Flemington - Race 1 10:45am AEDT
No. 10 Price Tag
Melbourne Cup Day 2024 launches with the time-honoured Maribyrnong Plate for two-year-olds and on exposed form, I thought it looked a winnable race for Price Tag.
Price Tag has only made one appearance at the races so far and after being held up at a crucial stage in running, he hit the line well to fill the minors.
He’s very well bred for a race like this one and with natural improvement, he can begin his rise through the grades.
Flemington - Race 3 12pm AEDT
No. 9 Stormfront
One of the real highlights of Melbourne Cup week is the greys race, and a typically open field has been taken this year. With that in mind, I’m on the hunt for value and I think it might lie with the lightly-race Stormfront.
Stormfront has only made three appearances at the races since debuting, but he stamped himself as one to watch by winning his first two starts impressively, while he was last seen finishing a credible third behind the talented Capper Thirtynine in a BM70 at Cranbourne.
Barrier 13 is the knock but a senior rider in Ben Melham helps, and with even luck, he certainly looks up to something of this quality.
Flemington - Race 7 3pm AEDT
No. 9 Absurde
We saw Absurde run a bold race in the Melbourne Cup last year, finding a position handy to the speed and staying on really well to ultimately finish seventh. That was actually the opposite of what this horse usually does in settling back off the pace and calling on a sharp turn of foot when the whips start cracking.
He’s turned in some typically fine performances in the UK and Ireland this year and with different tactics, I’m confident he can be crowned the 2024 Melbourne Cup winner.
Flemington - Race 8 3:50pm AEDT
No. 8 Chewing Gum
Chewing Gum was a dominant winner on debut down at Geelong in September, and she has since placed behind a couple of good ones in races at Sandown and Caulfield.
She steps out on Tuesday in peak order, Ethan Brown sticks from a good draw and she’s another whom we can have something on each way.
Flemington - Race 10 5:15pm AEDT
No. 12 Warnie
The cheer from the punters if a horse named Warnie gets up in the last on Melbourne Cup Day will be something else.
The horse won two of four starts over in the UK during his debut prep, while he arrived in Australia with a fine performance and victory right here at HQ last month.
With natural improvement, I really can’t find a reason why he won’t be in the finish again.