Racing Preview – Melbourne Cup Day Tues 3 Nov

There is a 10 race program at Flemington, and nearly every race track in the country has a meeting for Melbourne Cup day, but there is really only one race that people are focusing on, with the Melbourne Cup, race 7, starting at 3pm, and lasting a little over 3 minutes.

Melbourne Cup – Flemington
The Group 1 $5,500,000 Emirates Melbourne Cup over 3200 metres is the race that stops the nation and has a full field of 24 runners. The betting market is now in a permanent state of change as bookmakers tweak the odds as big bets are placed. The current favourite is topweight Viewed at $4.80, followed by Alcopop at $5.50 and Roman Emperor at $8. Next in the market is Shocking at $12, Master O’Reilly at $14, Daffodil at $16, Changingoftheguard and Leica Ding both at $23 then C’est La Guerre, Mourilyan and Allez Wonder all at $26.

Viewed is a big strong horse and although he has to carry 5kg more than last year I think he is up to it. I have a nagging doubt that when he stretches out in the straight he may feel the effect of being galloped on in Saturdays Mackinnon and that worries me more than the weight. New Zealand mare Daffodil has been on my radar since she won the AJC Oaks and I think she will collect prizemoney. Shocking has hit form at the right time with his win in the Lexus and got no weight penalty so is right in this.

Jo’s tips: 1. Viewed, 2. Daffodil, 3. Shocking

For more info on the Melbourne Cup read our articles.

Lexus Hybrid Plate – Flemington
The Listed $150,000 Lexus Hybrid Plate is a set weights plus penalties race for three-year-old fillies over 1400 metres and has a field of 16 plus 2 emergencies. With the early scratchings of Slapstick and Turnstiles, both emergencies will get a run. The early betting market has Kanzan as $4 favourite ahead of So Anyway at $4.40. Next is Majestic Music at $8.50, and the rest are at double figure odds.

Kanzan meets So Anyway 0.5kg better at the weights than when they finished 3rd and 4th on 10 October. Majestic Music is a quality filly who has won at this track before, but has drawn barrier 15.

Jo’s tips: 1. Kanzan, 2. So Anyway, 3. Majestic Music

Johnnie Walker Stakes – Flemington
The Listed $150,000 Johnnie Walker Stakes over 1800 has a field of 15 runners. The early betting market has Sound of Nature as favourite at $3.80. He is an interesting runner as he is 7 years old with only 13 starts for 5 wins and 3 placings.

Next in the market is Pillar of Hercules at $6, La Rocket at $7, Majestical at $9, Stokehouse at $11, the topweight Ice Chariot at $13, then Down Under Boy, The Fonz, Packing Success and Validator all at $15. Sound of Nature has the best strike rate in the field and should win. Pillar of Hercules was only 4 lengths from the winner in the Toorak, which was a much stronger field than this, and then just missed out in the Seymour Cup. Validator has been racing well in Adelaide.

Jo’s tips: 1. Sound of Nature, 2. Pillar of Hercules, 3. Validator