((( MELBOURNE CUP ))) from the Irish Forum

Sadly no BART CUMMINGS this year...12 Cups on the mantelpiece.

The Stats...
4 of past 5 winners - 6yo's.
4 of past 5 winners - drawn Barrier 10 or wider.
5 of past 5 winners carried less 56.5kg, with 4 of past 5 winners 55kg or less.
5 of past 5 winners - had a lead up run of 2000m or further in Australia.

Keep your eyes peeled for Francesca Cumani

1/ Snow Sky – Roger Moore (jockey). Even with a former James Bond riding him, this bloke’s no hope. And his trainer has a knighthood. As if..
2/ Criterion – Michael Walker. Genuine chance. Trainer David Hayes has his mojo back, and Walker can ride. Classy, but a query on whether he’ll see out the 3200 metres.
3/ Fame Game – Zac Purton. The favourite. And Purton is a gun. The Japanese say he can’t be beaten. At least I think that’s what they said. Over-rated for mine. And needs a bone-dry track. Leave me out.
4/ Our Ivanhowe – Ben Melham. Named after the mighty Ivanhoes footy club in Cairns. Which is a surprise given he’s from Germany. Trainer Freedman knows how to win a Cup. Top Six chance.
5/ Big Orange – David ‘Luttsy’ Lutteral. Named in honour of our great redheads. The horse carrying the hopes of all ginger-tops. They actually had to change the rules to allow a ranga to have a ride in the great race. Luttsy will give his all .. but the horse will still be running after dark.
6/ Hartnell – James McDonald. Not doing enough, even with the services of our most improved jockey. Pass.
7/ Hokko Brave – Craig Williams. The second of the Japanese raiders. Forget his Caulfield Cup run. Tell your mates he’s a better chance than the favourite, and glow in their praise when he rockets home into the placings.
8/ Max Dynamite – Frankie Dettori or Rod Stewart. There are three things the Irish are passionate about. Guinness and racing. This bloke can spring a huge shock, especially if it’s wet.
9/ Red Cadeaux – Paul Hogan. Hoges has been given the ride in honour of the horse being named Australian of the Year. He won’t win, but cheer him anyway.
10/ Trip to Paris – Tommy Berry. The winner. Get on and get on for plenty. The more you put on the more you get back.
11/ Who Shot Thebarman – Blake Shinn. Ran third last year. Johnny Cash sang a song about him. Or Waylon Jennings. Anyway .. trainer Chris Waller is winning everything except the RSL raffle .. so watch this fella.
12/ Sky Hunter – Bill Shorten. The Opposition Leader will do anything for a lift in the polls. They could start an hour early and still not run in the first ten.
13/ The Offer – Damien Oliver. One of Gai’s hopes. Top trainer. Top jockey. Might not be good enough, but the dynamic duo will give him every chance.
14/ Grand Marshal – Jim Cassidy. The ‘Pumper’s’ last Cup ride. Sadly it won’t be a winning one.
15/ Preferment – Hugh Bowman. Huge chance. The best of the locals, with the Cox Plate-winning jockey. Include him in anything you do.
16/ Quest for More – Damian Lane. If he wins I will give each and every one of you a glass of champagne. (Publisher’s note – see above).
17/ Almoonquith – Dwayne Dunn. Should be penalised for having a silly name.
18/ Kingfisher – Bronwyn Bishop. She asked stewards if she could use the chopper to tow him along. Even then would struggle.
19/ Prince of Penzance – Andrew O’Keefe. Instead of wearing silks he’ll be in the pirate costume.
20/ Bondi Beach – Brett Prebble. He’ll be riding topless in honour of the backpackers who’ll be cheering him.
21/ Sertorius – Craig Newitt. The horse ran against Phar Lap back in the 1930s. Stewards have given permission for him to run with the aid of a walker.
22/ The United States – Barack Obama. A lightweight threat. Include him in your multiple bets.
23/ Excess Knowledge – Kerrin McEvoy. Another of Gai’s runners. Scraped into the field with a win last Saturday. Not for us.
24/ Gust of Wind – Mark Latham. Now there’s an omen bet if ever there was one. You’ll hear him belly-aching before they hit the straight.
So there you have it. Winners..horses to avoid... Happy Cup Day! as they say downunder.

127 0n here , Penzance . First female jockey winner for the race .

Max came with a great run , just not able to get ahead in last furlong .  Drifted out to 20 on Betfair , ran a great race .

Dettori & Spencer both banned after the race.

What was second prize money ?

Just a G1 Handicap of $6,557,069...with a little Orish interest.

Nearly time to nail your colours to the mast - that is if it's bright BIG ORANGE of course !

The Michael Bell-trained top weight Big Orange ran a massive race last year when fifth and looks favoured by being placed in stall seven.
Jockey Jamie Spencer rates Big Orange as the best stayer in Europe and is bullish about his chances. "I wouldn't swap Big Orange for anything."

Set your clocks for 3.55am

Site is up the left tonight . Service announcements do not fit the real situation , which is that you cant get any reaction if trying to place or lay a bet .

Catch Me ifyoucan • November 12, 2015 11:54 AM GMT
What was second prize money ?
Et tu Brutus

Johannes Vermeer WINS for AOB to cap a Fantastic Year Worldwide

Set your clocks for 3.55am

1459 views so far

A timely article as I see Kevin Blake again makes the case for change within in the betting industry, similar to the successful policies currently being used in parts of Australia.

http://www.attheraces.com/blogs/kevin-blake/

Elvis, up to 1551

Watch a re-run of the 1993 Melbourne Cup & Vintage Crop...

https://twitter.com/Racing/status/927297700806115328

Test

B

Moonee Valley 6.55am Sat morning

There are plenty of chances in the first Cox Plate without Winx but Japanese raider Lys Gracieux 9/4 does look the goods.