Melbourne Cup 2023 order of entry: 72 horses remain in hunt
Five internationals are among the 72 stayers still in contention for the Melbourne Cup after first acceptances were announced.
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All the big names remain in the Melbourne Cup after Tuesday’s first acceptances for Flemington’s showpiece event.
A field of 72 contenders are left in contention for the 2023 edition of Australia’s richest handicap, including the Willie Mullins-trained pair Vauban and Absurde, who arrived in Melbourne on the weekend.
The pair had its first look at the Werribee quarantine centre in the hours before Japanese raider Breakup landed in Melbourne.
Absurde is guaranteed a place in the Melbourne Cup field courtesy of his win in the Ebor Handicap at York in August.
Mullins will attempt to join his famous fellow Irishman Dermot Weld as a Melbourne Cup winner 30 years after his first success with Vintage Crop.
Breakup is a Group 2 winner in Japan that finished fourth in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (3200m) at Kyoto two starts back.
Locally-trained “golden ticket” holders Goldman and Lunar Flare are also among the 72 stayers left in contention along with last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip.
The latest round of Melbourne Cup acceptances cements the position of last Saturday’s Metropolitan Handicap winner Just Fine, who moved up to 18th in line for a start in the $8m event with his maiden Group 1 win.
Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper David Hegan announced a half-kilogram penalty for Just Fine for his Metrop win, taking his Melbourne Cup weight to 53kg.
TAB also promoted Just Fine to the second line of betting at $8 alongside Soulcombe, who will run in Saturday’s Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.
Vauban has firmed from $5 into $4.50 in TAB’s latest Melbourne Cup market.
See below for the latest Melbourne Cup order of entry after Tuesday’s first acceptances.
2023 MELBOURNE CUP ORDER OF ENTRY
EXEMPT FROM BALLOT
1. GOLDMAN (NZ) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 52kg
2. LUNAR FLARE Grahame Begg 51.5kg
3. ABSURDE (FR) Willie Mullins 53kg
PASSED FIRST BALLOT CLAUSE
4. GOLD TRIP (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 58.5kg
5. ALENQUER (FR) Michael Moroney 56.5kg
6. EL BODEGON (IRE) Chris Waller 55.5kg
7. WITHOUT A FIGHT (IRE) Anthony & Sam Freedman 55.5kg
8. SPANISH MISSION (USA) Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman 55.5kg
9. BREAKUP (JPN) Tatsuya Yoshioka 55kg
10. VAUBAN (FR) Willie Mullins 55kg
11. MAJOR BEEL (NZ) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 53kg
12. KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 54kg
13. FRANCESCO GUARDI Chris Waller 54kg
14. SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 54kg
15. SOULCOMBE (GB) Chris Waller 53.5kg
16. HOO YA MAL (GB) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 53kg
17. VOW AND DECLARE Danny O’Brien 53kg
18. JUST FINE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 53kg
19. RIGHT YOU ARE Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 53kg
20. DUKE DE SESSA (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 53kg
21. MAGICAL LAGOON (IRE) Chris Waller 51kg
22. VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ) Liam Howley 51kg
23. LASTOTCHKA (FR) Jean-Marie Beguigne 51kg
24. FAME Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman 51kg
25. EMISSARY (GB) Michael Moroney 52kg
26. HIGH EMOCEAN (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
27. EL PATRONESS Danny O’Brien 50kg
28. SHERAZ (FR) Chris Waller 51.5kg
29. DAQIANSWEET JUNIOR Phillip Stokes 51.5kg
30. CLEVELAND (IRE) Kris Lees 51.5kg
31. VALIANT KING (GB) Joseph O’Brien 50kg
32. OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) Joseph O’Brien 51.5kg
33. BENAUD John O’Shea 51kg
34. KING FRANKEL (IRE) Annabel Neasham 51kg
35. SERPENTINE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 51kg
36. MILITARY MISSION (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 50.5kg
37. SCRIPTWRITER (IRE) Milton Harris 50.5kg
38. HOSIER (IRE) Mark Minervini 50.5kg
39. TRUE MARVEL (FR) Matthew Smith 50kg
40. MOUNT POPA (IRE) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 50kg
41. ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea 50kg
42. ALASKAN GOD Daniel Morton 50kg
43. REBEL RACER Amy & Ash Yargi 50kg
44. HASTA LA WAR Sue Murphy 50kg
45. STAFFORD’S LAD Daniel Morton 50kg
46. KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees 50kg
47. UNITED NATIONS (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
48. INTERPRETATION (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
49. LADIES MAN (NZ) Allan Sharrock 50kg
50. RAGING BULL David Payne 50kg
51. AMADE (IRE) Phillip Stokes 50kg
52. FANCY MAN (IRE) Annabel Neasham 50kg
53. SIR LUCAN (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 50kg
NOT PASSED FIRST BALLOT CLAUSE
54. PROTAGONIST Kris Lees 52kg
54. UNCLE BRYN (GB) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 52kg
56. ASHRUN (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 51.5kg
56. BANK MAUR Richard Laming 50kg
56. BERKELEY SQUARE Dan O’Sullivan 50kg
59. BRAYDEN STAR (GB) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 50kg
CARINI (FR) Danny O’Brien 50kg
DENY KNOWLEDGE (IRE) Michael Kent 50kg
FERAGO Patrick Ryan Jr 50kg
FIRST IMMORTAL Mark & Levi Kavanagh 50kg
FOREIGN RAIDER John Sadler 50kg
FUTURE HISTORY (GB) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
GREGOLIMO (FR) Michael Moroney 50kg
MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 50kg
MR WATERVILLE (IRE) Chris Waller 50kg
PESTO (GB) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 50kg
SHAIYHAR (IRE) Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young 50kg
THE MAP Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray 50kg
MEDATSU (NZ) Chris Waller 49kg
Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2023 order of entry: 72 horses remain in hunt