Official Melbourne Cup 2021 Field: 24 Melbourne Cup Horses Confirmed

October 30, 2021

Official Melbourne Cup 2021 Field: 24 Melbourne Cup Horses Confirmed

The official Melbourne Cup 2021 field has been confirmed with the 24 horses facing off in the 161st edition of the ‘race that stops a nation’ locked in ahead of the iconic Flemington Race 7 on Tuesday.

Twilight Payment Horse Form (Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos) | Races.com.au

Twilight Payment defends his title in the ‘race that stops a nation’ looking to be the oldest Melbourne Cup winner in history. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

2021 Melbourne Cup Field: Key Runners

  • Race Favourite: Incentivise (Peter Moody)
  • Last Year’s Champion: Twilight Payment (Joesph O’Brien)
  • Top-Weight: Twilight Payment (58kg)
  • Internationals: Twilight Payment (Joseph O’Brien); Spanish Mission (Andrew Balding)
  • Top-Weighted Mare: Verry Elleegant (57kg; Chris Waller)
  • Lexus Stakes Winner: Great House (Chris Waller)

This year’s Group 1 $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) field is far less northern hemisphere-trained saturated with just two raiders officially prepared outside of Australia and New Zealand: Twilight Payment and Spanish Mission.

Spanish Mission has been under a time-sensitive bid to be passed fit to run in the world’s richest two-mile handicap with the Andrew Balding-trained UK raider under an injury cloud leading up to Saturday afternoon’s final acceptances.

Second elect in Melbourne Cup betting, the Noble Mission entire passed his third vet check early Saturday afternoon having been treated for a mild skin infection with antibiotics overnight and will take his spot with Craig Williams to ride.

Williams chases his second Melbourne Cup victory in two years, the hoop having won aboard Vow And Declare in 2019.

The other runner that had been 50/50 to line-up in the great race since confirmed is the Chris Waller-trained Australian Racecourse of the Year Verry Elleegant.

Last year’s Caulfield Cup champ, the Zed mare ran a brave seventh under four lengths beaten in the Melbourne Cup results in 2020 with 55.5kg.

Incentivise will need to make history as the first nine-year-old to win the Melbourne Cup if he is to successfully defend his title on Tuesday

The now six-year-old goes up to 57kg as a nine-time Group 1 winner, Waller looking to pull off a master training effort getting the mare to improve off a lead-up third over 2040m in the Cox Plate to win the Melbourne Cup over 3200m.

Waller has a total of four runners in the Lexus Melbourne Cup this spring with Verry Elleegant joined by: Sydney Cup winner Selino, Ocean Billy and Saturday’s brave Lexus Hotham Stakes winner Great House.

After losing his original ride with this week’s withdrawal of European raider Away He Goes (tendon injury), jockey James McDonald has picked up the eleventh-hour ride on Verry Elleegant in the Melbourne Cup.

“Following a nice piece of work this morning with James McDonald in the saddle, we have made the decision to run Verry Elleegant on Tuesday in the Melbourne Cup with James booked to ride,” the stable confirmed on Twitter.

Carrying this year’s 58kg Melbourne Cup top weight, Twilight Payment is the only other raider in the mix.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Irish galloper defends his title having handed prolific owner Lloyd Williams his seventh ‘Loving Trophy’ leading an all-international Melbourne Cup trifecta in 2021.

Jockey Jye McNeil reunites with the veteran chasing back-to-back Melbourne Cup wins by a rider for the first time since the three-peat of Glen Boss on the mighty Makybe Diva (2003-05).

Success by the European eight-year-old who races as a nine-year-old down under will see Twilight Payment become the oldest Melbourne Cup winner in history.

Boss meanwhile is one of three Melbourne Cup jockeys this year looking to equal the record of four victories along with Kerrin McEvoy and Damien Oliver.

Three jockeys get the chance to equal the record of 4 Melbourne Cup winning rides with Kerrin McEvoy (Grand Promenade), Glen Boss (Sir Lucan) and Damien Oliver (Delphi)

Boss rides the Waterhouse/Bott import Sir Lucan on just 50kg.

McEvoy is on the well-supported Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Grand Promenade who boasts an outstanding Flemington record (5:3-1-0).

Grand Promenade comes off a win in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2520m) from October 2 and is out to be the first to do the double since the also McEvoy-ridden Almandin (2016).

Oliver rode his third Melbourne Cup winner back in 2013 on the Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente and has been booked to partner the Herbert Power Stakes winner Delphi this year for Anthony & Sam Freedman.

Since 2005, Fiorente ($7 in 2013) is the only Melbourne Cup favourite to have saluted for the punters.

The spruik stayer heading into this year’s Melbourne Cup is of course the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise.

The Shamus Award gelding’s epic journey from an eighth in a Toowoomba maiden in March to the shortest-priced Melbourne Cup favourite since Phar Lap (1930) has been well reported the past few months.

In-form hoop Brett Prebble has the prized mount on Incentivise with 57kg, the gun galloper chasing his ninth win on the trot.

This campaign the horse has won three straight Group 1 races in Melbourne including a powerhouse 3.5 length Caulfield Cup victory giving him the chance to become the 12th to complete the Spring Cups double in the same year.

The official 2021 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw took place shortly after final acceptances with Incentivise drawing barrier 16.

