Seven of the twelve stayers in Wednesday’s confirmed Geelong Cup 2017 field are vying for a possible Melbourne Cup start that could be on offer to the winner of the midweek feature.

Sydney Cup winner Gallante heads the 2017 Geelong Cup Field & Weights for this Wednesday. Photo: Steve Hart.

Stealing the show as Race 7 at 4:00pm (AEDT), this year’s Group 3 $300,000 Geelong Cup (2400m) field features a dozen hopefuls with over half nominated for the Group 1 $6.2 million Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday November 7.

All seven of the Geelong Cup horses among the Melbourne Cup 2017 nominations need to win this week to have a guaranteed start in the 24 starer field for the ‘race that stops a nation’.

The highest up the current Melbourne Cup ballot in 24^th position is the Robert Hickmott-trained Gallante for five-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams.

Williams won the race last year with Almandin, the defending champion equal $6.50 favourite in pre-field Melbourne Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au with the Caulfield Cup eye-catcher Marmelo (6^th).

Gallante meanwhile is a $101 roughie in futures Melbourne Cup betting and has a tough test on Wednesday carrying the 58kg top weight in the Geelong Cup from a wide barrier 11 draw.

Katelyn Mallyon is on the Montjeu seven-year-old, winner of this year’s Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) over the two miles.

Gallante finished 20^th in last year’s Melbourne Cup and was last seen finishing dead last in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) when 15^th behind Harlem on September 23.

2017 Geelong Cup Horses: Where They Sit On Melbourne Cup Ballot

• Gallante 24th (53kg)
• Lizzie L’Amour 31st (51.5kg)
• Berisha 37th (50.5kg)
• Fanatic 40th (50kg)
• Gallic Chieftain 44th (50kg)
• Vengeur Masque 45th (50kg)
• Kellstorm 46th (50kg)

The only one of the horses in the Geelong Cup field under triple-figures to win the ‘race that stops a nation’ is the Darren Weir-trained Gallic Chieftain ($81).

This weekend master jockey Craig Williams partners the imported Tamayuz stallion who ran a brave third in the Group 2 Ladbrokes Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) on October 14.

The form out of that race was franked last Saturday when Boom Time improved on his fourth at the track / distance to score the upset Caulfield Cup results, while the Herbert Power winner Lord Fandango ran fourth in the mile-and-a-half classic.

Weir has two Geelong Cup runners this week with Gallic Chieftain (barrier two) joined in the line-up by stablemate Kellstorm getting the rails run from barrier one.

Michael Dee rides the imported Galileo five-year-old Kellstorm this week in place of apprentice Ben Allen who copped a 10 meeting ban for breaking the whip rules for his Caulfield Cup ride on fourth placegetter Lord Fandango.

Kellstorm is well down the Melbourne Cup order of entry (46^th), but was far from disgraced at Flemington on October 7 running third behind Amelie’s Star just two lengths beaten in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2500m).

The Robert Smerdon-trained Berisha meanwhile brings in some nice form having finished runner-up to Folkswood, a Cox Plate rival to Winx at The Valley this Saturday, in the Listed Cranbourne Cup (2025m) on October 15.

See below for the full Geelong Cup 2017 Field, Barriers, Jockeys & Weights with betting to open shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 Geelong Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Geelong Race 7 (4:00pm) – 25/10/2017