Internationals could squeeze locals in Melbourne Cup field

Racing Victoria is preparing for the possibility of one of the toughest Melbourne Cup qualification battles in years as a powerful contingent of international stayers targets the $10 million Flemington feature.

Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien could be responsible for as much as a quarter of the 24-horse Melbourne Cup field, with the dual Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate-winning trainer considering a sizeable travelling team for the Australian spring.

Melbourne Cup nominations close on Tuesday, while weights for the race and the 150th Caulfield Cup will be released on September 17.

The strength of the international interest was already evident when Caulfield Cup nominations were released, with 32 overseas-trained horses entered from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan and France.

Racing Victoria head of racing Paul Bloodworth told The Herald Sun that O’Brien currently has as many as 12 horses under consideration for the trip to Australia. Four are expected to travel on the first shipment to tackle lead-up races for the two Cups, while another group is slated to arrive in mid-October.

The second shipment is expected to include last year’s Melbourne Cup runner-up Goodie Two Shoes alongside Sons And Lovers, Trustyourinstinct and Defiantly. Australian-owned Group 1 Epsom Derby placegetter James J Braddock is also booked to travel on that flight.

“It’s potentially going to be harder to get into the Cup this year than maybe it has the last few years,” Bloodworth told The Herald Sun.

“If all goes to plan (O’Brien) could have six-plus runners.

“We’ve never had anywhere near a trainer bring (that many), Charlie Appleby one year brought five or six.

“Joseph has got probably 12 horses he’s thinking of bringing, still not certain of bringing them all.

“Four on the first flight and eight on the second flight … (second flight horses) are pretty much all guaranteed a run (in the Melbourne Cup based on likely weights).

“If that’s six to eight spots taken, it’s potentially going to create a bit of a bottleneck.

“It could go back to how it was pre-Covid, where it was really difficult to get into the (Melbourne Cup) and you needed 52.5kg or 53kg to get in.”

The potential squeeze would represent a significant change from last year’s Melbourne Cup, when eventual winner Half Yours carried 53kg and runner-up Goodie Two Shoes made the field with 51.5kg.

Three of the first five horses across the line carried less than 52kg, including River Of Stars and Geelong Cup winner Torranzino.

O’Brien also has significant Caulfield Cup ambitions, with Starford and Omni Man among his prospective runners.

Bloodworth told The Herald Sun that Omni Man is currently considered “line ball” to secure a Caulfield Cup start based on his rating, leaving connections with other opportunities should he miss the field.

The Geelong Cup and Moonee Valley Gold Cup loom as potential alternatives for Omni Man as O’Brien assembles what could become an unprecedented Melbourne Cup assault.