2016 MELBOURNE CUP ALMANDIN and Kerrin McEvoy beats HEARTBREAK CITY and Joao Moreira to win for trainer Robert Hickmot © Photo Healy Racing
Each year, the biggest horse racing event in Australia, The Emirates Melbourne Cup, creates a buzz among horse racing professionals and fans from around the globe.
A total of 140 horses were nominated for the race this year but only 24 horses will make the final cut.
With the total prize on offer standing at a staggering A$6.2 million, the nomination fee of A$1,650 was of little concern to the horse owners who want to get their horse's name etched into the history of famous Flemington contest.
Let's talk a little more about 'The Race that Stops a Nation.'
The Melbourne Cup
The race that stops a nation takes place every year on the first Tuesday of November.
This year, the race meeting is set for November 7 and the big race is set to go to post at 4 am GMT
The very first Melbourne Cup took place in 1861. Since then, the Cup Day has been a public holiday for Melbourne, the sports capital of Australia.
Flemington Racecourse is packed with over 150,000 people annually and millions more tune in to watch the race around the world.
The 2017 Weights
Aidan O’Brien’s dual Irish St. Leger winner Order Of St George has been allotted top weight for this year’s race with 58kg.
O’Brien has not yet made a firm commitment to travel the exciting 5-year-old as he lets the dust settle after last Sunday’s emphatic victory but he has been dangled a carrot by the Australian handicapper with what look a very fair handicap mark.
Makybe Diva was successful in the 2005 Melbourne Cup off the same weight.
Hartnell is next in this year’s weights with 57.5kg while 2016 winner Almandin is set to carry 56.5kg.
Max Dynamite, runner up in 2015 has 1kg less this time with 54kg.
Among the 140 nominations there are 31 international horses - 18 nominees from the United Kingdom, 7 from Ireland, 3 from France, 2 from Germany and 1 from Japan.
The Herald Sun has a complete list of nominees for the 2017 Melbourne Cup.
Betting On The Cup
The Melbourne Cup betting is beginning to take shape now that the weights have been released. Almandin and Order Of St George head most bookmaker lists as 14/1 joint-favourites. Another Irish raider, Thomas Hobson (52kg), has been popular with punters and is generally 16/1 along with the likes of the Japanese entry Admire Dues (56k) and Red Cardinal (55kg).
Both seasoned punters and occasional bettors can check out the 2017 Melbourne Cup free bets list before deciding which horses to stake their bets on.
Well known online bookmaker brands such as Ladbrokes, bet365, William Hill, Luxbet and Crownbet have enticing offers for first time customers on the Melbourne Cup.