Click here for the latest Melbourne Cup 2021 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 Melbourne Cup Final Field

No. Form (Last 10) Horse Sex Age Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight
1 1131×33912 TWILIGHT PAYMENT (IRE) G 9 Joseph O’Brien Jye McNeil 2 58kg
2 111111×111 INCENTIVISE G 5 Peter G Moody Brett Prebble 16 57kg (1.5kg penalty)
3 17x2513x2x SPANISH MISSION (USA) H 6 Andrew Balding Craig Williams 14 57kg
4 x3112x2143 VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ) M 6 Chris Waller James McDonald 19 57kg
5 132113×950 EXPLOSIVE JACK (NZ) H 4 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen 4 57kg
6 x2606x3420 THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ) H 6 Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman Damian Lane 5 54kg
7 111x6x4210 DELPHI (IRE) H 5 Anthony & Sam Freedman Damien Oliver 3 53.5kg
8 1x610x5059 OCEAN BILLY (NZ) G 6 Chris Waller Damien Thornton 13 53.5kg (1.0kg penalty)
9 86541×0840 SELINO (GB) G 6 Chris Waller Ron Stewart 24 53.5kg
10 29431×0090 JOHNNY GET ANGRY (NZ) G 4 Denis Pagan Lachie King 22 53kg
11 3x8511x909 KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE) G 7 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Daniel Stackhouse 9 53kg
12 5x1244x373 PERSAN G 5 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Luke Currie 11 53kg
13 07422×4747 CARIF G 6 Peter & Paul Snowden Blaike McDougall 8 52.5kg
14 x663x00030 MASTER OF WINE (GER) G 7 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes Fred Kersley 6 52.5kg
15 x22x722x54 PONDUS (GB) G 6 Robert Hickmott Rachel King 1 52.5kg
16 x221211251 GRAND PROMENADE (GB) G 6 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Kerrin McEvoy 21 52kg (1.0kg penalty)
18 78333×0095 MIAMI BOUND (NZ) M 5 Danny O’Brien Patrick Moloney 17 52kg
18 x1510x0600 PORT GUILLAUME (FR) G 5 Ben & JD Hayes Harry Coffey 23 52kg
19 2324×37197 SHE’S IDEEL M 6 Bjorn Baker Craig Newitt 20 52kg
20 3x6133x086 FUTURE SCORE (IRE) G 7 Matt Cumani Dean Yendall 15 51.5kg
21 12114×3321 TRALEE ROSE (NZ) M 5 Symon Wilde Dean Holland 12 51kg
22 x55x011132 FLOATING ARTIST (GB) G 6 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Teo Nugent 10 50kg
23 4×13275155 GREAT HOUSE (IRE) G 5 Chris Waller Michael Dee 7 50kg
24 x41x81x248 SIR LUCAN (IRE) H 4 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Glen Boss 18 50kg

Racing fields and data are copyright 2011-2021 © Racing Australia Pty Ltd (RA) (and other parties working with it).
Racing materials, including fields, form and results, is subject to copyright which is owned by RA and other parties working with it. Full copyright notice.

Spring Racing

Military Mission Fires in 2023...

Zipping Classic 2023 Field �...

Zipping Classic 2023 Field & Odds Update: Vow And Declare Defends Title

Danny O’Brien’s 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare continues to show a...

Overpass Heads 2023 Winterbott...

Overpass Heads 2023 Winterbottom Stakes Field & Betting Markets

Bjron Baker’s The Everest performer Overpass is tipped to return to winning...

Osipenko Leads The Gong 2023 R...

Osipenko Leads The Gong 2023 Race Field & Betting

The Chris Waller-trained Pierro four-year-old Osipenko is firm favourite in...

2023 Railway Stakes Field ...

2023 Railway Stakes Field & Betting Update: Tuvalu Narrow Favourite

The Lindsey Smith-trained top-weight Tuvalu is narrow favourite in the latest...

Horse Racing Today

2024 Coolmore Classic Winner Z...

2024 All-Star Mile Results: Pr...

2024 All-Star Mile Results: Pride Of Jenni Beats Mr Brightside by 2 Lengths

Pride Of Jenni was enormous running her rivals ragged with a blistering...

2024 Pago Pago Stakes Results:...

2024 Pago Pago Stakes Results: McEvoy’s Dublin Down on Golden Slipper Bid

Dublin Down is into Saturday week’s 2024 Golden Slipper field after a gutsy...

Randwick Guineas 2024 Results:...

Randwick Guineas 2024 Results: Celestial Legend Nudges out Militarize on the Line

Celestial Legend put the writing on the wall for a huge year ahead with the...

2024 Canterbury Stakes Results...

2024 Canterbury Stakes Results: Lady Laguna Upsets Think About It, Espiona Third

Top honours in the 2024 Canterbury Stakes results at Royal Randwick went to...

Race Results

2024 Coolmore Classic Winner Zougotcha Dives Late to Salute

2024 All-Star Mile Results: Pride Of Jenni Beats Mr Brightside by 2 Lengths

2024 Pago Pago Stakes Results: McEvoy’s Dublin Down on Golden Slipper Bid

Randwick Guineas 2024 Results: Celestial Legend Nudges out Militarize on the Line

2024 Canterbury Stakes Results: Lady Laguna Upsets Think About It, Espiona Third

Race Previews

2024 Golden Slipper Stakes Field & Barriers: Storm Boy Draws Two

Magic Night Winner Drifting Firms in Golden Slipper 2024 Betting

Zougotcha Heads 2024 Coolmore Classic Field & Odds

2024 All-Star Mile Field & Betting Update: Mr Brightside Odds-On

2024 Adelaide Cup Field & Betting Update: The Map Leads the Way

Fields & Form

2024 Golden Slipper Stakes Field & Barriers: Storm Boy Draws Two

Zougotcha Heads 2024 Coolmore Classic Field & Odds

2024 All-Star Mile Field & Betting Update: Mr Brightside Odds-On

2024 Adelaide Cup Field & Betting Update: The Map Leads the Way

2024 Randwick Guineas Field & Odds Update: Militarize Set to Strike Second-Up