Racing Melbourne Cup 2023 ( no after the fact posts)

Melbourne Cup winner??

  • 2.ALENQUER(9) - Damien Oliver

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 8.RIGHT YOU ARE(15) - John Allen

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 13.OKITA SOUSHI(20) - Dylan Gibbons (a)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 14.SHERAZ(22) - Beau Mertens

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 16.MAGICAL LAGOON(7) - Mark Du Plessis

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 19.VIRTUOUS CIRCLE(6) - Craig Newitt

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 22.INTERPRETATION(17) - Teo Nugent

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 23.KALAPOUR(14) - Zac Lloyd (a)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    99
  • Poll closed .

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Post Caulfield Cup rankings

1A. GOLD TRIP - Really good run in the Caulfield Cup beating everything bar the winner heading this way comfortably. Expect Flemington to suit him a lot better and presume he meets WAF slightly better at the weights now heading there. Has the class and is already proven running out a strong 2 miles in the Melbourne Cup. All going to be weather dependent as to whether he is the top seed or not. If the track has give in it then it really improves his chances and puts the slows on his main rivals.

1B. WITHOUT A FIGHT - Brilliant winner of the Caulfield Cup. Had a couple lengths on Gold Trip and 5 lengths + on everything else heading this way so very hard to see anything else bar GT being able to turn the tables at Flemington. Technically he is unproven at the trip but with 2800m form in England the expectation is that shouldn't be a problem out here. His wheels don't spin on a wet surface though so if we have a soft track then its almost rule a line territory. Firm track though and he is the one to beat.

3. SOULCOMBE - Complete barrier rogue. Walked out 8 lengths behind them in the Caulfield Cup and ran really well considering. Made up good ground in that race through the 800-600 and was on the back of WAF and GT but then got crowded for a bit of room in the straight before plugging home reasonably. I think 2 miles at Flemington will suit him perfectly and that was a decent Cup trial all things considered but he is just consistently shit at the barriers and is just getting worse so no reason to think he wont miss the kick poorly at Flemington again and have to pass the whole field.

4. VAUBAN - Valiant King didn't exactly frank the form at Caulfield but he finished around these sort of horses and Vauban did beat him pretty comfortably by a couple lengths so would expect him to be in this sort of area still.

5. BREAKUP - Average at best Caulfield Cup run and he just didnt seem fast enough or good enough to sustain speed over 2400m. I expect the bigger Flemington track and the 2 miles to both be better suited for him but not by enough to be able to make up the difference on those already rated ahead of him.

Doesn't seem any point in going beyond this for winning chances for me. It was a strong Caulfield Cup and that is THE form race for Flemington with the other lead ups looking pretty lackluster. For the sake of looking deeper ill just round out the list with the best roughies for the back end of exotics.

ASHRUN - Currently $120 was one of the better runs out of the Bart Cummings. Off the scene for pretty much 2 years his first up run this prep was really good sitting 3WNC and getting beat 3.75L over 1700m. Backed that up in the Bart Cummings running on really well from last clocking the best last 800, 600 and 400 whilst giving away 5kg to the first two.

DAQUIANSWEET JUNIOR - Currently $101. As previously stated in this thread he is basically on the same prep as last year where he ran a credible 6th in the Cup and gets in nice and light in the weights. His 3200m form in this country is good and generally runs above market expectations when getting out to a trip so can see him running past some more tired horses at the end.

SPANISH MISSION - Currently $65. As said above he had been pegged as an out and out 2 miler since he got here and he has had 6 runs since that Spring for 5 goes at 2000m or less and one go at 2400m on a wet track which he doesn't go on. He is older, locally trained and had injuries so obviously not near his best but he has a lot more class potential than anything else in the dregs and his last start Turnbull 8th has a lot of merit crossing the line with most of these types.

VIRTUOUS CIRCLE - Currently $55. Had no luck in the Bart Cummings when running into traffic everywhere. Think he finishes considerably closer with luck and meets most of that field better of fat the weights should they meet again at Flemington.

MORE FELONS - Currently $300. For the plays tall believers. Yet to be seen but on his European form he isn't really any worse off than a lot of others also making up the numbers and he is a considerably better price than most of them. He will stay the 2 miles no problems and gets in light at the weights. For comparison he took on Absurde in the Ebor in their last race start before coming here and he was 14/1 vs 7/1 in that race carrying basically a kilo more and now meets him 3.5kg better off for a 3 length defeat in that race so I think id rather spec MF at 15x the price.


Trouble with a lot of the roughies though is they are on the day F4 add ons and if they run well before the Cup the odds will likely be gone and if they run like shit you probably dont want to be with them...
 
His runs this prep on a G4, G4 and G3 have all been better than his runs last prep on soft tracks

Hopefully its a firm 2 and we can get $8-$9 on the day
 
So why did Zara hop off? If wins he deserves a rating of one of the best stayers this century. He might do it but I am in Zara's corner and doubt it.

Because he rode the horse that gave it windburn at Caulfield.
 

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So why did Zara hop off? If wins he deserves a rating of one of the best stayers this century. He might do it but I am in Zara's corner and doubt it.

