2023 Caulfield Cup Field Update: No. 7 Nonconformist (19) has been scratched after failing his final vet check. First emergency No. 19 United Nations gets a start from out wide in barrier 17. Click here for the full story.

Update: The 2023 Caulfield Cup barrier draw is now confirmed with Gold Trip in barrier 11, the same gate he ran second from last year, while Soulcombe has drawn last year’s winning barrier (6).

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The Caulfield Cup 2023 final field has been confirmed with a quality line-up of Melbourne Cup-bound stayers in the mix including last year’s winner of the two-mile classic Gold Trip.

Final acceptances for Saturday’s Group 1 $5 million Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup (2400m) closed at 3:30pm (AEDT) today.

The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Outstrip seven-year-old continues his lead-up to a title defence in the ‘race that stops a nation’ on the first Tuesday of November via the opening leg of the Spring Cups double on Saturday.

The French-bred stallion put in a terrific Cup trial last time out at headquarters with a dominant 1.75 length upset in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at big odds.

He carted 58kg to victory there and is set for improvement up to the mile and a half now third-up and fit with Ben Melham coming aboard.

Gold Trip overcame barrier 16 of 16 in the Turnbull meaning connections are probably not sweating on his gate in tonight’s draw.

Incentivise (2021) was the last horse to complete the Turnbull Stakes – Caulfield Cup double, and there is money for Gold Trip to be the next.

Saturday’s 58.5kg top-weight pays $6 in the latest Caulfield Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Co-trainer Ciaron Maher won the Caulfield Cup back in 2016 with star mare Jameka, but he is after his first in partnership with Eustace this weekend.

Along with the talented Gold Trip the stable also saddle-up Right You Are to be ridden by last year’s winning jockey Michael Dee, Duke De Sessa, and the first emergency United Nations.

Australia’s head trainer Chris Waller won the Caulfield Cup last Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival with Durston (2022) and returns in 2023 chasing back-to-back wins with a strong contingent of stayers.

Heading the Waller assault is the current favourite in Caulfield Cup betting, Soulcombe, carrying 53.5kg.

The Frankel five-year-old has career start number 15 and comes via a good third only two lengths beaten with 56kg in the Turnbull Stakes.

He meets his last start conqueror better in the weights, and he also has form around recent Might And Power winner Alligator Blood when fourth only 1.4 lengths beaten two back in the Underwood Stakes at weight-for-age.

Soulcombe has previous winning form at the Caulfield track, is nearing his peak now, and is another that will relish getting out to a trip at this stage of his spring campaign with Craig Williams aboard.

Waller has three runners in this year’s Caulfield Cup field with Soulcombe joined in the starting line-up by Group 1 winning Kermadec mare Montefilia who comes off a win in the Group 2 $2 million Hill Stakes (1900m) in Sydney and Francesco Guardi.

Montefilia broke a notable winning drought in the Hill Stakes impressing many thanks to a gun Nash Rawiller ride with 57kg.

She heads south to Melbourne for the first time since her fourth in last year’s Caulfield Cup results when only a length beaten from barrier 15 of 18 with 55.5kg and Rawiller in the saddle again.

This year the classy six-year-old has a kilo less weight with 54.5kg, has the confidence of that return to winning form, and looks a genuine danger.

Francesco Guardi is also well-weighted with 54kg, and his mid-field seventh in the Turnbull last time out was better than it looks on paper.

The internationals are represented in the Caulfield Cup field this season by the Simon & Ed Crisford-trained West Wind Blows with the son of Teofilo having his second run down under after a second in the Turnbull and Jamie Spencer retains the ride.

Japan’s Mer De Glace (2019) was the last international Caulfield Cup winner following on from the Saeed Bin Suroor-trained European Best Solution in 2018.

Looking for another Caulfield Cup trophy to take back to Japan this year is Breakup to be ridden by Damian Lane.

The Tatsuya Yoshioka-trained Novellist six-year-old races for the first time since an unplaced Group 1 2200m finish with 58kg at home in late June, before which he ran fourth in the well-known Group 1 Tenno Sho (3200m) over the Melbourne Cup distance.

Ireland’s Joseph O’Brien meanwhile saddles-up his two Melbourne Cup-bound horses with Valiant King and Okita Soushi both on debut down under.

Other notable Caulfield Cup contenders this weekend include the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Hill Stakes runner-up Hoo Ya Mal and the Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained Without A Fight.

The official 2023 Caulfield Cup barrier draw was conducted from 6:05pm (AEDT) this evening with Gold Trip firming into favouritism at Ladbrokes.com.au after drawing barrier 11.

The 2023 Caulfield Cup is set to run as Caulfield Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card with the latest markets from Ladbrokes.com.au available by clicking here.

2023 Caulfield Cup Final Field, Jockeys & Barrier Draw 

Table Credit: Racing Australia.