Melbourne Cup Day 2017: Live race updates, results, blog from every race

Melbourne Cup Day is is packed to the brim with ten fields of world-class racing and a mountain of action for punters and fans to sink their teeth into. Catch all the live updates, results and blog of every race at the 2017 Melbourne Cup on The Roar from 11am (AEDT).

More 2017 Melbourne Cup
» Race report: Rekindling wins
» Who came last
» Complete finishing order
» Watch video highlights replay
» Re-live the race with our live blog
» Regal Monarch’s horror fall
» Winning trifecta and quinella
» Winning exact and first four

Race 7 is the big one, the Melbourne Cup over 3,200 metres, but there are nine other stacked races throughout the day to quench your horse racing appetite.

Joao Moreira out of the Melbourne Cup following devestating fall in Race 4

The Roar will have a seperate solo blog for the Melbourne Cup race later in the day.

The day will begin with the Emirates 100th A380 Stakes at 11am all the way through to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes scheduled to drop the barriers at 5:20pm (AEDT).

The Roar will bring you every race as it happens with live updates and results throughout the day.

Let’s get stuck into it.

Race 1 – Emirates 100th A380 Stakes

The Rundown
It will be a 1,000-metre sprint to kick off the big day in a 12-horse field of two-year-olds looking to make their mark.

All of the runners bar two are making their racing debuts this morning and that should bode well for the pair that have track experience. Highly rated Lake District Girl has been scratched.

Qafila, trained by the Hayes, and Setsuna are the only two to have kicked off their careers earlier in the spring, with both notching up impressive victories as well, so you would have to go for one them, not so much for having good form, but for having any form at all.

The Prediction:
1. Setsuna 2. Qafila 3.Kara’s Hope 4. Roobeena

Race Info
Time: 11am
Distance: 1,000 metres
Class: Group 3
Age: 2-year-olds
Purse: $150,000

Race 2 – Tab.com.au Trophy

The Rundown
Another 12-horse field but there’s a bit more experience on this bunch. Chris Waller’s mare Invincibella is sitting at very short odds to take the win and looks to be the strongest in the field by a comfortable margin for this distance.

Hell Or Highwater picked up three straight wins earlier in the campaign and looks the most likely challenger but she might have to settle for a place alongside other strong hopefuls in Miles of Krishnan and Tahanee who will be tough to beat out of the first four.

History Repeats, Linguist and Star Patriot have all been scratched.

The Prediction:
1. Invincibella 2. Tahanee 3. Hell Or Highwater 4. Miles of Krishnan

Race Info
Time: 11:40am
Distance: 1,700
Age: 4-year-olds and up
Purse: $120,000

Race 3 – Lavazza Short Black

The Rundown
It’s a tight affair in Race 3 with the bookies already holding five runners in single digits for the win.

New Universe looks to be the favourite heading in with a few wins in recent times and is aided by the scratching of close contender, Fox Hall, leading into the race. Dollar For Dollar looks to be taking over as biggest contender with a pair of wins from the last two starts.

Land Of Plenty is attracting interest but not quite hitting his stride or getting the results. That could change today but look for a place finish more than anything for mine.

Fox Hall and Wayanka have been scratched.

The Prediction:

1. Dollar For Dollar 2. New Universe 3. Land Of Plenty 4. Divine Quality

Race Info
Time: 12:15pm
Distance: 1,400 metres
Age: 4 years old and up
Purse: $120,000

Race 4 – Ronald McDonald House Charities Plate

The Rundown
This is the de facto event for the stayers not quite up to Melbourne Cup standard with the 2800-metre distance the second-longest of the day behind the famed Cup.

A field of 19 (down from 22 with scratchings) has this one wide open with any number of runners looking likely. Granddukeoftuscany has proven strong over distances as long as its name and takes pre-race favouritism into the barriers. The Irish gelding finished second in the Bart Cummins in his last start.

Sin To Win has ten place finishes from as many career starts and comes in with back-to-back wins from his last two, while Ubin Thunderstruck and the Robert Hickmott-trained Sherlock Holmes are looking to turn recent strong runs around the placings into wins.

The Willybe is also a hot chance for a strong finish and a top three result with some wins across the current campaign

Yogi, Tuff Bickie and Miss Dani have been scratched

The Prediction:
1. Granddukeoftuscany 2. Sin To Win 3. The Willybe

Race Info
Time: 12:50pm
Distance: 2,800 metres
Age: No age limit
Purse: $120,000

Race 5 – Schweppes Flemington Fling

The Rundown
Plenty of youth and experience to be gained in this field, with six runners holding three or fewer career races. That hasn’t stopped Paret and Nature Strip from catching the attention of the field after just two impressive starts.

