THE RACE THAT STOPS A NATION: That’s what they call the Melbourne Cup but is it worth staying up for until 4.am. Tuesday or waking early. The big wake-up call is for Willie Mullins’ Vauban who could finish only 14th last year. He’s in Daqman’s top four finishers from his form and stats guide which suggests he may have to give way to an Englishman!
WEDNESDAY Three–Year-Olds of 2025
THURSDAY Fortune Cookies
FRIDAY Weekend preview
SATURDAY Flat finale at Doncaster and Grand Sefton day at Aintree
ON A PLATE FOR THE OPERATOR
🇦🇺 4.00 a.m, Flemington tomorrow (Melbourne Cup, 2m, winner £2.3m) Good to firm.
STATS: Eight out of 10 winners drawn between 12 and 21, and 9 out of 10 were between the ages of three and six.
FORM: Must have won a Group/Graded race, which is most of the field!
TRAINERS (since 2010) with runners: Ciaron Maher, Chris Waller and Gai Waterhouse.
JOCKEYS: Mark Zahra (2), Kerrin McEvoy and Craig Wiliams
FAVOURITES: One winner since 2010.
1: ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (12) Brian Ellison’s Northumberland Plate winner teamed up with jockey Craig Williams to win the Geelong Cup in October from Interpretation (14, Ciaron Maher).
In the event of Circle Of Fire having to be used up by the draw, Mark Zahra may have to give away his hat-trick chance in this race to the top Group-1 operator, Craig Williams, long-standing champion of Victoria, who won this in 2019.
The Geelong and Melbourne Cups double has been completed three times this century
2: BUCKAROO (21) Has raced at trips up to 1m 4f, winning 1m 1f Group 1 but runner-up to a Ciaron Maher five-year-old in the Caulfield Cup, with stablemate Land Legend third and Zardozi (4) fourth, after also second in the Turnbull here at Flemington.
3: VAUBAN (11) Won the Lonsdale at York (2m good, Group 2) and ran up to the prolific Kyprios in the Irish St Leger for Willie Mullins. Finished only 14th last year.
4: CIRCLE OF FIRE (24) Former royal runner with Sir Michael Stoute, now with Ciaron Maher. Won the Sydney Cup (2m) at Randwick in April; to be ridden by Mark Zahra.
KOVALICA (17), one of five trained by Chris Waller, who also saddles Land Legend (see below), Buckaroo and others. Kovalica has dropped back in trip since winning the Queensland Derby in May, 2023.
ABSURDE (7) Willie Mullins’ 2023 Ebor winner (good to firm), now ridden by Kerrin McEvoy. This year won the County Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Cheshire Stakes.
OKITA SOUSHI (10) Another Ciaron Maher, won the Moonee Valley Gold Cup (1m 4.5f), good) the last day, with third place to Sharp N Smart, who brought a New Zealand Derby win and Victoria Derby second to the table.
LAND LEGEND (18) Won the Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick (1m 4f good) by a nose from Zardozi (4) with Trust In You (5) fourth.
JUST FINE (13) Another from Sir Michael Stoute, won last year’s Metropolitan, after moving to Gai Waterhouse.
SEA KING (1) Sixth in the Ebor for Sir Mark Prescott, won the Bendigo Cup (1m 4f good) switched to Harry Eustace. Drawn in the one stall.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 6.9 Buckaroo, 8.8 Onesmoothoperator
BREWING BACK AT KEMPTON
⭕ 1.50 Kempton Well-drawn Brewing has clearly targeted another winter AW campaign with no sign of him until the St Leger meeting at Doncaster.
Brewing was 3-4 at Newcastle and 2-2 at Kempton (6f and 7f), one of them under today’s jockey Adam Farragher, in seven AW races between October 2022 and January 2024.
⭕ 2.20 Kempton Military Academy made his debut only in August and quickly scored twice at a lower level. A bold move now to return to establish Listed credentials with Team Gosden in top form.
⭕ 2.57 Kempton (Middle-Distance Series Final) Old Harrovian has been lightly raced since back-to-back 1m 4f strikes last year but Andrew Balding’s team have worked hard to get him back for this, 9lb lower.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Kempton (win 18)
BET 4pts win at 5.5 BREWING
2.20 Kempton (win 12 nap)
BET 10pts win MILITARY ACADEMY
2.57 Kempton (win 22 place 5.9)
BET 1pt win and place OLD HARROVIAN
🇦🇺 04.00 Flemington tomorrow (win 30 each)
BET 5pts win BUCKAROO
BET 3.75pts win ONESMOOTHOPERATOR
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