Lloyd Williams holds a strong hand for Melbourne Cup with possibly six contenders

CUP ORDER OF ENTRY: LLOYD Williams will have a quarter of the Melbourne Cup field if his six gallopers remain fit until next Tuesday.

Lloyd Williams

LLOYD Williams will have a quarter of the Melbourne Cup field if his six gallopers remain fit until next Tuesday.

Williams last night had last year’s winner Green Moon, Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner, Sea Moon, Mourayan, Masked Marvel and Seville in the top 24 on the order of entry.

When second acceptances were taken yesterday, 47 horses remained in the hunt for a start in the 24-horse field.

Williams did not accept with the out-of-form Tanby and Massiyn.

The international raiders are set to be represented by Dunaden, Red Cadeaux, Brown Panther, Dandino, Verema, Mount Athos, Royal Empire and Simenon, all of whom are guaranteed a run.

Imports Voleuse De Coeurs, now with Mike Moroney, and Tres Blue, in the Gai Waterhouse camp, are also in the top 24 and will have their first Australian runs in the Cup.

The 1kg penalty for the Bart Cummings-trained Precedence put Glen Boss’s mount Jet Away back to 30th in the order of entry. He will need to win Saturday’s 2000m Mackinnon Stakes to gain a start.

The Mackinnon will be a hot field. Nominations also include Cox Plate runner-up Happy Trails, Caulfield Cup third Dear Demi, Kiwi mare Silent Achiever, Sea Moon and/or Mourayan for Williams’ trainer Robert Hickmott and Mr O’Ceirin.

The Williams camp is determined to run Mourayan this week as he has not started since finishing eighth in the 2400m Metropolitan at Randwick on October 5.

He has also been entered for tomorrow’s 2400m Bendigo Cup, carrying topweight of 61.5kg, and Saturday’s 2500m Lexus Stakes.

Import Sea Moon has not started since he won the Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) on October 12 after losing the 2520m Bart Cummings at Flemington a week earlier on protest.

He has been entered for both the Mackinnon and Lexus. Fawkner also has been entered for the Mackinnon.

Staying at home at Macedon are last year’s winner Green Moon, Craven Plate runner-up Masked Marvel and Metropolitan winner Seville, all of who ran in the Cox Plate.

Tanby, last year’s Zipping Classic winner, has shown no form this campaign and is out of the Cup, as is Massiyn, who has accepted for tomorrow’s Bendigo Cup.

Trainer Peter Moody has given up on a Cup start for imports ­Manighar and Sneak A Peek.

But he can clinch a Cup starter for either Geelong Cup winner Ibicenco or Caulfield Cup flop My Quest For Peace if one of them can land the Lexus.

The winners of the Mackinnon and Lexus are exempt from the Cup ballot.

There are 21 Lexus nominations still in Melbourne Cup contention.

Moriarty, trained by Chris Waller, was a surprise second acceptor for the Cup. At No.28 in the order of entry, he is among the Lexus nominations.

Another Waller Cup candidate, Kelinni, is just one berth from a Cup start. He has been nominated for the Lexus after an encouraging run in the Caulfield Cup.

Waterhouse, who has the $4 favourite Fiorente in the Cup, did not accept with frontrunner Glencadam Gold.

lloyd Williams

MELBOURNE CUP ORDER OF ENTRY
Flemington, Tuesday week

(Winners of Saturday’s 2500m Lexus Stakes and 2000m Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington gain exemption from ballot). Final declarations, Saturday 4.30pm

1 FAWKNER (Robert Hickmott) 6g 54.5kg $15
2 DUNADEN (Mikel Delzangles, Fr) 8h 58.5kg $26
3 GREEN MOON (Robert Hickmott) 7h 57.5kg $26
4 RED CADEAUX (Ed Dunlop, Eng) 8g 56.5kg $41
5 SEA MOON (Robert Hickmott) 6h 56.5kg $13
6 SUPER COOL (Mark Kavanagh) 4g 54.5kg $51
7 VOLEUSE DE COEURS (Michael Moroney) 5m 54kg $14
8 FIORENTE (Gai Waterhouse) 6h 55kg $5
9 HAWKSPUR (Chris Waller) 4h 53.5kg $10
10 TRES BLUE (Gai Waterhouse) 4h 51kg $21
11 BROWN PANTHER (Tom Dascombe, Eng) 6h 55kg $21
12 FORETELLER (Chris Waller) 7g 55kg $31
13 ETHIOPIA (Pat Carey) 5g 54.5kg $71
14 DANDINO (Marco Botti, Eng) 7h 54.5kg $7
15 VEREMA (Alain de Royer Dupre, Fr) 5m 53kg $14
16 MOURAYAN (Robert Hickmott) 8h 54.5kg $51
17 SEVILLE (Robert Hickmott) 6h 54.5kg $19
18 DEAR DEMI (Clarry Conners) 4m 51kg $26
19 SILENT ACHIEVER (Roger James, NZ) 5m 52.5kg $41
20 MOUNT ATHOS (Luca Cumani, Eng) 7g 54kg $8.50
21 ROYAL EMPIRE (Saeed bin Suroor, Eng) 5h 54kg $21
22 MASKED MARVEL (Robert Hickmott) 6h 54kg $31
23 SIMENON (Willie Mullins, Ire) 7g 53.5kg $21
24 MR MOET (Adam Durrant) 6g 53.5kg $51

24-horse field as it stands

OTHERS IN THE HUNT
25 KELINNI (Chris Waller) 6g 53kg $81
26 IBICENCO (Peter Moody) 6h 53kg (inc 1kg pen) $51
27 MY QUEST FOR PEACE (Peter Moody) 6h 53kg $101
28 MORIARTY (Chris Waller) 6g 53kg $31
29 PRECEDENCE (Bart and James Cummings) 8h 52kg $51
30 JET AWAY (David Hayes) 7h 53kg $26
Odds: TAB