Property is carrying a fair bit of weight but he can hang with the big guns and will excel in a field of runners his own age. Madeenaty has done the opposite, dropping a touch over three kilograms from her last start looking to pick up the biggest win of a short career.

James Cummings has Piracy in the field with a good prep and some proven pace across the season.

Choisborder has been scratched.

The Prediction:
1. Property 2. Paret 3. Madeenaty 4. Nature Strip

Race Info
Time: 1:25pm
Distance: 1,000 metres
Age: 3-year-olds
Purse: $120,000

Race 6 – Lexus Hybrid Plate

The Rundown
Our Crown Mistress is looking like one of the more certain runners of the day coming into the 1400-metre dash with a hat-trick of wins from her last three starts and the kind of lead-up runs that has the rest of the field looking second-rate.

Counterplay and the Snowden-trained Boorooj pose the biggest threats and have some early spring form to lean on with the latter leading in with a last start win.

Warranty is up there with a chance but a lack of track time and experience leaves her a bit short in my books. Look for a first four for that one. Torvill has a last start win as well, while Tarcoola Spirit has been the bridesmaid as of late.

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Lady Of Crebilly has been scratched.

The Prediction:
1. Our Crown Mistress 2. Counterplay 3. Torvill 4. Boorooj

Race Info
Time: 2pm
Distance: 1,400 metres
Class: Listed
Age: 3-year-olds
Purse: $150,000

Race 8 – James Boag’s Premium Stakes

The Rundown
Odeon comes in off a two-and-a-half-length win at Caulfield but the Kiwi gelding hasn’t had a great spring campaign. Lubiton also has a last-start win and is shaping up as a top contender on this one with a bit more consistency than the aforementioned Odeon.

Pure Pride has good form at Flemington, while the Waller-trained Life Less Ordinary looks to be a lot more comfortable over this kind of distance than the last couple of starts.

Brown Ben is a roughie but one worth keeping an eye on with some place finishes coming off strong runs in recent months. Maurus is also one in the field that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Kidmenever, Radipole and Mr Garcia have been scratched.

The Prediction:
1. Lubiton 2. Life Less Ordinary 3. Odeon 4. Pure Pride

Race Info
Time: 4:05pm
Distance: 1,800 metres
Class: Listed
Age: No age limit
Purse: $150,000

Race 9 – MSS Security Sprint

The Rundown
Crystal Dreamer was shaping up a strong chance but has been scratched, leaving Faatinah and I Thought So as short-priced favourites for the time being. The former has a couple of good lead-up runs under the belt and will be hard to keep down in the blanket sprint expected.

Calanda and So You Too will be right up in the pointy end of business come the post, so too Princess Of Queens, who will be out to shake a string of place finishes and snag a win for once. Nancy, Derryn and Kuro will be ones to keep an eye on in the final stretch in what is shaping up to be one of the more hotly contested gallops of the day.

Big Money, Crystal Dreamer and I’m Telling Ya have been scratched

The Prediction:
1. Faatinah 2. Calanda 3. I Thought So 4. Derryn

Race Info
Time: 4:45pm
Distance: 1,200 metres
Class: Listed
Age: No age limit
Purse: $150,000

Race 10 – The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes

The Rundown
The final race of the day and it’s a very nice looking Group 3, 14-horse field. You’d have to say that Deja Blue and Fille Champagne look to be the only ones not a possible winner.

Even then, they have results in the past that would say otherwise but have just been a bit sluggish this spring.

A stab in the dark to pick a winner here. White Moss looks to be white hot (ha!) and should be the one to throw your money behind with a couple of very well-run wins from the last two starts.

Cool Passion and Pedrena have the chops to challenge as well but it will be a tight sprint leading into the post. They’ll be looking to steer clear of traffic and find that galloping room to the line.

Eckstein and Ellicazoom have been scratched.

The Prediction:
1. White Moss 2. Pedrena 3. Miss Gunpowder 4. Cool Passion

Race Info
Time: 5:20pm
Distance: 1,400 metres
Class: Group 3
Age: 4 years old and up
Purse: $200,000

2017 Melbourne Cup day race schedule