Melbourne Cup 2013: Horse-by-horse preview

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1. Dunaden
Barrier:
Jockey: Jamie Spencer
Trainer: Mikel Delzangles
Weight: 58.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $41

Pros: 2011 champion who also won the Caulfield Cup last year, he is a world class stayer in the autumn of his career. He gets a good barrier which means he won't get too far back and his jockey got a good read of the track by riding the winner of the Mackinnon on Saturday.

Cons: There is considerable evidence to say that he is light of former days, and he hasn't won a race since last year's Caulfield Cup. The inside barrier while useful may mean he has to race on the rail, which is not his preferred position. Eight-year-olds have only won the Cup on two occasions, while the last horse to win the Cup two years apart was Peter Pan in 1934.

Relevant race: 2012 Caulfield Cup

2. Green Moon
Barrier: 10
Jockey:  Brett Prebble
Trainer: Robert Hickmott
Weight: 57.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $41

Pros: 2012 winner who won that race with authority. He is a very consistent, strong galloper who is well suited to the hustle and bustle of a Melbourne Cup. His form into this race has been consistent and he gets a good jockey from a middle range alley which should give plenty of options. Gets blinkers on.

Cons: He hasn't won a race since last year's Melbourne Cup and his most recent run in the Cox Plate was less than impressive. Must carry three kgs more than last year and on his form he is not going as well as he was back then. Only one horse in the past 38 years, the incomparable Makybe Diva, has won the race back-to-back.

Relevant race: 2012 Melbourne Cup

3. Red Cadeaux
Barrier: 23
Jockey: Gerald Mosse
Trainer: Ed Dunlop
Weight: 56.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $67

Pros: Got beaten a lip in the 2011 Melbourne Cup, launching him on an international tour which has seen him race in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. His is a very professional and versatile galloper who always gives a good account of himself wherever he races.

Cons: The barrier is a huge minus and he is going to have to have a lot of luck to be competitive in the race from out there. He doesn't win a lot, just once in his past 13 starts, and he has to carry 56.5kg. An eight-year-old, he is not the horse of former days.

Relevant race: 2012 Hong Kong Vase

4.Sea Moon
Barrier: 7
Jockey: Steven Arnold
Trainer: Robert Hickmott
Weight: 56.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $15

Pros: Talented imported galloper who has found his best form at the right time, getting himself into this race with a tough win in the Herbert Power Handicap at his most recent start. He has always had a huge boom on him since beating Dunaden at Royal Ascot and Lloyd Williams paid a considerable amount with this race in mind. He gets a good barrier.

Cons: There is a slight concern that this race has come a little too soon for Sea Moon. He has began to find his feet in Australia but the step up from a Group Two 2400m race to the toughest staying race in the world is a major one.  Also must carry 56.5kg.

Relevant race: 2013 Herbert Power Handicap

5. Brown Panther
Barrier: 6
Jockey: Richard Kingscote
Trainer: Tom Dascombe
Weight: 55kg
Sportsbet odds: $21

Pros: Very good English galloper who has been competitive at the top level in the UK and won the two-mile Goodwood Cup in August. He comes into this fresh and has settled well and worked nicely at Werribee since arrival. Gets a good barrier.

Cons:  He looks like the typical English stayer who has came here and failed in the past. There is a concern how this horse will handle the busy nature of a Melbourne Cup, and whether he will handle the expected good track.

Relevant race: 2013 Goodwood Cup

6. Fiorente
Barrier: 5
Jockey: Damien Oliver
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse
Weight: 55kg
Sportsbet odds: $7

Pros: Former imported galloper who has settled brilliantly into Australian racing. Ran second in last year's Melbourne Cup, and since then has run a succession of very good races, albeit with just one win, in the Dato Tan Chin Nam at Moonee Valley.  His most recent run was an excellent third in the Cox Plate, when he toughed it right out. Deserves favouritism on form and gets a gun jockey and a good barrier.

Cons: There's not many knocks on this one, but worth remembering that there has been only one horse in 24 years to have been beaten in a Cup one year and then come out and won it the next. Whether he can go back to the well and prosper this year is the question mark over him.

Relevant race: 2013 Cox Plate

7. Foreteller
Barrier: 15
Jockey: Craig Newitt
Trainer: Chris Waller
Weight: 55kg
Sportsbet odds: $34

Pros: Is an underrated weight for age galloper who has done very little wrong this campaign. He won a Group One at Flemington in September, ran second to retired superstar Atlantic Jewel in the Caulfield Stakes and was the best of the closers in the Cox Plate. He has done nothing wrong headed into this.

Cons: The distance is the big query. He has only ran past 2000m on one occasion when he was beaten a long way. Must also overcome a tricky barrier.

