English galloper Onesmoothoperator and the Paul Preusker-trained Torranzino became ballot exempt for the Melbourne Cup after their respective wins in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Geelong Cup.<\/p>\n
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Racing Victoria\u2019s chief handicapper David Hegan penalised Onesmoothoperator 1kg for his Moonee Valley Gold Cup win, taking his Melbourne Cup weight to 53kg.<\/p>\n
“Half Yours” installed as Cup favourite | 02:16<\/p>\n
Hegan decided against penalising Torranzino for his Geelong Cup win, leaving him on 51kg for the Melbourne Cup.The Victoria Racing Club will declare the Melbourne Cup field on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s Bendigo Cup offers another chance for hopefuls to force their way into the field, although winning the race does not guarantee a golden ticket for the great race.<\/p>\n
Melbourne Cup Carnival launch underway | 03:29<\/p>\n
COX PLATE NEAR-MISS INSPIRES CUP TILT (Brad Waters, punters.com.au<\/a>)<\/p>\n An epic Cox Plate second convinced part-owner Ozzie Kheir to chase another Melbourne Cup with Buckaroo.<\/p>\n Trainer Chris Waller played down Buckaroo\u2019s chances of running in another Melbourne Cup earlier in the spring but Kheir on Monday confirmed the import would be a third acceptor for the $10 million race.<\/p>\n Buckaroo ran second in the Group 1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield before almost derailing his stablemate Via Sistina\u2019s bid for back-to-back Cox Plate triumphs at The Valley last Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought that he\u2019d run to the peak performance of his career on Saturday,\u201d Kheir said.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen the ratings yet but he\u2019s run to his peak and probably gone the best that he\u2019s ever gone.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s only been beaten by a champion mare, probably the horse of the year again.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s only been beaten a nose so I thought you\u2019ve got to give him his chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Waller, though, says he\u2019ll wait until Saturday\u2019s acceptance deadline before deciding if Cox Plate runner-up Buckaroo will line up in the race.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll use all that time,\u201d Waller said during Tuesday\u2019s Flemington gallops. \u201cLike we did with Verry Elleegant, we waited right up to the deadline \u2026 and use that time to make sure we\u2019re happy with him running in the race.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s come through his Cox Plate run in good shape \u2026 and passed his scans,\u201d added Waller, who rated Buckaroo\u2019s Cup prospects a \u201c50-50\u201d chance.<\/p>\n STAR IMPORT PASSES KEY TEST (Brad Waters, punters.com.au<\/a>)<\/p>\n Melbourne Cup equal favourite Al Riffa has cleared one major hurdle in his attempt to give Irish trainer Joseph O\u2019Brien his third win in Australia\u2019s greatest race.Al Riffa is a $6 chance to join Rekindling and Twilight Payment as Melbourne Cup winners for the son of training legend Aidan O\u2019Brien, who is yet to win Flemington\u2019s showpiece.<\/p>\n NSW-based syndicators Australian Bloodstock bought a controlling share in the six-year-old stallion after his easy win in the Group 2 Curragh Cup in July, four weeks before the stayer won the Group 1 Irish St Leger.<\/p>\n Sean Corby riding Al Riffa during a trackwork session at Werribee Racecourse on October 17, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Vintage Crop won the Irish St Leger and Melbourne Cup in 1993 but no horse, not even champions Vinnie Roe and Yeats, have since been able to complete the double.<\/p>\n O\u2019Brien\u2019s representative Sean Corby said Al Riffa had settled into the Werribee quarantine centre well since arriving on a gruelling 40-hour flight from London.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine. He travelled over really well and everything has gone smooth so we\u2019re really happy up until now,\u201d Corby said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s done nearly a couple of weeks now and we\u2019re very happy with him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t lose any weight at all on the journey. He travelled over very well.\u201d<\/p>\n HOW DOES THE MELBOURNE CUP ORDER OF ENTRY WORK?<\/p>\n