Favourite Deauville Legend draws barrier nine for Melbourne Cup on Tuesday
A full field of 24 runners have accepted for the $7.75 million Melbourne Cup with mixed fortunes for visiting fancies at the top of the betting.
Favourite Deauville Legend drew barrier nine with the last start Group 2 Great Voltigeur winner and maintained its market position at $3.80 being the only horse priced under double figures
Market 💰: View the odds for the Melbourne Cup
“I’m pleased,” trainer James Ferguson said.
“I didn’t want a high draw and I didn’t want a low draw. This is absolutely spot on for us.
“With the pace being on the outside they’re going to go some clip to get there.
“Ideally we can get into a good position early and we won’t have to work too hard to get there.”
Drawn less favourably was second favourite and fellow international raider Without A Fight in barrier 18.
Despite that wider gate, the five-year-old remains where he has in TAB’s market at $11 along with Montefilia who drew barrier 11 and comes off an eye-catching fourth placing in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup a fortnight ago.
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace will be represented by five runners in the Group 1 over 3200 metres with Gold Trip drawing barrier 14, Grand Promenade the inside barrier one and Smokin’ Romans in 16.
Bendigo Cup winner High Emocean drew barrier 8 with import Interpretation in barrier six after a stable plan to came off with scratching Interpretation from the Group 2 Archer Stakes (2500m) on Saturday in the hope that four-year-old by Galileo would sneak into the Cup field.
“He’s really good,” Eustace said after the draw.
“I think he’s going to run a massive race and we’ve been positive the whole way through.
“We’d like to ride and run a really forward race and of the five runners, he’s the horse that’s that the X-factor.
“He’s down in the weights and we know he’ll stay.”
Interpretation is at $34 in the post-draw market.
