Melbourne Cup 2016 – Home Team

Get our two big price Melbourne Cup tips along with writeups and information on the favourite in our main preview, or read on for information on the Melbourne Cup 2016 home team of Australian runners.

The Melbourne Cup is very much an international affair in this day and age, but there are a host of Australian-trained runners which will be looking to keep the Melbourne Cup firmly on home soil.

• Hartnell (9/2) runs for John O’Shea and Godolphin and he has had a great season to date. He put three consecutive wins together by a combined margin of 20 lengths and that doesn’t happen very often in Australia. He defeated subsequent Caulfield Cup winner Jameka by 3 and a quarter lengths in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes and although he finished eight lengths behind Winx in the Cox Plate, his run for second was full of merit.  He deserves to be the favourite based on what punters have seen this preparation and he should be tough to beat.

• Jameka (7/1) has been drifting in the market since Saturday. The Ciaron Maher-trained mare won the Caulfield Cup with ease, but four-year-old mares don’t have a great record in the Cup and punters are shying away from her. She was 4/1 earlier in the week, but is now 7/1 with most bookmakers.  She certainly has a chance of winning and Maher has the magic touch at the moment, but watch the market for any negative moves which could indicate her chances.

• Almandin (16/1) is a strong German import for Team Williams which won the Bart Cummings by 1.5 lengths last start. He has looked like a true stayer throughout his Melbourne Cup campaign and will enjoy carrying only 52kg for this. Kerrin McEvoy gets the ride and he’s going great guns in Australia at the moment.  This will be his first test at the two miles which is a concern, but he’s a seven-year-old gelding by Monsun and the German-bred stayers have already made their mark on the Melbourne Cup with Protectionist in 2015.

• Who Shot Thebarman (33/1) is a former New Zealand runner who is now with Chris Waller. He relishes the two miles having had six starts for one win and two placings, and punters should forgive his run in the Melbourne Cup last year as he was one of many runners to be effected by the ride of Frankie Dettori.  He finished second in the Moonee Valley Cup on October 22 and with some rain forecast on the day at Flemington, that should play right into his hands. Hugh Bowman rode two Group one winners on Saturday and he will take the ride aboard the 33/1 chance.

Read our Melbourne Cup preview or see our analysis of four of the main Melbourne Cup 2016 International Raiders!