Less than four weeks to go to the Melbourne Cup!

Media Release

7 October 2009

Less than four weeks to go to the Melbourne Cup!

It’s less than four weeks, or just 27 days, to the Melbourne Cup and Daffodil is still considered to be the best rated of the Kiwi trained horses to snatch victory in the big race.

The winner of the Group 1 Windsor Park Stakes in Hastings, Daffodil is currently paying Fixed Odds of $18 to win the Melbourne Cup. She leaves New Zealand this Saturday to head to Australia and will begin her campaign with an assault on the $2.5m Caulfield Cup next Saturday (17 October). She’s currently paying Fixed Odd of $12 to win that race.

The Melbourne Cup entry list was further reduced from 141 to 85 yesterday with a field of 24 horses set to run round the track at 5pm on Tuesday 3 November (NZ time).

New Zealand’s other big hopes include the Alexander Fieldes trained Capecover, who was unlucky to miss out on making the Melbourne Cup field last year but is shaping up well to make this year’s race. He is set to race in the Herbert Power Stakes over 2400m at Caulfield this Saturday along with another New Zealand trained horse, Sand Hawk.

The Paddy and Trent Busuttin trained Six O’Clock News is now aiming for the Geelong Cup on 21 October in a bid to make the Melbourne Cup field after a wet track at Randwick last weekend upset his preparation. He’s paying Fixed Odds of $31 to win the Melbourne Cup.

Another Kiwi chance is the John Sargent trained Red Ruler, who is paying Fixed Odds of $51 to win the Melbourne Cup. He is also set to line up in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday 17 October and is paying Fixed Odds of $16 to win that race.

A New Zealand trained horse has not won the Melbourne Cup since 2001 when the Sheila Laxon trained Ethereal got up in the last few strides to win by three-quarters of a length.

The favourite with the TAB to win the Melbourne Cup is last weekend’s winner of the Turnbull Stakes in Australia, Efficient, who is paying Fixed Odds of $5. Efficient, the winner of the 2007 Melbourne Cup, opened at $21 but has shortened to $5. Second favourite is Speed Gifted who won The Metropolitan Stakes at Sydney last weekend, and he is paying $7 to win the Melbourne Cup.

The Melbourne Cup is Australasia’s richest horse race with a purse of A$5.5 million (NZ$6.8m) and is set to race at 5pm on Tuesday 3 November (NZ time).

The New Zealand TAB’s top 10 Fixed Odds for the Melbourne Cup are:

Efficient (2007 Melbourne Cup winner) $5

Speed Gifted                                                     $7

Viewed (2008 Melbourne Cup winner)  $9

C’est La Guerre (NZ bred)                            $15

Daffodil (NZ trained)                                      $18

Alcopop                                                               $21

Capecover (NZ trained)                                 $21

Mourilyan                                                           $21

Vigor                                                                     $26

Master O’Reilly (NZ bred)                            $26

Precedence                                                        $26

Cima De Triomphe                                           $26

Current Fixed Odds for the top five New Zealand trained or bred horses are:

C’est La Guerre (NZ bred)                            $15

Daffodil (NZ trained)                                      $18

Capecover  (NZ trained)                                $21

Master O’Reilly (NZ bred)                            $26

Six O’Clock News (NZ trained)                    $31

For the latest New Zealand TAB Fixed Odds available on the Melbourne Cup visit: http://www.tab.co.nz/sport?option=190

Ends

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