup first acceptors. Photo: Steve Hart.

Numbers across the four Group 1s are all well up on last year as is the case for the $3 million Group 1 Crown Golden Ale Caulfield Cup (2400m) that had 98 at first acceptance stage last September.

The early Caulfield Cup betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au pre-first declarations have been led by Lucia Valentina and The Offer at around $15, with both still in contention.

Top 2014 Caulfield Cup First Acceptors

• Lucia Valentina (Kris Lees / 51kg) – Group 1 Vinery Stud winner from the autumn, also third in the ATC Oaks over the Caulfield Cup distance in Sydney, came back this four-year-old Savabeel mare thrived on a wet track to win the Tramway but needs to handle Melbourne way of going.
• The Offer (Gai Waterhouse / 54.5kg) – Sydney Cup winner by four lengths last season that also included two Group wins on Heavy (9) Sydney tracks over 2400m and 2600m. Returned in the Dato Tan Chin Nam over the Moonee Valley mile and ran a credible fifth with improvement to come on a roomier track over more distance.
• Bande (Yoshito Yahagi / 54.5kg) – Well fancied for this and the Melbourne Cup, Japanese raider won by five lengths back home over 2600m in an impressive black-type effort to earn the trip down under. Currently in quarantine and ready for the raid.

• La Amistad (Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes / 50kg) – Sweating on winning a race or two to earn a weight penalty to make the Caulfield Cup field. A three-quarter sister to the great Makybe Diva and runs this weekend either in the Kingston Town in Sydney or a non-stakes race on firmer ground at Flemington.
• Rising Romance (Donna Logan / 51kg) – Another mare sweating on a start having been allocated just 50kg in the Caulfield Cup weights, this New Zealand visitor beat home Zanbagh and Lucia Valentina in the ATC Oaks over the 2400m in April before a first-up fourth to Lucai Valentia on a Heavy track which she’s never won on.

• Admire Rakti (Tomoyuki Umeda / 56kg) – Second Japanese-trained Spring Cups hope in quarantine ready to make a mark on Aussie soil. Assured of a start with the weight and rated a top chance by Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter who loved the second to Gold Ship in the Group 2 Hansh Daishoten over 3000m in March.

As mentioned above there are two Japanese horses among the top Caulfield Cup first acceptances and they are two of the 16 internationals still in the mix, up from just seven at this stage last year.

Other Key International 2014 Caulfield Cup First Acceptors

• Dandino (Marco Botti) – Runner-up to in the race last year in his Australian debut, this now eight-year-old Dansili stallion was also sixth in the Melbourne Cup and  ran in last Saturday’s September Stakes back home over 2400m finishing fourth to Prince Bishop.
• Seismos (Marco Botti) – Dandino’s stablemate also in the mix, the Dalakhani seven-year-old won the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2700m) at Newbury in mid-August returning to form ahead of a possible spring bid down under.
• Red Cadeaux (Ed Dunlop) – A name very familiar with the Aussie crowd, has travelled to Australia the past three seasons running second in the Melbourne Cup twice including behind Fiorente last year. Well-weighted this year with no horse his age having won the Caulfield Cup and was disappointing in the September Stakes finishing dead last after walking in nearly 24 lengths off the winner.
• Protectionist (Andreas Wohler) – German galloper in top form having won back-to-back races including the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay (3000m) in France last month which has proven a telling Spring Cups guide down under in recent years.
• Ambivalent (Roger Varian) – Classy Newmarket-based mare won a Group 2 in York in May before a third to Cirrus des Aigles in the Coronation Cup over 2400m in June and then a fourth last time out over 2000m at The Curragh.

Defending Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner has also been accepted for again in 2014 and is one of a host of top local hopes that includes a trio of classy mares with the aforementioned Cox Plate entered Silent Achiever, Rising Romance and Lucia Valentina.

The notable 2014 Caulfield Cup non-acceptors include top-weight Mukhadram meaning the weights will have to be raised so that Dan Excel (currently on 57kg) carries the minimum top weight of 58kg, along with fellow internationals Cavalryman, Brown Panther and Mount Athos who was third in last year’s Melbourne Cup.

An updated order of entry will be released by the end of the week followed by 2014 Caulfield Cup second acceptances on Tuesday September 23 and then third declarations in early October.

Our preferred online betting agency Ladbrokes.com.au are set to re-release their latest Caulfield Cup betting markets shortly so make sure you have an account open with them to get in on the action!

2014 Caulfield Cup First Declarations

Caulfield Race 7 – 18/10/2014