Melbourne Cup stars back on track

The past two Melbourne Cup winners, Viewed and Shocking, will return to racing in Saturday's $400,000 Group One weight-for-age Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in what is likely to be an early preview of this year's Australian Cup.

The first key lead-in race to the highlight of Melbourne's autumn racing carnival - the $1 million Australian Cup to be held at Flemington on 'Super Saturday' on March 6 - has attracted a crack field.

While there were just 10 final acceptors on Wednesday, there are six Group One winners in the field.

Along with the Bart Cummings-trained Viewed, the reigning Caulfield Cup winner as well as the 2008 Melbourne Cup winner, and Mark Kavanagh's reigning Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, the Orr field also contains Group One winners in Peter Moody's gun mare Typhoon Tracy, Mick Price's Heart of Dreams and the recent star of Perth's summer carnival in Sniper's Bullet.

The other Group One winner in the field is comeback galloper Sirmione with the Bart Cummings-trained six-year-old gelding - the 2008 Australian Cup winner - to have his first start since last year's Melbourne autumn carnival following an injury lay-off.

And another comeback galloper in the Nigel Blackiston-trained Littorio will also contest the Orr Stakes.

The five-year-old gelding, who started favourite and ran fifth in the 2008 Caulfield Cup, has raced just once since the 2008 Melbourne Cup due to bone bruising in his leg.

But the Danny O'Brien-trained Master O'Reilly - who has run fourth in the past two Melbourne Cups - will not run in the Orr Stakes and instead is set to tackle the Australian Cup first-up in what is expected to be his only run during the autumn carnival in Melbourne.

Orr Stakes field:
1. VIEWED - trainer Bart Cummings - jockey Steven Arnold - barrier 7 - weight 59.
2. SHOCKING - Mark Kavanagh - Michael Rodd - 9 - 59.
3. ZIPPING - Robert Hickmott - Nicholas Hall - 8 - 59.
4. SNIPER'S BULLET - Tracey Bartley - Nash Rawiller - 4 - 59
5. SIRMIONE - Bart Cummings - Dwayne Dunn - 3 - 59.
6. HEART OF DREAMS - Mick Price - Craig Newitt - 6 - 59
7. LITTORIO - Nigel Blackiston - Craig Williams - 5 - 59
8. DANZYLUM - Robbie Griffiths - Matthew Allen - 2 - 59
9. RAFFAELLO - Jim Marconi - Steven King - 10 - 59
10. TYPHOON TRACY - Peter Moody - Luke Nolen - 1 - 57