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The world-famous Group 1 $8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) will be run and won on Tuesday afternoon, and below we have our expert 2024 Melbourne Cup tips and best bets on the great two-mile classic.
The Melbourne Cup field is down to 23 runners after Monday evening’s withdrawal of Athabascan.
The all-important barriers have been drawn, the lead-up runs are done and dusted, and all that is left is for the light to go on at 3:00pm (AEDT).
The trainers have done what they can and it now up to this year’s classy Melbourne Cup horses and the hoops aboard them to get the job done in the famous Flemington Race 7 on the first Tuesday of November.
With another imposing contingent of international raiders led by last year’s beaten favourite Vauban for Irish horseman Willie Mullins featuring highly again in Melbourne Cup betting markets, can the locals fight back and keep the 164th Melbourne Cup trophy at home?
Will Buckaroo salute for the punters and hand Chris Waller a second trophy or is there an upset Melbourne Cup result pending once the best three minutes of sport is complete for another spring?
Find out what stayers we’re tipping in our Melbourne Cup exotics below before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for all the markets on the ‘Race That Stops a Nation’!
To Win: #13 Onesmoothoperator ($8 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Onesmoothoperator is short in the Melbourne Cup markets and deservedly so regardless of the scare in the lead-up.
He had a heel cut but was reshoed and re-examined with RV vets passing him fit.
With how stringent they’ve been in ruling horses out, if this guy wasn’t right to run he wouldn’t be lining-up.
Brian Ellison-trained in the UK he made an immediate impact down under winning the Ladbrokes Geelong Cup by over two lengths.
Media Puzzle (2002), Americain (2010), Dunaden (2011) all did the Geelong Cup – Melbourne Cup double as visitors down under and there’s plenty to suggest this in-form Dialied In gelding, who is US bred as was Americain, can be the next.
He is down to just 51kg even with the penalty and big race specialist Craig Williams, who rode Vow And Declare to victory in 2019, retains the ride having locked in this mount right after the Geelong demolition job.
That’s a pretty great endorsement and one that’s seen the market react accordingly.
Looking at his form back home before arriving on Aussie shores, one of his top performances was a seventh in the Ebor. That is one hell of a form race (see Sea King in the Bendigo Cup).
To Challenge: #2 Buckaroo ($6.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Trainer Chris Waller chases his second Melbourne Cup success saddling-up Tuesday’s one-time favourite Buckaroo who presents as the genuine danger despite being yet to win over further than 1800m.
He has been leading the markets for a few weeks but has eased out now post-barrier draw when getting posted out in gate 21 (into 20).
The ‘Magic Man’ Joao Moreira will need to slot in and find his position early from the alley, but the past six Melbourne Cup winners have all saluted from double-digits including Vow And Declare (2019) from this alley.
He looks very well weighted with 54.5kg in the compressed weights in a race lacking depth this year.
The distance is obviously a query, but the way he charged through the line for a Caulfield Cup second over 2400m last time out with the same weight was eye-catching.
The Caulfield Cup historically is the superior form line into the Melbourne Cup and could prove to be again in 2024.
You cannot say he’s not going great guns since being gelded.
Put 3.5 lengths on his closest rival in the Group 1 Underwood over 1800m with 59kg at WFA and then went down the barest of margins here in the Group 1 Turnbull over 2000m behind stablemate Via Sistina.
What she went on to do in the Cox Plate was astronomical and bodes very well for this guy.
If he runs it out, he wins.
To Feature: #12 Okita Soushi ($11 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Okita Soushi lined-up as an Irish-trained raider for Joseph O’Brien in the race last year and returns now with top trainer Ciaron Maher.
Cannot believe the move on this guy since the field and barriers were locked in Saturday evening.
Preferred the better 20/1 offering but he has been absolutely smashed into $11 now, and still finding it hard not to follow that money trail with lots of boxes ticked by this guy.
He is more seasoned, acclimatised, and has the benefit of a year down under in his second attempt.
Eleventh last year from gate 20, he is drawn for a sweet run this season in barrier 9.
Some of the punters’ money is explained by the booking of Jamie Kah following her outstanding Saturday last weekend that included the VRC Derby victory on Goldrush Guru.
She is riding in outstanding style and this Galileo entire is going equally as good coming off a Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) win under the lights.
