Moonee Valley Cup winner Ventura Storm has escaped a penalty for next Tuesday’s $7 million Melbourne Cup.

Racing Victoria’s Greg Carpenter announced that the Lindsay Park-trained Ventura Storm wil remain on his original weight of 54kg in the Melbourne Cup after carrying 55kg to win the G2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) last Saturday.

“Ventura Storm went into the Gold Cup having not won a race for more than two years and therefore was well treated under the set weight and penalties conditions,” Carpenter said.

“The six-year-old gelding ran 21st in last year's Melbourne Cup behind Rekindling with 54kg.

“He carried the same weight when 10th in the 2018 Caulfield Cup and when 13th in last year's Caulfield Cup.

“The weight conditions of the Moonee Valley Gold Cup favoured Ventura Storm given he did not carry a penalty, being winless for 740 days, and as a result he has not been penalised for the Melbourne Cup.”

The last two winners of the Moonee Valley Gold Cup - Who Shot Thebarman (2017) and Grand Marshal (2016) - both escaped penalty for the Melbourne Cup that same year.

Who Shot Thebarman was scratched from the Melbourne Cup in 2017 while Grand Marshal finished 11th in 2016.

The last Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner to win the Melbourne Cup was Kingston Rule in 1990.

Ventura Storm is assured of a start next Tuesday, being 19th on the revised order of entry.