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International headliners set to raid our Melbourne Cup

Will Gai Waterhouse equal her father's record of six Golden Slippers? (AAP Image/David Crosling)
Roar Guru
3rd September, 2014
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31 international horses have nominated for this year’s Melbourne Cup and for the first time since 2010 there will be Japanese horses competing in the field.

With 31 entries, there is an increase on last year’s 28. While the total nominations has decreased just over half the amount that nominated in 2010, it comes down to the fact that trainers have become realistic about their runners goals in recent times.

While the Queen’s horse Estimate has headlined the 2014 nominations, you only have to look back to 2006 where Japanese-trained duo Delta Blues and Pop Rock quinelled the 2006 edition of the Melbourne Cup.

It’s just the second time that Japanese horses will hit Australia’s richest race since the outbreak of equine influenza in Australia in 2007, and this pair in Admire Rakti and Bande will more than be a challenge for the best stayers this spring.

Click here to see the full list of nominations for the 2014 Melbourne Cup

Admire Rakti will be a competitor and has been consistent in Group 1 races since 2012, he will have the help of Australian jockey Zac Purton who is booked to ride the stayer in both the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup.

Bande could be the boom Melbourne Cup runner in my opinion, he has only had the one start at Group 1 level but has similar form lines to 2006 winner Delta Blues. Bande made a strong showing in his debut Group 1 race with a third placing in the Japan St Ledger (3000m) in October last year.

He also showed strong potential when third behind Gold Ship and Admire Rakti in the Group 2 Hansh Daishoten (3000m) earlier this year. We’ll get our first glimpses of the pair when they enter quarantine later this week.

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We already know the quality of Estimate who was the Queen’s 2013 Ascot Gold Cup winner and is shaping as Europe’s best chance to take the cup away. He looks set to be stripped of his Gold Cup winning status at a disciplinary hearing scheduled for September 25, where British racing authorities will submit that the positive test were because of a contaminated feed.

It’s already shaping up as the widest Melbourne Cup in recent memory especially when you consider that the Melbourne Cup favourite The Offer won the Sydney Cup earlier this year, and no horse since Makybe Diva won her second Melbourne Cup has won both the Sydney Cup and Melbourne Cup in the same year.

There will again be familiar faces in the race this year with previous winner Green Moon again nominated and it’s worth noting that the horse hasn’t won a race since that famous victory back in November 2012.

It could be third time lucky for Red Cadeaux who following two-runner ups will attempt to win his first Melbourne Cup. Legendary trainer Bart Cummings only hope will be the revitalised old boy in Precedence who missed out on last year’s cup. I’m pretty certain that Cummings won’t add to his 12 Melbourne Cups this year.

One I’m really keen on is Lonsdale Cup winner Pale Mimosa who is trained by dual Melbourne Cup winner Dermot Weld. Pale Mimosa looks a hot chance for the cup and has won three of her first six starts in Great Britain and Ireland. It’s also worth noting that in that Lonsdale Cup win she overcame the Queen’s horse Estimate.

Germany is also likely to have their first entrant since 2001 with German Derby winner Lucky Speed also nominating. Australian’s group of runners are unlikely to go quietly with 117 nominations overall.

As previously mentioned one of them is Cup favourite The Offer while La Amistad who is a three-quarter sister to three time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva is also a big hope for us Aussies.

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It’s hard to pick a winner out this early in the Cup and many will have learned their lesson last year with plenty of money coming for Puissance De Lune before the horse succumbed to injury in the Cox Plate.

My advice would be to not be too hasty and wait until the weights for each horse are released on Tuesday, September 16 then you can start to look at history of weights and things like that.

All I can say is I’m excited! The spring is well and truly here.

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