Melbourne Cup favourite Half Yours has drawn beautifully at the all-important barrier draw, with the Caulfield Cup winner set to jump from barrier 8.
Other market fancies in Presage Nocturne (9) and Valiant King (10) will also jump from nice gates.
Topweight Al Riffa (19) will need a touch of luck from there but has the form jockey of the spring in Mark Zahara on his back.
“After the barrier draw, I don’t think the main chances will drift,” Clint Hutchinson said on Racing.com
ULTIMATE MELBOURNE CUP FORM GUIDE: Verdict on every runner and predicted top 4
FULL BARRIER DRAW
(Saddlecloth No. – Horse (Barrier) – Trainer – Jockey – Weight)
1 AL RIFFA (19) – Joseph O’Brien – Mark Zahra – 59kg
2 BUCKAROO (12) – Chris Waller – Craig Williams – 57kg
3 ARAPAHO (15) – Bjorn Baker – Rachel King – 56.5kg
4 VAUBAN (2) – Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott – Blake Shinn – 56.5kg
5 CHEVALIER ROSE (5) – Hisashi Shimizu – Damian Lane – 55.5kg
6 PRESAGE NOCTURNE (9) – Alessandro Botti – Stephane Pasquier – 55.5kg
7 MIDDLE EARTH (13) – Ciaron Maher – Ethan Brown – 54.5kg
8 MEYDAAN (22) – Simon & Ed Crisford – James McDonald – 54kg
9 ABSURDE (4) – Willie Mullins – Kerrin McEvoy – 53.5kg
10 FLATTEN THE CURVE (17) – Henk Grewe – Thore-Hammer Hansen – 53kg
11 LAND LEGEND (16) – Chris Waller – Joao Moreira – 53.5kg
12 SMOKIN’ ROMANS (11) – Ciaron Maher – Ben Melham – 53.5kg
13 CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD – Kris Lees – Tim Clark – 53kg
14 HALF YOURS (8) – Tony & Calvin McEvoy – Jamie Melham – 53kg
15 MORE FELONS (23) – Chris Waller – Tommy Berry – 53kg
16 ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (6) – Brian Ellison – Harry Coffey – 53kg
17 FURTHUR (7) – Andrew Balding – Michael Dee – 52kg
18 PARCHMENT PARTY (3) – William Mott – John Velazquez – 52kg
19 ATHABASCAN (1) John O’Shea & Tom Charlton – Declan Bates – 51.5kg
20 GOODIE TWO SHOES (20) – Joseph O’Brien – Wayne Lordan – 51.5kg
21 RIVER OF STARS (14)- Chris Waller – Beau Mertens – 51.5kg
22 ROYAL SUPREMACY (21) – Ciaron Maher – Robbie Dolan – 51kg
23 TORRANZINO (18) – Paul Preusker – Celine Gaudray – 51kg
24 VALIANT KING (10) – Chris Waller – Jye McNeil – 51kg
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It’s a crucial undertaking. For some horses, a bad barrier can essentially slash their hopes of winning the great race.
Barriers 7, 12, 19 and 23 have been the least successful barriers, with only one winner from each of those in the history of the race, which doesn’t bode well for Further (7), Buckaroo (12), Al Riffa (19) and More Felons (23).
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MOST SUCCESSFUL CUP BARRIERS
Barrier 5 – 9 wins, last in 2024
Barrier 11 – 7 wins, last in 2010
Barrier 14 – 7 wins, last in 2022
Barrier 10 – 7 wins, last 2023
Barrier 8 – 5 wins, last in 2008
LEAST SUCCESSFUL CUP BARRIERS
Barrier 7
Barrier 12
Barrier 19
Barrier 23