JOSEPH O’Brien has five entries for the 2019 Melbourne Cup, including last year’s Irish Derby winner Latrobe and the recently acquired Twilight Payment.

Formerly with Jim Bolger, Twilight Payment defeated Latrobe by a neck in the Group 2 Curragh Cup in June and has since been acquired privately by Latrobe’s owners Nick and Lloyd Williams.

O’Brien won the 2017 Melbourne Cup for the Williams team with Rekindling, who has recently been retired from racing. The trainer also has the Williams-owned Master Of Reality and Buckhurst in this year’s Cup. The weights will be published on September 10th.

Last year’s winner Cross Counter heads a strong British entry for the November 5th contest. Charlie Appleby’s runner made history when becoming the first British-trained horse to win the two-mile prize last year, leading home a one-two-three for the raiding party as Marmelo finished second for Hughie Morrison while the Charlie Fellowes-trained Prince Of Arran was third.

There are a total of 16 entries from Britain, including a second string for Appleby in Ispolini. Martyn Meade’s Technician and the Andrew Balding-trained Dashing Willoughby are a couple of leading hopes for the St Leger who have been given the option, along with a clutch of runners from last week’s Ebor at York.

Mustajeer switch

Mustajeer has now switched to the care of Australian handler Kris Lees after winning last Saturday’s Ebor Handicap for Ger Lyons and that form is strongly represented with the five that followed him home – Red Galileo, Desert Skyline, Raymond Tusk, Barsanti and the Willie Mullins-trained True Self – all entered. Aidan O’Brien has 11 entries.

A handful of the European entries are also entered in the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup over 12 furlongs on October 19th.

“There is great depth among the entries and it will be a challenge to secure a place in both races,” said Greg Carpenter, Racing Victoria’s executive general manager of racing.

“It’s great to see Cross Counter given his chance to become the first dual international winner of the Melbourne Cup and those horses that finished second through seventh behind him last year being given their chance to atone.

“The Caulfield and Melbourne Cups are Australia’s premier staying races, so it’s equally pleasing to see so many Derby, Oaks and interstate Cup winners among the entries for both races providing the opportunity for a strong local response to an impressive international challenge.”