There are 47 horses remaining in the 2018 Melbourne Cup after second acceptances were taken today for the $7 million race at Flemington next Tuesday.
The list rises from 36 second acceptors last year and leaves many outside the cut line of 24, making Saturday’s $300,000 Hotham Handicap over 2500m at Flemington the make or break race for those in the lower section of the order of entry.
Horses to drop out of the Melbourne Cup at today’s deadline included Humidor, Latrobe, Idaho, Homesman, The Taj Mahal, Egg Tart, Big Duke, Count Octave, My Hamada, Withhold and Kings Will Dream.
The winner of the Hotham Handicap receives ballot exemption when the final Melbourne Cup field is decided after racing on Saturday prior to the barrier draw.
Among the second acceptors set to try and force their way into the final field through the Hotham Handicap are the import A Prince Of Arran, the Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott-trained Northwest Passage and the lightweights Jaameh, Brimham Rocks, Patrick Erin and Sixties Groove.
Waterhouse and Bott's Geelong Cup winner Runaway has moved to 23rd in the order of entry with Kiwi stayer Zacada number 24.
The horses currently occupying the five spots directly outside the top 24 are New Zealand-trained Sir Charles Road (25th), Scottish entry Nakeeta (26th), Japanese visitor Sole Impact (27th), locally-trained Miss Admiration (28th) and UK visitor A Prince of Arran (29th).
Waterhouse and Bott have also kept open the chances of their three-year-old Thinkin' Big, favourite for Saturday’s Victoria Derby, backing up next Tuesday by including him among the second acceptors even though he is last on the order of entry.
The Victoria Derby is not a ballot exempt race for the Melbourne Cup, however if Thinkin’ Big was to win he would receive a weight penalty or have his weight below the benchmark adjusted in accordance with the conditions of the race which could deliver him a start.
If Thinkin’ Big was to run second or third in the Derby then he will pass the ballot but his weight below benchmark cannot be adjusted and thus he would be reliant on attrition to secure a start in the Cup.
UK trainer Charlie Fellowes believes his stayer A Prince Of Arran would be a worthy contender next Tuesday after his last start third behind Melbourne Cup favourite Yucatan Ire in the G2 Herbert Power Stakes over 2400m at Caulfield at his first start in Australia.
"It was a really good run and the form looks okay,” Fellowes said.
“We could have gone to the Geelong Cup but I think Flemington will really suit him.
“It’s a 'win and you’re in' and while it’s not ideal being three days before the Melbourne Cup I felt it’s the race he has the best chance of winning.”
On the current order of entry there are only 12 Australian-trained stayers in the top 24 with 11 coming from northern hemisphere stables and one from New Zealand.
