AUSTRALIA: Derby winner tops Melbourne Cup weights 11 September 2020 Premium

THE 2019 Investec Derby winner, Anthony Van Dyck, has been allocated a top-weight of 58kgs for the Lexus Melbourne Cup while last year’s winner Vow And Declare has been asked to carry 57kg, 5kg more than last year.

Sharing second top-weight of 57kg is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Sovereign and the James Cummings-trained Avilius, the next best rated being Joseph O’Brien’s Master Of Reality at 56kg.

“Aidan’s O’Brien’s entries are the standouts on performances over the past 18 months and have been handicapped accordingly at the top of the weights for this year’s Stella Artois Caulfield Cup and Lexus Melbourne Cup,” said Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter.

It’s a similar story in the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup with Anthony Van Dyck and Japan sharing top-weight of 58.5kg ahead of Magical at 58kg.

Both the feature Cups have nominations of 175 and 177 respectively. The early favourite in the Lexus Melbourne Cup, Surprise Baby, has 54.5kg and the second favourite Russian Camelot has 53.5kg. The latter has the same weight for the Caulfield Cup for which he is favourite.

The Irish-trained Lexus Melbourne Cup nominated horses number 18 with Willlie Mullins supplying the Lonsdale Cup runner-up Stratum (55kg) and last year’s Flemington Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner True Self (52kg).

Joseph O’Brien has seven nominated, five of which are in the ownership of Lloyd Williams-led syndicates, while Aidan O’Brien has nine. First acceptances for the Lexus Melbourne Cup are on September 29th with the Caulfield Cup being a week earlier.

“The puzzle is set, it’s up to the trainers to get their horses into the races with the lowest weight they can,” concluded Carpenter.

Irish nominated entries

A$7.75 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3,200m)

Anthony Van Dyck (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 58.5Kg

Sovereign (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 57Kg

Master Of Reality (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 56Kg

Twilight Payment (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 55.5Kg

Buckhurst (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 55Kg

Stratum (GB), William Mullins, 55Kg

Patrick Sarsfield (FR), Joseph O’Brien, 54Kg

Santiago (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 53.5Kg

True Self (IRE), William Mullins, 52Kg

Pondus (GB), Joseph O’Brien, 51Kg

Bolleville (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 50kg

Cormorant (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 50kg

Dawn Patrol (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 50kg

Degraves (IRE), Joseph O’Brien, 50kg

Mythical (FR), Aidan O’Brien, 50kg

Nobel Prize (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 50kg

Order Of Australia (IRE) Aidan O’Brien, 50kg

Tiger Moth (IRE), Aidan O’Brien, 50kg

Other northern hemisphere-nominated

Melbourne Cup horses

Telecaster (GB), Hughie Morrison, 56kg

Dashing Willoughby (GB), Andrew Balding, 54.5kg

Prince Of Arran (GB), Charlie Fellowes, 54.5kg

Red Verdon (USA), Ed Dunlop, 54kg

Eagles By Day (IRE), David O’Meara, 53.5kg

San Huberto (IRE), Fabrice Chappet, 53.5kg

Ashrun (FR), Andreas Wohler, 53kg

Le Don De Vie (GB), Hughie Morrison, 52.5kg

Port Guillaume (FR), Jean-Claude Rouget, 52.5kg

Skyward (FR), Fabrice Chappet, 52.5kg

A$5 Million Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2,400m)