Melbourne Cup battle kicks off...Top prospects still need to pass first ballot

By Brians Newsflash

The race to gain a start in the 150th Emirates Melbourne Cup will intensify following today's release of the order of entry by Racing Victoria's Chief Handicapper Greg Carpenter. High profile entrants So You Think, Metal Bender, Linton and Moudre, all rated $31 or better by TAB Sportsbet, have yet to pass the first ballot for the famous 3200-metre handicap.To pass the ballot and move closer to a guaranteed start they will need to do achieve one of the following before the field is selected on 30

To pass the ballot and move closer to a guaranteed start they will need to do achieve one of the following before the field is selected on 30 October;

- Place in a Group race over 2300 metres or further; or

- Win a Listed race over 2300 metres or further; or

- Earn $60,000 finishing first to fifth in a race over 2300 metres or further; or

- Win the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on 2 October; or

- Finish in the first three placegetters in the Tatts Cox Plate on 16 October; or

- Finish in the first eight placegetters in the BMW Caulfield Cup on 23 October; or

- Finish in the first three placegetters in the Mackinnon Stakes on 30 October

In addition to the above, victory in the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Mackinnon Stakes will provide the winner with exemption from the ballot in the Melbourne Cup.

Heading the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup is imported Irish galloper Alandi, with Cavalryman (United Arab Emirates), defending champion Shocking, Rite Of Passage (Ireland) and Shoot Out rounding out the top five.

With the first 24 horses in the order of entry at final acceptance time to gain a start in the $6m race, there are several horses that will need to rely upon attrition or attract a penalty for a feature race victory to move up the order.

Those horses include last year's beaten favourite Alcopop (35th), Godolphin contender Holberg (37th), visiting UK stablemates Drunken Sailor (39th) and Becqu Adoree (70th), well backed New Zealand Oaks winner Keep The Peace (44th), Bart Cummings' pair Moatize (47th) and Precedence (59th) and David Hayes' French import Laristan (60th).

The order of entry was also released today for the $3m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) with Shocking the only runner exempt from the ballot and Alandi, So You Think, Shoot Out and Metal Bender rounding out the top five.

Rebel Raider, the 2008 AAMI Victoria Derby winner, is the most notable entry yet to pass the first ballot for the Caulfield Cup. To do so he'll need to either win a Listed race of 1600 metres or further or place in a Group race in the same distance range.

Looking to this weekend, the winner of Saturday's Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley will earn exemption in the Caulfield Cup ballot which presents a window of opportunity for Hissing Sid, Precedence, Rundle and the unqualified Brightnight to rise dramatically up the rankings.

Whilst the order of entry for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups is decided on benchmark weights, entries for the $3m Tatts Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on 23 October are sorted using the international rating system.

With Shoot Out, courtesy of his AJC Derby win, and Zipping, this year's Australian Cup winner, exempt from the ballot, defending Cox Plate champion So You Think and Australian Racehorse of the Year Typhoon Tracy are the highest rated horses on 122*.

Second declarations for the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate, close at noon on Tuesday, 21 September, with second declarations for the Melbourne Cup taken at noon on Tuesday, 5 October. The order of entry for each race will be updated on a weekly basis.