TAB SPORTSBET STARTS BETTING ON BIG CUPS AND COX PLATE

TAB SPORTSBET has today (August 6) released its first markets on the big three races of the Spring Carnival in Melbourne – the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

Weights won’t be released for the Melbourne Cup until early next month but the pre-post betting has begun with early joint $15 favorites, C’EST LA GUERRE and PROFOUND BEAUTY, which finished third and five in last year’s Flemington two-miler.

Irish trainer Dermot Weld always maintained that Profound Beauty would be a better Melbourne Cup horse this year. Owner Lloyd Williams has a strong hand in the early fancies for the Cup with co-favorite C’est La Geurre and the 2007 winner, Efficient, on the third line at $21.

Cups King Bart Cummings has last year’s winner, Viewed and his AJC Australian Derby winning stablemate, Roman Emperor, high in the early betting at $17. VRC and SA Derby winner, Rebel Raider, is also on the $17 line along with the highly-rated Coolmore galloper, Changingoftheguard.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained, John Singleton-owned mare, Tuesday Joy, is a $21 chance along with Speed Gifted (the imported galloper sent to Lee Freedman) and Godolphin’s main Cups contender, Schiaparelli.

Shocking and Whobegotyou are joint favorites at $15 for the Caulfield Cup ahead of Roman Emperor and Speed Gifted at $17.

The Mark Kavanagh-trained Whobegotyou is outright early favorite for the Cox Plate at $6 ahead of his stablemate and last year’s winner, Maldivian, at $10.

THE EARLY MELBOURNE CUP MARKET IS HEADED BY:

$15 Profound Beauty, C’est La Geurre

$17 Viewed, Rebel Raider, Roman Emperor, Changingoftheguard

$21 Efficient, Speed Gifted, Shocking, Tuesday Joy, Zipping, Master O’Reilly, Schiaparelli, Precedence.