71 horses remain in contention for Melbourne Cup glory
The Melbourne Cup aspirations for 71 horses are still very much alive following the announcement of first acceptances.
Out of the 71 horses remaining in the running, 13 are international entries for the Flemington 3200m feature race scheduled for November 3.
Last year's victor and the current topweight, Half Yours, remains a contender as he aims to achieve back-to-back victories for the training partnership of Tony and Calvin McEvoy.
Half Yours is progressing through his campaign towards the Melbourne Cup in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington this Saturday. Post-race, a decision will be made on whether the stayer will target the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 or the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington a week later.
Ciaron Maher, a trainer with a history of Cup success, has the largest number of horses still in the Melbourne Cup field with 14 first acceptances. This group includes Shockletz, who earned a ballot exemption through her victory in The Archer Stakes on September 12, alongside Middle Earth and Okita Soushi, both of whom have secured a placing in the Cup previously.
Chris Waller has eight horses still in the running, with Aeliana, Birdman, Asterix, Ohope Wins, Valiant King, and Soulcombe among them.
Among the 13 international horses entered for the Cup, several have already arrived in Australia: Small Fry, Omni Man, and Starford from Joseph O'Brien's stable, Wine Dark Sea (trained by Harry Charlton), Enfjaar (prepared by Roger Varian), and Point Of Law (from Maher's stable).
Currently in quarantine and preparing for shipment to Melbourne are the O'Brien-trained entries Sons And Lovers, Trustyourinstinct, Defiantly, James J Braddock, and Goodie Two Shoes. Additionally, Hopewell Rock (George Boughey) and Japan's Stinger Glass (Yasuo Tomomichi) are also on their way.
The closing date for second acceptances is October 13. The Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday provides the winner with a ballot exemption.
Other races that offer ballot exemptions include the Caulfield Cup, the Geelong Cup (2400m) on October 21, the Cox Plate, and the Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) on October 24.
For those keen on placing a wager, exploring the latest racing betting markets at online bookmakers could be a wise move.
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