What’s your fancy for the cup?
PLACING a Melbourne Cup flutter next week? Think of a onenamed Kiwi or Aussie horse and the odds may be with you – but just make sure that you don’t pick the favourite. While the favourites have done well historically, in the past 15 years only three have won at Flemington racecourse – Jezabeel in 1998 and Makybe Diva in 2004 and 2005.
Past wins also show Australian and Kiwi-bred horses have an edge over their northern hemisphere counterparts.
Only 12 foreign horses have won the Melbourne Cup in the race’s 153-year history.
But that trend was slowly turning around, TAB official Michael Dore said.
In the past 20 years, six New Zealand and four Australian-bred horses have taken the race, and eight from the rest of the world, including British-born Makybe Diva, who made history winning the cup three years in a row.
Banking on the luck of the Irish could also prove a good bet – with the first seven horses to finish last year all born in the Emerald Isle, he said.
Bets for the winning steed have been open for months, but flutters on horses to place, trifectas and quinellas this Tuesday would not open until tomorrow, after the final field of 24 was decided tonight.
Last year, a total of $8.6 million was bet on the cup through the New Zealand TAB, up 8.4 per cent, or about $660,000, on the previous year, and just short of the record $8.7m wagered on the 2010 cup.
Mr Dore’s money this year was on Irish mare Voleuse de Coeurs, ridden by champion New Zealand jockey James McDonald and trained by Kiwi and former cup winner Michael Moroney.
‘‘They blend the best of traditional Kiwi dominance and current Irish success.’’
This was even despite the racehorse having a triple-barrelled name – only five horses with three-word names have ever taken the field. Historically, racehorses with single-word names have proven the winners.
Another completely unscientific indicator of success was the jockey wearing a black or dark blue shirt or ‘‘silk’’. Jockeys in black have crossed the line first 17 times, and those in blue 15 times.
But silk colour was unlikely to narrow things down for punters this year – six riders will be wearing navy blue, the signature shade of owner Lloyd Williams.
Patriotic betters were better off sticking with New Zealand owners, breeders and jockeys for the 2013 race, Mr Dore said.
Expat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller’s Hawkspur was one to watch.
Cambridge mare Silent Achiever was scratched last night. Editorial Silent Achiever scratched