Trainer Gai Waterhouse with her Melbourne Cup favourite Fiorente. Picture: Colleen Petch. Source: News Limited
GAI Waterhouse's Fiorente remains the best chance to keep the most prized trophy in Australian sport, the $6.2 millon Melbourne Cup, from being taken overseas as a record number of internationals flood the field for Tuesday's big race.
There are a record eight northern hemisphere-trained stayers in the big race but a push for the Luca Cumani-trained Mount Athos to challenge for race favouritism stalled when he drew barrier 22 for Tuesday's big race.
Fiorente, runner-up in last year's Melbourne Cup, drew well in gate five and is back into $7 favouritism with TAB Fixed Odds.
PROFILES: MELBOURNE CUP FINAL FIELD
"I've had three seconds in the Melbourne Cup before so I've been close to winning this race but this is the first time I've had the favourite,'' trainer Gai Waterhouse said of Fiorente.
"I'm really happy with Fiorente and my other runner, Tres Blue.
"I think they have both had great preparations for the race so now we just have to hope for some luck in running.''
The all-important barrier draw for the Melbourne Cup was held last night at Flemington and the highlights included:
#TOPWEIGHT Dunaden, the 2011 Cup winner, drew the rails barrier;
#OWNER Lloyd Williams has six starters and five of them drew inside 10 - Masked Marvel (two), Sea Moon (seven), Fawkner (eight), Seville (nine), Green Moon (10). Mourayan completes the stable sextet and is starting form 19;
#HAWKSPUR has drawn barrier 18 which has never produced a Melbourne Cup winner; and
#INTERNATIONAL raiders Mount Athos (22), Red Cadeaux (23) and Ruscello (24) have the extreme outside barriers.
TAB spokesman Glenn Munsie said the barrier draw did not have a major impact on Cup betting except to ensure Fiorente remains favourite.
"Mount Athos looked as though he was going to start favourite but not now he is out in 22,'' Munsie said.
"Fiorente has drawn well in barrier five and he will get the right run from there.
"We saw from last year that Fiorente has the ability to be in front of Mount Athos in the run and that has to be an advantage.''
Munsie said the Clarry Conners-trained Dear Demi produced the best Melbourne Cup trial from the Derby Day meeting yesterday with her fast finishing second in the Mackinnon Stakes behind Side Glance.
However, no Victoria Oaks winner has returned to win the Melbourne Cup since Light Fingers in 1965 and Dear Demi's chances of completing the double were made difficult when she drew barrier 16.
"Dear Demi was very, very good in the Mackinnon,'' Munsie said.
"It was an outstanding Cup trial and her Flemington form is first class.
"But the barrier makes it harder now - they are going to have to ride her for luck.''
Chris Munce, who rode Jezabeel to win the 1998 Melbourne Cup, said Dear Demi's Mackinnon effort impressed him.
"She drops from 56.5kg to 51kg for the Cup which is a big help,'' Munce said.
"The 3200m is a question mark but it is a big question mark for half the field.''
Lexus Stakes winner Ruscello drew barrier 24 for the Melbourne Cup. Source: News Limited
$6.2 MILLION MELBOURNE CUP FIELD
RACE 7: 3200m. Tuesday 3pm at Flemington
(Apprentices cannot claim) Prize money: $6,000,000; 1st $3,600,000 and trophies $200,000; 2nd $900,000; 3rd $450,000; 4th $250,000; 5th $175,000; 6th-10th $125,000.
1 _ 3228 Dunaden (1) cw J Spencer 58.5 $26
2 _ s599 Green Moon (10) tc B Prebble 57.5 $26
3 _ 9624 Red Cadeaux (23) w G Mosse 56.5 $41
4 _ 0021 Sea Moon (7) w S Arnold 56.5 $14
5 _ s115 Brown Panther (6) dw R Kingscote 55 $21
6 _ 6143 Fiorente (5) wh D Oliver 55 $7.50
7 _ 1024 Foreteller (15) twh C Newitt 55 $21
8 _ 2212 Dandino (4) w R Moore 54.5 $9
9 _ 5004 Ethiopia (14) R McLeod 54.5 $61
10 _ 7531 Fawkner (8) twn N Hall 54.5 $16
11 _ s787 Mourayan (19) tdw B Avdulla 54.5 $101
12 _ 0917 Seville (9) m H Bowman 54.5 $19
13 _ 4935 Super Cool (13) th C Brown 54.5 $41
14 _ 0320 Masked Marvel (2) M Rodd 54 $31
15 _ 1582 Mount Athos (22) b C Williams 54 $7.50
16 _ 1122 Royal Empire (11) K McEvoy 54 $21
17 _ 1321 Voleuse De Coeurs (21) dwh J McDonald 54 $12
18 _ 1457 Hawkspur (18) wb J Cassidy 53.5 $11
19 _ 4223 Simenon (12) dw R Hughes 53.5 $19
20 _ 1801 Ibicenco (17) dw L Nolen 53 $41
21 _ 2511 Verema (3) w C Lemaire 53 $14
22 _ 3832 Dear Demi (16) tw C Munce 51 $16
23 _ 3211 Tres Blue (20) wh T Berry 51 $19
24 _ 3321 Ruscello (24) t C Schofield 50 $41
02 Nov, 2013
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/fiorente-firms-as-favourite-to-repel-cup-raiders-after-barrier-draw/story-fndpqu3p-1226750684913?from=public_rss
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