Relevant race: 2013 Makybe Diva Stakes

8. Dandino
Barrier: 4
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Trainer: Marco Botti
Weight: 54.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $10

Pros: The American St Leger winner who ran a super race in the Caulfield Cup when he charged home to grab second. That run had Melbourne Cup trial written all over it and showed that not only had this horse taken its best form to Australia, he also relished the good track and the style of racing. Beautifully weighted and gets a great barrier.

Cons: Craig Williams, who rode this horse the Caulfield Cup, said it would be better over the 2400m than the 3200m and there are some questions over the ability over the two miles. Ryan Moore is a world class jockey, but would the horse be better with a local jockey? 

Relevant race: 2013 Caulfield Cup

9. Ethiopia
Barrier: 14
Jockey: Rhys McLeod
Trainer: Pat Carey
Weight: 54.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $81

Pros: Last year's ATC Derby winner who has always promised to be a good stayer at this level. Ran his best race of this campaign on Saturday when fourth in the Lexus Stakes.

Cons: He has only won one race and has not really developed as you would have thought with some patchy form this time in. Lacks the class to win this race.

Relevant race: 2012 ATC Derby

10. Fawkner
Barrier: 8
Jockey: Nick Hall
Trainer: Robert Hickmott
Weight: 54.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $19

Pros: Excellent win in the Caulfield Cup when he came from the back of the field to win the race with ease.  While he is six, you get the feeling that he is only now reaching his peak and carries less weight than he did in the Caulfield Cup because of the weight rise in that race. Gets a good barrier, a confident and in-form jockey and has the right profile.

Cons: The distance remains a doubt for him, given the Caulfield Cup was the furthest he has ever been in a race. He also got a dream run through and may need that again to be a threat in this race.

Relevant race: 2013 Caulfield Cup

11. Mourayan
Barrier: 19
Jockey: Brenton Avdulla
Trainer: Robert Hickmott
Weight: 54.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $101

Pros: A tough old bugger who has been a bit of a war horse, winning the Sydney Cup earlier in the year. Ran seventh in this race last year

Cons: Lacks the class and is not in the type of form which would think he could challenge in this race. His run in the Mackinnon was a poor.

Relevant race: 2013 Sydney Cup

12. Seville
Barrier: 9
Jockey: Hugh Bowman
Trainer: Robert Hickmott
Weight: 54.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $17

Pros: Is in really good form, winning the Metropolitan before running an excellent seventh in the Cox Plate. Fits a similar profile to Green Moon last year, having had time to settle in Australia and seems to be peaking for this race. Gets a good barrier, has an in-form jockey and can go back or go forward. 

Cons: It has been over 50 years since a winner of the Metropolitan has won the Melbourne Cup. He has only been past 2400m once in his career when he was beaten in the English St Leger.

Relevant race: 2013 Metropolitan Handicap

13. Super Cool
Barrier: 13
Jockey: Corey Brown
Trainer: Mark Kavanagh
Weight: 54.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $51

Pros: Was a star three-year-old last year, running second in the VRC Derby before going on and winning the Australian Cup in the autumn. Looked a superstar in the making at that stage of his career. Rediscovered some of his form when fifth in the Cox Plate.

Cons: Has not been at his best this campaign and has looked a little flat. Also some question over the distance.

Relevant race:  2013 Australian Cup

14. Masked Marvel
Barrier: 2
Jockey: Michael Rodd
Trainer: Robert Hickmott
Weight: 54kg
Sportsbet odds: $26

Pros: A tough imported stayer who is always very honest. Won the 2011 English St Leger beating a few of his rivals in this race. Is a certainly to run out the 3200m with strength and he has a Cup winning jockey aboard from a very good gate.

Cons: He hasn't won since that St Leger win and was completely outclassed in the Cox Plate. Has done his best work in Australia the Sydney way of going. Does he have the turn of foot to win this race?

Relevant race: 2011 English St Leger

15. Mount Athos
Barrier: 22
Jockey: Craig Williams
Trainer: Luca Cumani
Weight: 54kg
Sportsbet odds: $10

Pros: A quality European stayer who has been set for this since his unlucky fifth in this race last year. Stays at the same weight and has the turn of foot to produce a big finish. Loves racing fresh and the punters have swarmed for him since last week.

Cons: The barrier is a major concern and Williams will need to be at his best to get this one home. Hasn't won a race since August 2012 and it is always tough to win a Melbourne Cup at the second time of asking.

Relevant race: 2012 Melbourne Cup

16. Royal Empire
Barrier: 11
Jockey: Kerrin McEvoy
Trainer: Saeed Bin Suroor
Weight: 54kg
Sportsbet odds: $21

Pros:  Godolphin have been desperate to win this race and they get their chance with a progressive stayer who has been picking his way through lower class races in Europe. He gets a nice barrier, has a Cup winning jockey and gets a very good weight.

