French raider Brigantin is set to start favorite in Wednesday's Geelong Cup (2400m) if early money with TAB Fixed Odds is any indication. Matt Jenkins of TAB told PPD: 'He opened $4 (second pick) behind Gatewood, but was crunched into $3.30 in the first hour of betting. Gatewood has drifted from $2.75 to $2.90...Brigantin, $13 to win the Melbourne Cup, has the formlines that punters are looking for after finishing 2nd in the Prix Kergorlay in August...Shahwardi, winner of the Herbert Power Stake

French raider Brigantin is set to start favorite in Wednesday's Geelong Cup (2400m) if early money with TAB Fixed Odds is any indication. Matt Jenkins of TAB told PPD: 'He opened $4 (second pick) behind Gatewood, but was crunched into $3.30 in the first hour of betting. Gatewood has drifted from $2.75 to $2.90...Brigantin, $13 to win the Melbourne Cup, has the formlines that punters are looking for after finishing 2nd in the Prix Kergorlay in August...Shahwardi, winner of the Herbert Power Stakes, finished 3rd behind Brigantin in the 2012 Prix Kergorlay; Americain finished unplaced in the same race.' Brigantin opened $101 to win the Melbourne Cup back in early August.

Other betting news:

DUNADEN remains $6.50 fav for the Melbourne Cup after receiving 1kg penalty and is set to carry 59kg.


AMERICAIN ($9) has been the most popular runner in the Melbourne Cup since the running of the Caulfield Cup.


$3,000 at $17 on SHAHWARDI in the Melbourne Cup this morning.


GEELONG CUP

$2.90 Gatewood ($26)
$3.30 Brigantin ($13)
$6.00 Maluckyday ($21)
$6.00 Tac De Boistron ($21)
$6.50 Exceptionally ($51)
$14.00 Chateau Margaux (NN)
$101.00 Back in Black ($301)


* Melbourne Cup price in brackets.

GEELONG CLASSIC

$3.60 Our Desert Warrior ($31)
$3.90 Solemn ($18)
$4.40 Escado ($31)
$8.00 Correggio ($41)
$8.00 Road Trippin ($81)
$11.00 Danas Best (NN)
$13.00 Malabar Man ($151)
$26.00 Bunchloch ($201)
$31.00 Bullion Express ($151)
$31.00 Rawnaq ($61)
$41.00 Troador (NN)

Chris Munce will ride All Too Hard if the three-year-old runs in Saturday's Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley. Munce rode the colt at his only weight-for-age start when 4th in the Grp 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick in September. All Too Hard's co-trainer John Hawkes says trackwork on Tuesday morning will decide if the stable pays the $33,000 final acceptance fee for the $3 million contest. Hawkes adds: 'I'm not playing any games with him because he's such a valuable colt...The horse will tell us on Tuesday morning whether he will be able to run in the Cox Plate. If he shows any sign that he won't cope with a Cox Plate in the next few days, that will make the decision for us and he won't run.'