Racing royalty Gai Waterhouse and Damien Oliver combine for big chance with Fiorente at the Melbourne Cup

RACING royalty Gai Waterhouse and Damien Oliver will today combine forces hoping Melbourne Cup favourite Fiorente can deliver Australian sport's richest prize.

RACING royalty Gai Waterhouse and Damien Oliver will today combine forces hoping Melbourne Cup favourite Fiorente can deliver Australian sport's richest prize.

A crowd of more than 100,000 is expected to flock to Flemington for the race that stops a nation to watch the second highest number of international raiders compete against home grown talent.

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Champion jockey Oliver will ride the $7 favourite in a bid for his third Melbourne Cup triumph against one of the strongest field of contenders ever assembled.

International raiders from the likes of England, France and Ireland will duke it out with an incredible six runners from the stable of Melbourne millionaire Lloyd Williams who is aiming to win his fifth Cup.

Damen Oliver, riding for Gai Waterhouse on Fiorentei during the Melbourne Cup parade through Swanston Street, Melbourne. Picture: Mark Evans

But victory for Waterhouse would allow her to savour the sweet sensation of a Melbourne Cup for the first time, like her late father the legendary Tommy Smith did in 1955 and again in 1981.

With our great race putting Melbourne on show to the world, 13 Group 1 winners including nine from overseas will compete for the $6 million Cup.

Weather for Cup day is expected to be a comfortable 24C with bookies have warning the race was as wide-open as ever and Aussie contenders were in with a chance.

"Don't ride off the locals ... we will have a few hopes,'' Betstar's Alan Eskander said.

"The overseas connections are sending their best horses over these days and this race is attracting the best stayers in the world.

Victoria Racing Club chief David Courtney said fine weather, a public holiday in Victoria and a quality field promised to make the first Tuesday in November one to remember.

Gai Waterhouse trained Fiorente is walked by Roger Neville following a trackwork session ahead of the Melbourne Cup. Picture Cameron Spencer/Getty

"It's the strongest field we've seen for a long time, it's certainly captured the attention of the world and it will be very tough to pick the winner,'' he said.

Premier Denis Napthine said the running of the 153rd Melbourne Cup would be ``another great day for Melbourne and Victoria.''

"Anywhere in the world this measures up as a very, very good quality race in terms of the quality of the field, the amount of prize money and the interest not only around Australia but around the world,'' he said.

Thousands of fans lined Swanston St and Federation Square for the 30th annual Melbourne Cup parade yesterday to catch a glimpse of the famous trophy, jockeys and trainers.

The race will be more technologically advanced than ever with new high definition TV screens set up around the course, a wifi internet network featuring 240 access points offering 30,000 sqm of coverage and entry tickets scannable via mobile phone at the gate.

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