2022 MELBOURNE CUP UPDATE: LUNAR FLARE SCRATCHED, 22 LEFT

2022 MELBOURNE CUP UPDATE: POINT NEPEAN SCRATCHED, 23 LEFT 

The official field for the Group 1 $7.75 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) has been confirmed with all 24 horses that will line-up in the famous Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (AEDT) on Tuesday now known.

2019 champion Vow And Declare is back for another shot at the 2022 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday for Danny O’Brien. Photo: Steve Hart.

Heading the Melbourne Cup betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au is one of the two internationally-trained horses in the field, the James Ferguson-trained English raider Deauville Legend, to be ridden by three-time Melbourne Cup winning hoop Kerrin McEvoy.

The other former Melbourne Cup winning jockeys with a ride in the 2022 Melbourne Cup field are Craig Williams and Blake Shinn on Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s imported Epsom Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal and Danny O’Brien’s 2019 champion Vow And Declare respectively.

Melbourne Cup Winning Jockeys Riding in 2022

• Kerrin McEvoy (Deauville Legend)
• Craig Williams (Hoo Ya Mal)
• Blake Shinn (Vow And Declare)

Both Waterhouse & Bott and O’Brien have multiple Melbourne Cup contenders this spring.

Sydney Cup champ Knights Order chases another Group 1 two-mile victory in the 2022 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. Photo: Steve Hart.

Waterhouse won in 2013 with Fiorente and also saddles-up the autumn’s Group 1 Sydney Cup champion over the two miles, Knights Order, with the So You Think eight-year-old coming off a Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).

Along with his former champ Vow And Declare, O’Brien will chase his second ‘Loving Cup’ trophy with two-time Turnbull Stakes place-getter Young Werther to be ridden by Damian Lane.

The notable omission is last year’s winning hoop James McDonald who lost his shot at back-to-back Melbourne Cup wins with the withdrawal of German raider Loft (tendon injury) on Friday.

International 2022 Melbourne Cup Horses

• Deauville Legend (James Ferguson)
• Without A Fight (Simon & Ed Crisford)

Along with Deauville Legend, the other remaining international visitor in the mix is the Simon & Ed Crisford-trained Without A Fight from the UK to be ridden by English hoop William Buick.

Buick is one of two international jockeys with a 2022 Melbourne Cup ride along with Ireland’s Wayne Lordan who flies in to take the reins on Point Nepean for seven-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams.

International Jockeys With a 2022 Melbourne Cup Ride

• William Buick (Without A Fight)
• Wayne Lordan (Point Nepean)

Williams is also now in with a shot at adding to his historic Melbourne Cup ownership record with Serpentine, to be ridden by John Allen, passing the first ballot clause with his fighting second behind Surefire in Saturday’s Group 3 Lexus Archer Stakes on Derby Day.

Serpentine will be ridden by John Allen, originally booked to ride Godolphin’s non-acceptor Alegron.

There are three Melbourne Cup horses in the field this year returning off an unplaced run behind Verry Elleegant from 2021 with Grand Promenade (6^th), Tralee Rose (9^th) and the aforementioned Waterhouse/Bott runner Knights Order (19^th).

2021 Melbourne Cup Contenders Back in 2022

• Grand Promenade (6^th)
• Tralee Rose (9^th)
• Knights Order (19^th)

The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained French expat Gold Trip carries the 57.5kg top-weight in this year’s Melbourne Cup field.

2022 Melbourne Cup Top-Weight

• Gold Trip (57.5kg)

No Melbourne Cup winner has carried more than 57kg to victory since Makybe Diva completed her historic three-peat with 58kg in 2005.

Gold Trip has Mark Zahra aboard with the horse competing in his third straight major after a Caulfield Cup second and ninth when dropped back in distance for the weight-for-age Group 1 $5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) on October 22.

Maher & Eustace dominate the Melbourne Cup field numbers wise saddling up a total of five runners with Gold Trip and Grand Promenade joined in the line-up by Turnbull Stakes winner Smokin’ Romans, Bendigo Cup winning mare High Emocean and Interpretation who is raced by a similar ownership group to the withdrawn Loft.

2022 Melbourne Cup Field: Trainers With The Most Runners

• Ciaron Maher & David Eustace (5) – Gold Trip, Grand Promenade, Smokin’ Romans, High Emocean, Interpretation
• Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott (2) – Ho Ya Mal, Knights Order
• Danny O’Brien (2) – Vow And Declare, Young Werther
• Robert Hickmott (2) – Point Nepean, Serpentine

Verry Elleegant (2021) broke the mares’ drought as the first female Melbourne Cup winner since the Makybe Diva treble (2003-05).

Montefilia is the best fancied of the mares in early 2022 Melbourne Cup betting to go back-to-back for the mares. Photo: Steve Hart.

This year the bookies are keeping Montefilia safe in Melbourne Cup betting to be the next, David Payne’s

The other mares in the 2022 Melbourne Cup field are Edward Cummings’ Australian Cup – Tancred double winner from the autumn Duais, The Bart Cummings winner Lunar Flare, last year’s Geelong Cup winner Tralee Rose, Realm Of Flowers coming off a Group 1 The Metropolitan third in Sydney and Bendigo Cup winner High Emocean.

Mares in 2022 Melbourne Cup Field

• Duais (Edward Cummings)
• Montefilia (David Payne)
• Lunar Flare (Grahame Begg)
• Tralee Rose (Symon Wilde)
• Realm Of Flowers (Anthony & Sam Freedman)
• High Emocean (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace)

The official 2022 Melbourne Cup barrier draw was conducted live from Flemington Racecourse following the racing action of VRC Derby Day today and has been updated below.

Click here to place your bets on the Melbourne Cup field at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2022 Melbourne Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.