123 horses have been nominated for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 5, with 25 representatives coming from Europe, Japan, and New Zealand among the list of possible gallopers to make the trip down under for the race that stops the nation.
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien leads the charge with six runners nominating for the first Tuesday of November, highlighted by recent Group 3 Irish St. Leger Trial Stakes (2800m) winner Grosvenor Square ($15.00), firming into favouritism with horse racing bookmakers after storming away by 20 lengths at the Curragh on August 17.
Illinois, Jan Brughel, Point Lonsdale, The Equator and The Euphrates have also been nominated on behalf of Coolmore, with Tower Of London a notable omission amongst his star-studded list of stayers.
Willie Mullins has nominated three gallopers this time around, with Vauban and Absurde ready to have their second tilt in the Melbourne Cup after being defeated by Without A Fight last year, while Hippo De Loire has been added into the mix after a luckless effort in the Ebor Handicap (2800m) at York on August 24.
Fellow Irish trainer Dermot Weld could be embarking on a Melbourne Cup return in the form of Harbour Wind, looking to achieve his third win in the race, and his first since Media Puzzle conquered the great race in 2002.
The 2024 Ebor winner Magical Zoe is among the list of nominated runners and is ballot exempt for the Melbourne Cup provided the Henry De Bromhead barn elect to head down under.
Other notable European nominations include the John & Thady Gosden-trained Arrest, while the Andrew Balding barn has included Night Sparkle and Relentless Voyager among the list of possible travellers, while the French could be represented in the form of Delius (Jean-Claude Rouget).
Meanwhile, Kinesiology (Jessica Harrington), Onesmoothoperator (Brian Eillison) and Sea King (Harry Eustace) all hold nominations representing the UK.
The Japanese have two nominations in this year’s Melbourne Cup, with Shonan Bashitto (Naosuke Sagai) and Warp Speed (Noboru Takagi) both possible contenders to replicate the feat of Delta Blues (2006).
New Zealand-based trainers have nominated a total of five possible chances to come across the ditch, with Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray represented by Mahrajaan and Nereus, while punters could see the return of the Graeme & Deborah Rogerson-trained Sharp ‘N’ Smart on Australian shores.
Other New Zealand nominations include Good Oil (Andrew Forsman) and Trust In You (Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley).
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