THE weights for Australia’s most famous horse race, the $6.2 million Emirates Melbourne Cup, have been released today by Racing Victoria (RV) Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, with two familiar names sitting atop of the 134 entries.
French star Dunaden is likely to carry the number one saddle cloth for the second year running after again being allotted topweight for ‘the race that stops a nation’. A winner of the 2011 Cup when carrying 54.5kg, the Mikel Delzangles-trained eight-year-old has been given 58.5kg for the coveted 3200-metre handicap at Flemington on 5 November.
Unplaced in last year’s Cup when carrying 0.5kg more, Dunaden will again need to end a streak stretching more than 60 years if he is to join Peter Pan (1932-34) as the only multiple winner of the Cup in non-consecutive years.
“Dunaden has been allotted the topweight for the second year running, however I have reduced his weight by 0.5kg to 58.5kg in recognition of the fact he was beaten almost 10 lengths by Green Moon in last year’s race when favourite,” Carpenter said.
“Whilst Dunaden enjoys a weight reduction, history still presents a significant challenge as no original topweight has won the Cup since Comic Court in 1950. In fact 20 of them have tried and not one of them has placed so he will rightly claim a place in history if triumphant.”
Second in the weights on 57.5kg is the Robert Hickmott-trained, Lloyd Williams-owned defending champion Green Moon, with his high profile imported stablemate Sea Moon and 2011 runner-up Red Cadeaux both allotted 56.5kg – 1kg more than he carried in 2012.
Last year’s runner-up Fiorente, a winner of the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday, rises 1.5kg to 55kg, whilst the commanding TAB favorite Puissance de Lune has 54.5kg – the weight carried to victory in the last three Cups.
“Green Moon was allotted 53.5kg, but the record books will show that Brett Prebble rode 1kg overweight to win the 2012 Emirates Melbourne Cup with 54.5kg,” Carpenter explained.
“From a handicapping viewpoint he rises 4kg to 57.5kg which is 0.5kg less than Americain (2010) and Dunaden (2011) were asked to carry the year after winning their Cup.
“The Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente, who was most impressive winning the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes on Saturday, rises 1.5kg on his second placing 12 months ago, but does meet Green Moon 1.5kg better for that defeat.
“Fiorente is striving to become the fifth horse to win the Cup a year after running second, with grand mare Empire Rose the last to do it in 1988 when carrying 53.5kg to victory.”
Dunaden or Green Moon, if victorious, would become just the sixth multiple winner of the Cup joining Makybe Diva (2003, 04, 05), Think Big (1974-75), Rain Lover (1968-69), Peter Pan and inaugural winner Archer (1861, 62) in racing’s most distinguished group.
Michael Burn, Chairman of the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), said this year’s 153rd edition represents a significant milestone in the Cup’s evolution and that the release of weights sets the scene for another exciting chapter in its history.
“The release of the weights confirms the high quality of this year’s Emirates Melbourne Cup entries,” Burn said. “We are excited to see such a depth of talent amongst the entries, both Australian and international, as we mark 20 years since the first international winner of the Cup, Vintage Crop.”
Other notable entries and their weights are:
• It’s A Dundeel (56kg) – NZ star who was a four-time Group 1 winner at three. He has the same weight as So You Think was allotted as a four-year-old in 2010.
• Foreteller (55kg) – Chris Waller-trained import who meets Cup favorite Puissance de Lune 0.5kg worse for his triumph in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes last start.
• Dandino (54.5kg) – UK-trained, Australian-owned last start winner of the American St Leger. His stablemate Jakkalberry ran third in the 2012 Cup carrying 1kg more.
• Ethiopia (54.5kg) – 2012 ATC Derby winner who has raced just once since finishing unplaced in last year’s Melbourne Cup. Rises 1kg from his 2012 Cup weight.
• Super Cool (54.5kg) – One of only a trio of three-year-olds to have won the Australian Cup, the Mark Kavanagh-trained gelding is the second highest weighted four-year-old.
• Mount Athos (54kg) – Luca Cumani-trained English stayer has been allotted the same weight he carried into a fast finishing fifth place in the 2012 Cup.
• Hawkspur (53.5kg) – Queensland Derby winner who is now third favorite for the Cup with TAB ($12) after blitzing his rivals in the Chelmsford Stakes in Sydney last start.
• Jet Away (53kg) – Highly rated import who is unbeaten in two Australian starts for master trainer David Hayes. He is yet to pass the first ballot clause for the Cup.
• Verema (53kg) – Owned by the Aga Khan and trained by 2010 Cup winner Alain de Royer Dupre, the mare is charged with delivering a third French victory in four years.
• Leading Light (52.5kg) – Aidan O’Brien-trained 2013 English St Leger winner who would become just the fourth Northern Hemisphere three-year-old to start in the Cup.
• Tres Blue (51kg) – Another Northern Hemisphere three-year-old colt, the last start French Group 2 winner was a late entry for premier trainer Gai Waterhouse.
First acceptances for the Melbourne Cup will be taken at 12 noon on Tuesday, 8 October.
RACING VICTORIA MEDIA RELEASE
