Melbourne Cup 2018 – A Look At The International Horses

The Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation but is fast becoming the race that stops the world with a host of runners from overseas set to take their place in the two mile feature on the first Tuesday in November.

Here at Justhorseracing, we’ve put together a preview of the confirmed runners set to take their place in the Melbourne Cup 2018.

Cup Market 🏆💰: View the current Melbourne Cup odds

Best Solution

Breeding: Kodiac x Al Andalyya
Trainer: Saeed Bin Suroor
Nationality: British
Career Stats: 21: 9-2-3
Min/Max Distance Wins: 1200m/2400m
Career Best Win: Caulfield Cup (2400m), October 20 2018, Caulfield, Soft Surface
Dry Track Stats: 17: 6-1-3
Wet Track Stats: 4: 3-1-0
Target Race: Melbourne Cup
Short Summary: 2400m specialist and is in a rich vein of form.

Group l Preis Von Baden (2000m), September 2 2018, Baden Baden, Anti-Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

Concede it was a good win, another at the highest level, but did he win it, or did Atzeni on Defoe lose it? I’m leaning the way of the latter. He coughed up ground and momentum to get to the outside fence, nowhere near as much as Best Solution, and that was the difference between winning and losing. Yes, Best Solution won the race, but I wouldn’t be exactly jumping up and down.

British 1-2 at Baden Baden, Germany, in the Group 1 Grosser Preis Von Baden.

BEST SOLUTION, trained by Saeed Bin Suroor, holds out from the late finishing effort of Roger Varian’s Defoe.

(🎥@Racing_UK) pic.twitter.com/hdzpXfhKMo

— Timeform Live (@TimeformLive) September 2, 2018

Caulfield Cup (2400m), October 20 2018, Caulfield, Anti-Clockwise Direction, Soft Surface

Mighty, mighty win. Tardy away but Cosgrove still somehow managed to get the 1/1 sit. Looked the winner a fair way out until James McDonald on The Taj Mahal took off and Cosgrove eased to go with him, sustaining a 600-700m sprint then fending off Homesman for a narrow but outstanding win. Two miles will be the question mark.

Final Summary: I had him marked down as a Caulfield Cup horse, but the stable are quite bullish about him being a chance in the Melbourne Cup, a race they have been trying to win for over two decades. I reckon his best chance would come in the Caulfield Cup given his record between 2000m-2400m, but always have to respect the stable, and a wet track certainly no issue.

Chestnut Coat

Breeding: Heart’s Cry x White Veil
Trainer: Yoshiti Yahagi
Nationality: Japanese
Career Stats: 18: 4-5-1
Min/Max Distance Wins: 1800m/2400m
Career Best Win: Soshun Stakes, January 28 2018, Tokyo, Firm Surface
Dry Track Stats: 16: 4-5-1
Wet Track Stats: 2: 0-0-0
Target Race(s): Melbourne Cup
Short Summary: Fifth in a Tenno Sho…that’s good enough to be ultra competitive in the Cup.

Group ll Meguro Kinen (2500m), May 27 2018, Tokyo, Anti-Clockwise Direction, Firm Surface

I’d be willing to put a line through the run. They didn’t appear to go at a brutal speed in front which really set it up for those near the rail or on the pace, which Chestnut Coat wasn’t out wide with the white face and blue jacket. He stuck on well enough but really had no chance of winning given the tempo of the race.

Caulfield Cup (2400m), October 20 2018, Caulfield, Anti-Clockwise Direction, Soft Surface

Prepared to forgive him from a Melbourne Cup perspective. He was wide throughout and just couldn’t sprint when The Taj Mahal took off after doing that work in the run. I think he’ll be much better suited at Flemington and at two miles.

Final Summary: I want to forgive him from the Caulfield Cup. Just did a bit too much work in the run and wass’t entirely happy on the wet ground. I think firmer footing, bigger track at Flemington and the two miles, he’ll be a threat for sure.

The Cliffsofmoher

Cross Counter

Breeding: Teofilo x Waitress
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Nationality: British
Career Stats: 7: 4-2-0
Min/Max Distance Wins: 1700m/2400m
Career Best Win: Gordon Stakes, August 4 2018, Goodwood, Good Surface
Dry Track Stats: 7: 4-2-0
Wet Track Stats: 0: 0-0-0
Target Race(s): Melbourne Cup
Short Summary: Lightly raced with a touch of x factor that could easily threaten.

Gordon Stakes (2400m), August 4 2018, Goodwood, Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

Broke the track record in spanking this field, but that aside, it was the manner in which he put them away and the turn of foot when Buick asked which was the impressive bit. Form has been okay with Sun Maiden placing at York. Visually, very impressive and the clock backed up the eye, which is always a good sign.

Will it be another course-record for Cross Counter today in the Great Voltigeur? 🚀🚀🚀#GoodwoodRaces pic.twitter.com/YmOSGCeAnM

— Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 22, 2018

Great Voltigeur Stakes (2400m), August 22 2018, York, Anti-Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

Pretty gutsy effort from the gelding, having a great struggle with stablemate Old Persian in the straight but that horse just packed too many punches and clung on. Cross Counter did come again and would have won in another couple of strides. The only little niggle is that the overall depth of the field didn’t appear strong.

