The 2024 Melbourne Cup (3200m) has attracted 123 nominations, which is slightly less than the 132 runners that nominated for the race 12 months earlier.
With the race scheduled to jump at its traditional time of 3pm at Flemington on November 5, 24 of the 123 nominated runners will take their place in the “race that stops the nation.”
Of the 123 horses that were nominated on Tuesday afternoon, 25 of those hail from overseas stables and 98 from Australian training bases.
Defending champion Without A Fight has been nominated for the 2024 edition of the race that he won last year, along with eight other 2023 Melbourne Cup horses, including Military Mission and Future History, who will seek to better their records in this year’s Cup.
Chris Waller will seek to claim his second Melbourne Cup with a staggering 21 runners nominated for the Group 1 contest.
VRC Derby champions Manzoice (2022) and Riff Rocket (2023) will lead the charge for the Waller camp, with one-time Melbourne Cup favourite Francesco Guardi attempting to qualify for the race once again this year.
Ciaron Maher has nominated 16 runners from his stable, with reigning Sydney Cup champion, Circle Of Fire, heading up his chances.
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott (10), Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young (9), Anthony & Sam Freedman (6), and Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald (3) train most of the remaining runners that hail from Australian stables.
Meanwhile, Kris Lees (5) and Nick Ryan (3) are the only other Aussie trainers that have nominated multiple runners, with Tony & Calvin McEvoy, Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray, and Dan O’Sullivan just a few stables to only nominate one horse for the Cup.
Interestingly, James Cummings and Godolphin have only nominated 2023 VRC Oaks winner Zardozi from their worldwide training operation, with none of their overseas runners expected to make the trip down under to compete in the time-honoured classic.
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