Cons: Is yet to compete beyond Group Three level so there is a question over his class. It is always hard for European stayer to come here without a lead-up run.

Relevant race: 2013 Cumberland Lodge Stakes

17. Voleuse De Coeurs
Barrier: 21
Jockey: James McDonald
Trainer: Michael Moroney
Weight: 54kg
Sportsbet odds: $17

Pros: A former Dermot Weld mare who was brought in September for a seven figure sum with this race in mind. Was emphatic winning the Irish St Leger at her most recent start, winning by six lengths and looks like she will relish the two-mile trip at Flemington. Her trainer has won the race before.

Cons: She has copped a major hurdle with the barrier and James McDonald will face a challenge getting her into a position where she can be best placed to win the race. Her best form is on softer tracks and she is unlikely to get that surface on Tuesday.

Relevant race:  Irish St Leger

18. Hawkspur
Barrier: 18
Jockey: Jim Cassidy
Trainer:  Chris Waller
Weight: 53.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $13

Pros: A very talented four-year-old who won the Queensland Derby in the winter. He started Caulfield Cup favourite off his slashing run in the Turnbull Stakes and was desperately unlucky in that race. Fits the profile of a Cup winner, with a light weight and a multiple Cup winning jockey aboard.

Cons: Barrier 18 has never produced a Cup winner and Hawkspur is best served settling just in behind the pace. Cassidy is going to need a lot of luck to get himself into that position. He is not really bred to run out the 3200m.

Relevant race:  2013 Turnbull Stakes

19. Simenon
Barrier: 12
Jockey: Richard Hughes
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Weight: 53.5kg
Sportsbet odds: $21

Pros: Tough old European stayer who has been over jumps in his days. He ran a very good race when third in the Herbert Power Stakes over the unsuitable 2400m in his first run in Australia. Will certainly run out the two miles.

Cons: Most European horses who perform well in this race have form over shorter distances and this one looks like he will stay all day but may lack the turn of foot to get himself into the race.  

Relevant race: 2013 Herbert Power Handicap

20. Ibicenco
Barrier: 17
Jockey: Luke Nolen
Trainer: Peter Moody
Weight: 53kg
Sportsbet odds: $81

Pros: He's in career-best form having won at Caulfield and then the Geelong Cup this campaign.

Cons: Lacks the class of his rivals and won a very ordinary Geelong Cup. Has a tough barrier and lacks the versatility to overcome that.

Relevant race: 2013 Herbert Power Handicap

21. Verema
Barrier: 3
Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
Trainer: Alain de Royer Dupre
Weight: 53kg
Sportsbet odds: $13

Pros: Quality French mare who comes into this race off two wins in Group Two company. Has a Cup winning trainer and a Cup winning jockey, a great barrier and the quality to race close enough to the speed to be competitive.

Cons:  She has yet to reach the absolute top company in Europe, while how she handles the hustle and bustle of a Melbourne Cup from an inside draw is questionable.

Relevant race: 2012 Prix Du Kergolay

22. Dear Demi
Barrier: 16
Jockey: Chris Munce
Trainer: Clarry Conners
Weight: 51kg
Sportsbet odds: $21

Pros: She has been in super form this campaign, running third in the Caulfield Cup then second in the Mackinnon Stakes. She has a Cup winning jockey aboard and the comparisons between her and Munce's 1998 Cup winner Jezabeel  are compelling. Same weight, same barrier. Won the Oaks at Flemington last year.

Cons: She has shown her quality this spring, but she hasn't won. She needs to get a good position from the barrier.

Relevant race: 2013 Caulfield Cup

23. Tres Blue
Barrier:
20
Jockey: Tommy Berry
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse 
Weight: 51kg
Sportsbet odds: $21

Pros: Up-and-coming French stayer who has been brought here under the guidance of Gai Waterhouse. Won his past two starts at Group Two level, yet still gets into this race with a very good weight of 51kg.

Cons: The barrier has to be a worry, and there is no doubt he'll press forward and look to lead. He is the youngest horse in the race and whether this is all too soon for him is a definite concern.

Relevant race: 2013 Prix Deauville

24. Ruscello
Barrier: 24
Jockey: Chad Schofield
Trainer: Ed Walker
Weight: 50kg
Sportsbet odds: $51

Pros: Comes into this with a very light weight off a win in the Lexus Stakes on Saturday. Has thrived since coming to Australia.

Cons: The barrier is a killer for this horse's hopes and he will have to push forward to be any hope of being competitive. There is a class query over the Lexus on Saturday and he comes in with a very low rating compared to the other European horses.

Relevant race: 2013 Lexus Stakes

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