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| Date: Tuesday 3 November Time: 04:00 GMT Venue: Flemington Racecourse |
Trainer Charlie Fellowes hopes the omens are right as Prince Of Arran bids to win the Melbourne Cup at the third attempt on Tuesday.
The 10-1 chance was third at Flemington in 2018 and second last year in the ‘race that stops a nation’.
Crowds of about 80,000 usually attend, but Australia’s big race is being held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“To win the race would still be very special,” Fellowes told BBC Sport.
“We’ve been training for seven years and had some lovely horses including three winners at Royal Ascot, but this fella has a bit of something about him.”
A maximum field of 24 runners includes two chances for top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien to gain his first victory in the race, which has a first prize of more than £2.3m.
He runs Tiger Moth and the 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck – the first victor of Epsom’s famous race to compete in the Melbourne Cup.
O’Brien’s son Joseph, who won the 2017 race aged 24 with Rekindling, has Master Of Reality and Twilight Payment.
The Willie Mullins-trained Stratum Albion and Andrew Balding’s Dashing Willoughby are other European challengers along with Andreas Wohler’s Ashrun.
Sir Dragonet, formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien, is a leading home hope after winning the Cox Plate on his first start for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Prince Of Arran would be only the second British-trained winner after Cross Counter triumphed for Charlie Appleby in 2018.
Fellowes believes the horse, a close-up fourth in the Caulfield Cup last month, will benefit from being guaranteed a place in the Melbourne Cup this time rather than having to qualify in his prep race.
“The following he has in Australia is remarkable. They love the Melbourne Cup there, it is in their DNA, and they love a consistent horse that keeps coming every year,” said Newmarket trainer Fellowes.
The seven-year-old will be ridden by Jamie Kah and is in the same stall from which Prince Of Penzance left when Michelle Payne became the only woman to ride the winner in 2015.
“We’re hoping Jamie can win from stall one on another Prince. Jamie is on a roll, and everything she sits on she thinks she’s going to win,” he said.
Melbourne Cup runners and riders
Number, draw, form, name, age, weight, trainer, jockey, odds
1 (3) 0-2512 Anthony Van Dyck 4 9-3 (Aidan O’Brien) Hugh Bowman 15-2
2 (10) 334626 Avilius 6 9-0 (James Cummings) John Allen 40-1
3 (4) 395900 Vow And Declare 5 9-0 (Danny O’Brien) Jamie Mott 66-1
4 (11) 4-6221 Master Of Reality 5 8-11 (Joseph O’Brien) Ben Melham 14-1
5 (14) -22221 Sir Dragonet 4 8-10 (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) Glen Boss 9-1
6 (12) -72113 Twilight Payment 78-10 (Joseph O’Brien) Jye McNeil 20-1
7 (15) 121411 Verry Elleegant 5 8-10 (Chris Waller) Mark Zahra 14-1
8 (2) 250098 Mustajeer 7 8-09 (Kris Lees) Michael Rodd 100-1
9 (9) 0110-2 Stratum Albion 7 8-09 (Willie Mullins) Jordan Childs 33-1
10 (19) 9-1140 Dashing Willoughby 4 8-06 (Andrew Balding) Michael Walker 66-1
11 (6) 57-335 Finche 6 8-08 (Chris Waller) James McDonald 14-1
12 (1) 33634 Prince Of Arran 7 8-08 (Charlie Fellowes) Jamie Kah 10-1
13 (7) 415-29 Surprise Baby 6 8-08 (Paul Preusker) Craig Williams 13-2
14 (18) 211203 King Of Leogrance 5 8-06 (Danny O’Brien) Damian Lane 66-1
15 (16) 112123 Russian Camelot 3 8-06 (Danny O’Brien) Damien Oliver 11-1
16 (21) Steel Prince 6 8-06 (Anthony & Sam Freedman) William Pike 33-1
17 (5) The Chosen One 5 8-06 (Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman) Daniel Stackhouse 33-1
18 (24) -52241 Ashrun (Andreas Wohler) 4 8-05 Declan Bates 20-1
19 (8) 633760 Warning 4 8-05 (Anthony & Sam Freedman) Luke Currie 33-1
20 (22) 634104 Etah James 8 8-04 (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) Billy Egan 100-1
21 (23) 3-121 Tiger Moth 3 8-04 (Aidan O’Brien) Kerrin McEvoy 5-1
22 (17) 110003 Oceanex 5 8-02 (Mick Price & Michael Kent) Dean Yendall 66-1
23 (13) 440661 Miami Bound 4 8-00 (Danny O’Brien) Daniel Moor 28-1
24 (20) 112121 Persan 4 8-00 (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) Michael Dee 20-1
