Punters have rejected Melbourne Cup second favourite Mount Athos in pre-race betting and thrown their weight behind the Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente.
And the leader of the pack supporting last year’s Cup runner-up is the son of the horse’s trainer, Tom Waterhouse.
The colourful bookie attempted to back Fiorente to win $1 million in a single bet at Monday’s Call Of The Card, only to be limited by other bookmakers to a fraction of that amount.
Another punter tried to get on Fiorente to win $400,000 at $7.50, but was also limited to a return of $100,000.
Fiorente emerged as a clear favourite at an event where bookies constantly ran for cover and punters could rarely get set for more than token bets.
And the trend continued among firms not represented at the Call Of The Card.
Sportingbet who declared it would take on Fiorente, had to back pedal as a flood of money came for the one horse in the race who has the form, the jockey and the barrier draw.
“We declared we would take on Fiorente and we did so for as long as we could,” said Sportingbet’s Michael Felgate.
Sportingbet took one wager of $30,000 at $8.50 among a flood of five-figure bets turning Fiorente in to $7 by the end of the day.
The firm also reported strong interest in the Lloyd Williams-owned runners Sea Moon, Seville and Fawkner who have all firmed on Cup eve.
One of the best backed at the Call Of The Card was Caulfield Cup runner-up Dandino who finished up at $14 having attracted one bet to win $25,000.
Also in demand was the French-trained mare Verema who came in for support at $15 with one punter having $7500 each way and the Irish runner Simenon who attracted good backing at $18.
The biggest potential payout from the event will be for the Peter Moody-trained import Ibicenco with one punter backing him to win $500,000 at 100-1.
Bookmaker Alan Eskander said the support for Fiorente came as no surprise.
“He is the one horse that has everything going for him,” Eskander said.
“He’s the logical favourite and a big loser for most bookies.”
At the close of betting Fiorente held the top line at $7.50 ahead of Mount Athos at $11 and Dandino at $14.