Has won over the two miles so no distance queries, comes back to 51kg, and the black silks statistically are a good thing!
To Improve: #4 Warp Speed ($23 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Warp Speed from Japan was one of the big hype Melbourne Cup hopes earlier in the season and one of the early favourites.
That was until he ran in the Caulfield Cup and performed like he was just having a barrier trial at best.
The Drefong six-year-old was flat, no arguing with that, when 13th beaten over 16 lengths.
Since then he’s been left alone in betting for the second leg of the Spring Cups in Australia, but still think he could give a much better performance at Flemington.
Delta Blues (2006) is the only Japanese-trained Melbourne Cup winner to date.
Not saying Warp Speed will be the second, but if you look back over his form at home that includes a fifth in the prestigious Tenno Sho with plenty of weight and winning form up to 3000m, then there’s plenty to indicate huge improvement at a price.
He’s shaken off the cobwebs and has settled right in at Melbourne and gets a sweet run from barrier three.
Got a Slow track at Caulfield and will appreciate the Good going for Australia’s biggest race day.
His trainer remains confident and think he’ll be right there when it counts.
To Surprise: #8 Land Legend ($20 at time of publish) – BET NOW
Land Legend is one of five for Waller and he’s at an incredible price really considering he is more than double that of Buckaroo despite his form being equally as impressive this season.
The Galileo five-year-old beat Zardozi narrowly to win the Group 1 The Metrop (2400m) with a light weight in Sydney two back and then ran out of his skin for a Caulfield Cup third.
He might of been six lengths off the winner but he was finishing off strongly and there’s suggestions he might even see out the two miles better than his better fancied stablemate Buckaroo who was second in the same key lead-up race over the 2400m.
Hong Kong’s Zac Purton rides, barrier 17 might not be ideal but it is the one that produced Almandin back in 2016.
When a raider with James Ferguson last year he won the Sydney St. Leger over 2600m in record time by 2.7 lengths.
He’s building to something, and the odds are generous.
| 11. Knight's Choice (5) J: Robbie Dolan51.5kg x9005T: J G Symons & S Laxon | ||
| 4. Warp Speed (2) J: Akira Sugawara54.5kg 325x0T: N Takagi | ||
| 12. Okita Soushi (9) J: Jamie Kah51kg x8021T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 14. Zardozi (3) J: Andrea Atzeni51kg 65245T: James Cummings | ||
| 9. Absurde (6) J: Kerrin McEvoy52.5kg 1x41xT: Willie Mullins | ||
| 3. Circle Of Fire (23) J: Mark Zahra54.5kg 1x890T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 17. Fancy Man (18) J: Ron Stewart50kg 0x536T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | ||
| 8. Land Legend (17) J: Zac Purton53kg x0613T: Chris Waller | ||
| 2. Buckaroo (20) J: Joao Moreira54.5kg 81122T: Chris Waller | ||
| 5. Kovalica (16) J: Damian Lane53.5kg x3426T: Chris Waller | ||
| 1. Vauban (10) J: William Buick55.5kg 24312T: Willie Mullins | ||
| 13. Onesmoothoperator (11) J: Craig Williams51kg 21741T: Brian Ellison | ||
| 16. Valiant King (21) J: Craig Newitt50.5kg 6x009T: Chris Waller | ||
| 15. Sea King (1) J: Hollie Doyle50.5kg 136x1T: Harry Eustace | ||
| 18. Interpretation (13) J: Teodore Nugent50kg 00862T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 6. Sharp 'N' Smart (14) J: Michael Dee53.5kg x0203T: Graeme & Debbie Rogerson | ||
| 24. Trust In You (4) J: Mark Du Plessis50kg 63044T: Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | ||
| 20. Mostly Cloudy (15) J: Karis Teetan50kg 2x440T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | ||
| 19. Manzoice (7) J: Declan Bates50kg x2307T: Chris Waller | ||
| 21. Positivity (19) J: Winona Costin50kg x2178T: Andrew Forsman | ||
| 23. The Map (22) J: Rachel King50kg x9056T: Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray | ||
| 22. Saint George (8) J: Tyler Schiller50kg x8495T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 7. Just Fine (12) J: Jye McNeil53kg 05010T: G Waterhouse & A Bott |
THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?
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