A LOGJAM at the top end of the elimination order has made it tough for a number of leading Caulfield Cup contenders to make the final field of 18 for the world's richest 2400-metre handicap next month, reports The Age.It says: Despite the Caulfield Cup numbers falling from 109 to 71 yesterday at the second payment stage, only three of the top 36 qualified horses were not paid-up.Super four-year-olds So You Think and Shoot Out were notably missing from the list, with the pair going to the Melbour

A LOGJAM at the top end of the elimination order has made it tough for a number of leading Caulfield Cup contenders to make the final field of 18 for the world's richest 2400-metre handicap next month, reports The Age.

It says: Despite the Caulfield Cup numbers falling from 109 to 71 yesterday at the second payment stage, only three of the top 36 qualified horses were not paid-up.

Super four-year-olds So You Think and Shoot Out were notably missing from the list, with the pair going to the Melbourne Cup via the Cox Plate instead. The other to drop out was Gai Waterhouse's former US horse Black Mamba. Five of the top 12 horses in betting for the $2.5 million race on October 16 are far from assured of making the final field and there remain just four lead-up races that make the winner exempt from the cup ballot.

Those fancied runners who must win a exempt race or be heavily penalised for winning a handicap in the next three weeks include $13 second favourite Moudre (equal 38th in order), $15 chances Herculian Prince (equal 34th) and Valdemoro (equal 29th) and $21 chances Precedence (equal 41st) and Linton (equal 29th).

The exempt races are Saturday week's Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, and the following week's Toorak Handicap, Yalumba Stakes or Herbert Power Handicap at Caulfield.

Last year's Melbourne Cup winner Shocking is the only horse exempt from the Caulfield Cup ballot following his Makybe Diva Stakes win earlier this month and he is a likely runner in the race, despite the fact that victory could ruin a shot at back-to-back Melbourne Cups.