He is making a call between the number 1 and 2 seeds in the country and jockeys are just as rubbish form analysts as trainers anyway so who cares what Zahra thinks
 
Lastotchka is one of the first ill be putting a line through for exotics in that $20-30 range. Brings in the same sort of shit French form lines that a horse like Au Revoir did a few years ago and was 100-1 in the cup
 
Yes, I agree that if they can run 2800m over there it generally means they’ll get 2 miles here.

But I notice that his 4 runs over that sort of trip were all in small fields (3,4,6 and 8 runners) and very slowly run races. Two of those races were at listed level, and 2 at group 3 level.

The most competitive of those races (with 8 runners) was the Geoffrey Freer where he was beaten by 6 lengths weakening out of it in the last furlong, with modest performers like Rodrigo Diaz and Pablo Escobarr beating him home comfortably.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope he runs well, he’s a good result for me. But I think some are glossing over what is a genuine question mark over him.

Good point. Slight query on the distance in my mind. I guess we will find out if the dry track will turn him around by 21L. My guess is he will improve without running 1st.
 
Anyone rate Cleveland a winning chance?

Liked the way he was attacking the line in the MV cup. Looks like they ran a pretty quick time. Has won over 3700 so can stay.

Mickey Dee on board. 52kg.
 
Anyone rate Cleveland a winning chance?

Liked the way he was attacking the line in the MV cup. Looks like they ran a pretty quick time. Has won over 3700 so can stay.

Mickey Dee on board. 52kg.

No. That MV cup form is miles off what’s required
 

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With Vauban now trading sub $4 happy to declare it the worst priced Cup fave in living memory. We are reaching ROF levels of koolaid drinking now
Im surprised it's so short, based off one run overseas where it looked like he got a soft lead and scooted away from them. He will be going into the race off a 90+ day break. Not keen on him.

The hype is crazy. Just like when everyone was saying deauville legend was a sure thing last year.
 
Im surprised it's so short, based off one run overseas where it looked like he got a soft lead and scooted away from them. He will be going into the race off a 90+ day break. Not keen on him.

The hype is crazy. Just like when everyone was saying deauville legend was a sure thing last year.

I mean without going full Marc Lambourne the horse it beat last start by 1.5 lengths was beaten 5 at Caulfield and is 40/1. So what’s that about?
 
Vauban just wins, plain and simple. Anything north of $4.50 is a gift

You'd think so - but you never know in racing something unpredictable could happen ie;-

  • Soublcombe jumps properly from barriers
  • WAF runs out s strong 3200 and isn't impacted by a wet track
  • GT manages to go back to back even though jockey has jumped off and he's carrying more weight than last year
  • The Japanese or French horse improve 10 lengths on recent runs
  • Something else jumps up out of nowhere - or half the field is bowled over like when PoP won

Outside of that if you can still get $4.50 out there I' be snapping it up as it's Vauban's race to lose
 
You'd think so - but you never know in racing something unpredictable could happen ie;-

  • Soublcombe jumps properly from barriers
  • WAF runs out s strong 3200 and isn't impacted by a wet track
  • GT manages to go back to back even though jockey has jumped off and he's carrying more weight than last year
  • The Japanese or French horse improve 10 lengths on recent runs
  • Something else jumps up out of nowhere - or half the field is bowled over like when PoP won

Outside of that if you can still get $4.50 out there I' be snapping it up as it's Vauban's race to lose

Or more likely Vauban doesn’t actually have the form lines it has historically taken to win a Melbourne cup.

Anyone suggesting it’s a bet at this price doesn’t understand the history or dynamics of the race. It is an absolutely disgusting price
 
Melbourne, first Tuesday in November, 100,000 people screaming, forecasted 30 degrees and strong Northerly winds, Vauban $3.85 on the fair…. Priceless

Bugger is half a chance of melting in the mounting yard. Don’t think it would have ever seen 30 degrees in its life. Will feel like 45 degrees for the poor Irish bugger then run 2 miles on top of that.

Take the 60’s on VK who finished 1.5L off him yet gets weight in his favour over the 2 miles everyday of the week. If they run VK that is. Down to 29 horses 5 days out.
 
Anyone that thinks $4.50 is a good price for Vauban has rocks in their head. Of course he may be the best horse and street them - but plenty to suggest he may not be well placed.

In a race as potentially unpredictable as the Melbourne Cup, it'd want to be a horse the quality of Makybe Diva before I'm plonking anything on a horse at those sorts of odds.

As Joker says - keep the hype coming so that it creates value anywhere else.

I think Vauban is more likely to finish closer to last than first, despite the complete lack of depth in the race this year.
 
Melbourne, first Tuesday in November, 100,000 people screaming, forecasted 30 degrees and strong Northerly winds, Vauban $3.85 on the fair…. Priceless

Bugger is half a chance of melting in the mounting yard. Don’t think it would have ever seen 30 degrees in its life. Will feel like 45 degrees for the poor Irish bugger then run 2 miles on top of that.

Take the 60’s on VK who finished 1.5L off him yet gets weight in his favour over the 2 miles everyday of the week. If they run VK that is. Down to 29 horses 5 days out.
Vauban and Valiant King being separated by $50 at the odds makes no sense if the overseas form line is what we are going off, which seems to be what everyones creaming over.
 

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Racing Melbourne Cup 2023 ( no after the fact posts)

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