The 2023 Melbourne Cup is almost upon us, with the final field to be revealed this Saturday afternoon (November 4).
The order of entry is determined by the weights assigned to each runner by a handicapper. The bigger the weight, the more likely the horse is to make the final field.
As it stands, there are 40 horses that remain in the running for a spot in the ‘race that stops a nation’.
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The top 24 horses that are still in the ballot after final declarations on November 4 will make up the Melbourne Cup field.
As always, there will be horses currently in the top 24 that will be withdrawn from the race in the coming days due to injury or poor form. Essentially, the owners who pay the final declaration fee on November 4 are signalling their intent to run their horse in the Cup.
There are four horses still in the ballot who have earned automatic entry into the field by winning Melbourne Cup exemption races. Those are indicated on the list below with the 1= next to their name.
For those horses on the outside looking in, there is one more ballot exemption race to be run which acts as a final throw of the stumps. That is the Lexus Archer Stakes (previously known as the Hotham Handicap), named after the first winner of the Melbourne Cup.
Under the provision that he/she is still in the order of entry, the winner of this Saturday’s Lexus Archer Stakes will be ensured of a start in the great race.
Military Mission (26th order of entry), More Felons (30th), Ladies Man (32nd), Athabascan (33rd), United Nations (34th), Hasta La War (36th), Kalapour (37th), Raging Bull (39th) and Ferago (40th) are all horses outside the top 24 that will likely have a final throw at the stumps in the Archer.
Winning on the Saturday before backing up three days later is not the road most travelled towards victory. Since 2000, there have been only two horses (Brew 2000, Shocking 2009) to win both the Lexus Archer Stakes and the Melbourne Cup in the same year.
Read on for the updated Order of Entry for the 2023 Melbourne Cup
FULL MELBOURNE CUP ORDER OF ENTRY
Ballot Order – Horse – Trainer – Weight
1= WITHOUT A FIGHT (IRE) Anthony & Sam Freedman 56.5kg
1= ABSURDE (FR) Willie Mullins 53kg
1= LUNAR FLARE Grahame Begg 51.5kg
1= FUTURE HISTORY (GB) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
5 GOLD TRIP (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 58.5kg
6 ALENQUER (FR) Michael Moroney 56.5kg
7 EL BODEGON (IRE) Chris Waller 55.5kg
8 BREAKUP (JPN) Tatsuya Yoshioka 55kg
9 VAUBAN (FR) Willie Mullins 55kg
10 KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 54kg
11 FRANCESCO GUARDI (IRE) Chris Waller 54kg
12 SOULCOMBE (GB) Chris Waller 53.5kg
13 VOW AND DECLARE Danny O’Brien 53kg
14 RIGHT YOU ARE Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 53kg
15 MAGICAL LAGOON (IRE) Chris Waller 51kg
16 VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ) Liam Howley 51kg
17 LASTOTCHKA (FR) Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) 51kg
18 FAME Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman 51kg
19 HIGH EMOCEAN (NZ) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
20 SHERAZ (FR) Chris Waller 51.5kg
21 DAQIANSWEET JUNIOR (NZ) Phillip Stokes 51.5kg
22 VALIANT KING (GB) Joseph O’Brien 50kg
23 ASHRUN (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 51.5kg
24 CLEVELAND (IRE) Kris Lees 51.5kg
****
25 OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) Joseph O’Brien 51.5kg
26 MILITARY MISSION (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 51kg
27 KING FRANKEL (IRE) Annabel Neasham 51kg
28 SERPENTINE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 51kg
29 AMADE (IRE) Phillip Stokes 50.5kg
30 MORE FELONS (IRE) Chris Waller 50.5kg
31 TRUE MARVEL (FR) Matthew Smith 50kg
32 LADIES MAN (NZ) Allan Sharrock 50kg
33 ATHABASCAN (FR) John O’Shea 50kg
34 UNITED NATIONS (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
35 FANCY MAN (IRE) Annabel Neasham 50kg
36 HASTA LA WAR Sue Murphy 50kg
37 KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees 50kg
38 INTERPRETATION (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 50kg
39 RAGING BULL Mark Minervini 50kg
40 FERAGO Patrick F Ryan Jnr 50kg
