There will be no title defence in this year's Melbourne Cup. Half Yours, last year's Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup winner, is missing from the 39 horses the Victoria Racing Club listed after third acceptances closed on Monday. The gelding fell in the Caulfield Cup on 17 October.
Ciaron Maher's grip on the race keeps tightening. He trains ten of the 39 still in contention, among them the new favourite Point Of Law, Saturday's golden ticket winner Juja Kibo, and Middle Earth, who was placed last year. Joseph O'Brien, who has won the Cup twice as a trainer, has eight, and James McDonald is booked to ride his Curragh Cup winner Trustyourinstinct. Chris Waller has five.
Twelve of the 39 are trained overseas, one more than at the same stage last year. With every golden ticket now won, Wednesday's Bendigo Cup is the last chance for three horses on the edge of the 24-horse field: The Euphrates, So You Are and Litzdeel.
The final field is named on Saturday 31 October, after Victoria Derby Day, and the Cup is run at Flemington on Tuesday 3 November.
Source
Original summary by Proventier.