Though not only because of him, after Middle Earth announced himself as a Melbourne Cup contender there has been a real shake-up in the market lately.
After the initial months of non-movement, new horses galore feature in the odds list now. This all comes as the Melbourne Cup itself is now out for its annual tour.
Soulcombe Still Top but New Contenders Feature
Chris Waller’s 2023 runner-up Soulcombe still leads the way in the online Melbourne Cup odds. Until he races again and fails, that may be the case for some time.
He is a general $15 chance at the moment, just ahead of $17 chance Middle Earth. Part-owned with Qatar Racing by Ciaron Maher, it looks sure that he will line up in November.
Middle Earth isn’t the only one who has forced his way into the betting. Sweet William, an emerging stayer in England trained by John & Thady Gosden, has entered the fray at $26 alongside Hamish. Hamish is trained by William Haggas who loves to come out here.
The Map is steady at around $21 after her recent exploits, while Aidan O’Brien’s Tower Of London is interesting. If he has a chance, then we’d love to see the Gosdens’ Trawlerman too though he isn’t in the market yet.
Right near the top at $17 is Giavelotto, another one trained in Europe. He may yet arrive, though we might now not see Sevenna Knight.
Sevenna Knight May Head for the Arc
Rising star Sevenna Knight recently won a Group 2 in France. He was bought last year by Aussie syndicate OTI with a view to heading to the Melbourne Cup.
Just for now at least, that plan may be on hold. The son of Camelot is now heading for the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud over 2400m. If he wins that, the dream may be to run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Running in the Arc would put paid to a Melbourne Cup tilt, at least for this year. Without him, these are the best available online odds for selected Melbourne Cup contenders:
$15 Soulcombe, $15 Circle Of Fire, $17 Giavellotto, $17 Middle Earth, $17 Vauban, $21 T O Royal, $21 Without A Fight, $26 The Map.
The Cup Goes on Tour
As was the case last year, the much sought-after Melbourne Cup is heading out on tour. No worries though, it’ll be back well in time for the big one on November 5.
New York is the rather unusual first stop this time. It heads to the Big Apple to begin the 2024 tour, taking in Tokyo, London, Dublin and Auckland.
Slightly more off the wall are the visits to Chichester, Galway and Cambridge NZ. In fairness, Chichester is where iconic racecourse Goodwood is situated while the Galway festival is also huge.
There are 39 stops in all for the $750,000 trophy to make between May 31 and its arrival home in time for the first Tuesday in November.
