Just six weeks to go to the Melbourne Cup!

Media Release
22 September 2009

Just six weeks to go to the Melbourne Cup!

It’s only six weeks, or 42 days, to the Melbourne Cup and Daffodil is now considered to be the best rated of the Kiwi trained horses to snatch victory.

Daffodil has shortened from $26 to $15 in the New Zealand TAB’s Fixed Odds to win the Melbourne Cup after her narrow victory in the Group 1 Windsor Park Stakes in Hastings last Saturday.

It was Daffodil’s third Group 1 victory after she won the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas last year and followed it up with a triumph in the AJC Oaks in Australia in April this year.

The Kevin Gray-trained Daffodil is also paying $9 to win the Caulfield Cup on Saturday 17 October and $16 to win the Cox Plate on Saturday 24 October. She’s also the $2.80 hot favourite to win the Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings on Saturday 3 October. Top Australian jockey Chris Munce has been engaged to ride her in her Melbourne Cup campaign.

The Melbourne Cup entry list was reduced from 229 to 141 on 8 September, 26 less than at the same stage for last year's race. International numbers were also reduced from 38 to 18, the same as last year at the same stage.

New Zealand’s other big hopes for the Melbourne Cup are considered to be Six O’Clock News, Red Ruler, Capecover and Young Centaur.

The Paddy and Trent Busuttin trained Six O’Clock News ran in the Open Handicap over 2000m at Hastings on Saturday and, although he didn’t handle the wet track conditions well, still appears to be on track for the Melbourne Cup. He’s the next best of the Kiwis, paying Fixed Odds of $21 to win.

The Alexander Fieldes trained Capecover was unlucky to miss out on making the Melbourne Cup field last year but is shaping up well to make this year’s race. He ran an excellent race in the Naturalism Stakes over 2000m at Caulfield in Melbourne on Saturday, even though he was unplaced, and is paying Fixed Odds of $31 to win the Melbourne Cup.

A New Zealand trained horse has not won the Melbourne Cup since 2001 when the Sheila Laxon trained Ethereal got up in the last few strides to win by three-quarters of a length.

The favourite with the TAB to win the Melbourne Cup is Vigor, paying Fixed Odds of $9. He opened at $13 but has shortened to $9 after finishing sixth in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield in Melbourne over the weekend.

Kiwi horse Red Ruler, who is trained by John Sargent, ran fifth in the same race. He has now shortened to fourth favourite for the Caulfield Cup on 17 October, paying Fixed Odds of $11, and is paying $26 to win the Melbourne Cup.

The Melbourne Cup is Australasia’s richest horse race with a purse of A$5.5 million (NZ$6.8m) and is set to race at 5pm on Tuesday 3 November (NZ time).

The New Zealand TAB’s top 10 Fixed Odds for the Melbourne Cup are:
Vigor $9
Efficient (2007 Melbourne Cup winner) $11
C’est La Guerre (NZ bred) $14
Viewed (2008 Melbourne Cup winner) $14
Daffodil (NZ trained) $15
Master O’Reilly (NZ bred) $15
Profound Beauty $15
Roman Emperor (NZ bred) $17
Six O’Clock News (NZ trained) $21
Speed Gifted $21
Precedence (NZ bred) $21

Current Fixed Odds for the top 10 New Zealand trained horses are:
Daffodil $15
Six O’Clock News $21
Red Ruler $26
Capecover $31
Young Centaur $31
Mr Tipsy $41
Harris Tweed $41
Tinseltown $81
All in Black $81
Hoorang $81

For the latest New Zealand TAB Fixed Odds available on the Melbourne Cup visit: http://www.tab.co.nz/sport?option=195

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