Old Persian books #StLeger ticket as Cross Counter preps for #MelbourneCup in thrilling Great Voltigeur. #Ebor 👇https://t.co/4vrKChWKpa pic.twitter.com/1VockxYCHK

— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) August 22, 2018

Final Summary: C Appleby as the trainer, rinse and repeat: Has to be respected. Can he win a Melbourne Cup? On current form, I’d say no, but he’s at Werribee and from all repors has thrived down under, as has so many Appleby runners in the past. He’s beautifully in at the weights and Kerrin McEvoy is a two time winner of the race.
 

Magic Circle

Breeding: Makfi x Minkova
Trainer: Ian Williams
Nationality: British
Career Stats: 21: 8-1-1
Min/Max Distance Wins: 2414m/3749m
Career Best Win: Chester Cup, May 11 2018, Chester, Good Surface
Dry Track Stats: 9: 2-0-0
Wet Track Stats: 12: 6-1-1
Target Race(s): Melbourne Cup
Short Summary: Corey Brown already booked is a good lead to suggest he’s one of the hardest to beat.

Chester Cup (3749m), May 11 2018, Chester, Anti-Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

Wowee, what a win this was. The turn of foot he showed over a staying trip…that’s been the ideal recipe for recent winners of the Melbourne Cup. Very impressive and the form out of this has been very good with a stack of subsequent placings, majority of which were in Listed company, so he gets another tick there.

Group lll Henry Vll Stakes (3264m), May 24 2018, Sandown (UK), Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

This is why he is near the top of betting for the Melbourne Cup. He just made good stayers look very ordinary, including another Melbourne Cup aspirant in Red Verdon. Again, the turn of foot when Fran Berry asked for the effort was supreme and he won with something in hand to the eye in another dashing display.

Final Summary: Ian Williams has really transformed this stayer, who was okay when trained by Ralph Beckett but since going to Williams, he has spanked his rivals in two runs. Marwan Koukash has been desperate to win the Melbourne Cup for a number of years now and I think this is his best chance yet.

Marmelo

Breeding: Makfi x Minkova
Trainer: Hughie Morrison
Nationality: British
Career Stats: 16: 5-6-1
Min/Max Distance Wins: 2414m/3000m
Career Best Win: Chester Cup, August 20 2017, Deauville, Good Surface
Dry Track Stats: 12: 4-5-1
Wet Track Stats: 4: 1-1-0
Target Race(s): Melbourne Cup
Short Summary: Beaten favourite last year when given every chance…but he’s been specifically set for the Cup.

Group ll Maurice De Nieuil (2800m), July 14 2018, Longchamp, Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

To the eye, a pretty good win, but like the York win, I have reservations. The horse that ran second, Algometer, was well held by Marmelo at York but turned that form around some four+ lengths, but in saying that, Algometer does have really good overall form next to his name and is a quality horse. But with Marmelo, loved the way he found the line when challenged.

Kergolay (3000m), August 20 2018, Deauville, Clockwise Direction, Good Surface

Beaten by a classy animal, but for mine I thought he had his chance to win. cost himself any chance of winning by doing a bit wrong in the run and most certainly cost himself in the straight when wanting to drift about under pressure with Soumillon not really getting a chance to be fair dinkum on the horse.

Final Summary: My theory with the Melbourne Cup is that if you’ve failed in the race, and by failure I mean not run top three, then try to come back and win it, you won’t succeed. That theory hasn’t failed for 30+ years. But then again, the first up in Australia theory was put to bed last year with Rekindling, and we know the best version of Marmelo is good enough.

Muntahaa

Prince Of Arran

Breeding: Shirocco x Stormng Sioux
Trainer: Charlie Fellowes
Nationality: British
Career Stats: 28: 5-6-3
Min/Max Distance Wins: 1600m/3200m
Career Best Win: Lexus Stakes, November 3 2018, Flemington, Good Surface
Dry Track Stats: 22: 5-5-3
Wet Track Stats: 6: 0-1-0
Target Race(s): Melbourne Cup
Short Summary: Got some good form behind world class horses…he’s in the game off the Lexus win.

Group ll Belmont Gold Cup (3200m), June 8 2018, Belmont (USA), Anti-Clockwise Direction, Firm Surface

This was one of the weaker editions of the Belmont Gold Cup in recent years but the winner Call To Mind does have form around Stradivarius, who is world class horse. Prince Of Arran loomed to win the race but just couldn’t quite finish it off. The tick though for him here is that the race was run in track record time.

Northumberland Plate (3256m), June 30 2018, Newcastle (UK), Anti-Clockwise Direction, Synthetic Surface

Thought this was a really good effort in a time honoured race behind a talked up Cup chance in Withhold. For the most part, this field contained a bunch of scrubs, but finishing back in 14th was Nakeeta, who of course ran fifth in the Melbourne Cup last year. To my eye, those behind were paddlers so the strength of the form is suspect but the run of Prince Of Arran was more than sound.

Final Summary: He’ll have no trouble running two miles, that’s one box we know he’ll tick. He seems to be loving life in Australia, as shown in the Herbert Power and then on Saturday in the Lexus to get his way into the Cup. If he handles the back up, he’s a serious top five chance.

Rostropovich

ROSTROPOVICH (FRANKEL) contuvo a GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI (GALILEO) y a THE KING (MASTERCRAFTSMAN) para ganar su 2ª carrera de Grupo, el Paddy’s Rewards Club Stakes G3 en Leopardstown. Montó Donnacha O’Brien para su padre, Aidan O’Brien. Cortesía @AtTheRaces pic.twitter.com/UQ7lsUh0qF

— Luis E. Caraballo G. (@luis_ernestocg) September 15, 2018

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