Our 2020 Melbourne Cup tips are here!
The 2020 Melbourne Cup has drawn one of the strongest fields in the history of the race and we are set for a fascinating contest at Flemington on Tuesday.
We have analysed every single horse in the field and our complete 2020 Melbourne Cup tips can be found below!
Anthony Van Dyck
Anthony Van Dyck is looking to make history and become the first top-weight to win the Melbourne Cup since the great Makybe Diva in 2005.
I am confident that he will be right in the mix.
It takes a very good horse to win the Epsom Derby and Anthony Van Dyck proved that he can handle Australian conditions with his gallant second behind Verry Elleegant in the Caulfield Cup.
The step-up to 3200 metres won’t be a problem for him and he proved in the Caulfield Cup that he is capable of carrying big weights.
I think the market has him around the right price and I am confident that he will finish in the first six.
Avilius
Avilius is back for another crack at the Melbourne Cup after he failed to fire in the 2018 edition of the race.
It has been a while between wins for Avilius, but he hasn’t been going that badly this preparation.
He didn’t have any luck at all in the Caulfield Cup and before that he wasn’t disgraced behind Kolding in the Hill Stakes.
I’m still not sure that he is going well enough to win the Melbourne Cup with this sort of weight on his back, but I think that he can produce a better effort than his current price suggests.
Vow And Declare
It takes a very good horse to win the Melbourne Cup in back-to-back years and I’m not sure that Vow And Declare is up to that level.
His three runs this Spring have been fairly poor and he heads into the Melbourne Cup on the back of a very flat effort in the Caulfield Cup.
We know that he will run out the 2400 metres strongly, but I don’t think he is going anywhere near good enough to be a genuine winning chance in the Melbourne Cup.
Master Of Reality
Master Of Reality was the controversial runner in the Melbourne Cup 12 months ago and he was relegated to fourth place on protest after causing interference in the straight.
I’m not sure that Master Of Reality is going as well as he was 12 months ago.
He was able to return to winning form in the Her Majesty’s Palace, but before that he was beaten in both the Curragh Cup and the Irish St Leger Trial.
You can never rule out Lloyd Williams in the Melbourne Cup, but I am happy to take on Master Of Reality at his current quote.
Sir Dragonet
Sir Dragonet will become the first Ladbrokes Cox Plate winner to run in the Melbourne Cup since So You Think in 2010 and has the chance to become the first horse since Makybe Diva in 2005 to complete the double.
He stamped his quality with his victory in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate and the most pleasing aspect of that performance was the way that he toughed it out to the line.
That run should have him perfectly primed for the Melbourne Cup and I really don’t think that the 3200 metres will be a problem for him.
Sir Dragonet is a very classy galloper and he gets into the Melbourne Cup extremely well in at the weights.
He is my second pick in the race.
Twilight Payment
Twilight Payment is back for a second tilt at the Melbourne Cup after he finished 11th in the race 12 months ago.
Unlike Master Of Reality, I am confident that he is going better than he was in 2019.
He won the Vintage Crop Stakes and the Curragh Cup before he finished a more than credible third at Group 1 level in the Irish St Leger.
There is no reason why he can’t be in the mix and I think Twilight Payment represents good value at his current quote of $34.
Verry Elleegant
Verry Elleegant is out to become the first horse since Ethereal in 2001 to complete the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double.
You simply had to be impressed by her win in the Caulfield Cup.
Anthony Van Dyck looked set to finish over the top of her with 200 metres left to go, but she simply kept on finding to score the biggest win of her racing career to date.
My only real knock on her is her ability to run out a strong 3200 metres.
She still does plenty wrong in the run and that could tell at the end of the Melbourne Cup.
I still think she is one of the winning chances and I think the market has her just about right.
Mustajeer
Mustajeer is another horse having a second crack at the Melbourne Cup after he failed to fire in the race 12 months ago.
He hasn’t been disgraced in either The Metropolitan or the Caulfield Cup, but I’m not convinced that he is good enough to win a Melbourne Cup of this quality.
Stratum Albion
There is a number of similarities between Stratum Albion and Vintage Crop, who became the first international horse to win the Melbourne Cup in 1993.
Stratum Albion does most of his racing over the hurdles in Ireland, but he earnt his trip to Australia for the Melbourne Cup with his second place finish in the Lonsdale Cup.
I’m not convinced that Stratum Albion has the turn-of-foot required to win the Melbourne Cup and he is one of the internationals in this field that I am keen to take a set against.
Dashing Willoughby
Dashing Willoughby flopped badly in the Caulfield Cup and was beaten by 27 lengths after leading in the early stages of the race.
Connections are adamant that he is a better horse than that effort suggests and he did beat 2018 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter to win the Coral Henry II Stakes at Sandown Park earlier this year.
In saying that it is tough to have any real confidence in him in the Melbourne Cup off the back of that Caulfield Cup effort.
Finche
Finche is back for his third tilt at the Melbourne Cup after finishing fourth in 2018 and seventh in 2019.
Has his chance to win the Melbourne Cup come and gone?
I am leaning towards that being the case.
He certainly hasn’t been disgraced in any of his race starts this campaign and he wasn’t beaten far in the Turnbull Stakes or the Caulfield Cup.
Finche just seems to lack the turn-of-foot that is required to win a big race in Australia and I am happy to oppose him.
Prince Of Arran
It is impossible not to like Prince Of Arran.
He finished third in the Melbourne Cup in 2018 and he was able to finish way better in 2019.
Can he improve again and finally win the Melbourne Cup in 2020?
There is no reason that he won’t be in the mix.
He goes to another level when he arrives in Australia and there was plenty to like about the way that he found the line in the Caulfield Cup.
We know that he runs a strong 3200 metres and jockey Jamie Kah is in simply outstanding form!
Surprise Baby
Surprise Baby has had just two race starts since he flashed home to finish fifth behind Vow And Declare in the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
He stormed home in the concluding stages to finish second behind Humidor in the Feehan Stakes and he wasn’t disgraced in the Turnbull Stakes.
The step-up to 3200 metres is ideal for him, but I’m still not sure that Surprise Baby is good enough to beat the best horses in this field.
His racing style means that he always needs plenty of luck and I don’t think this will be enough of a staying test for Surprise Baby to beat the proven Group 1 weight-for-age horses.
I am happy to take him on at his current price.
King Of Leogrance
King Of Leogrance has the chance to become the first horse since Subzero in 1992 to complete the Adelaide Cup/Melbourne Cup double.
He was outclassed first-up in the Turnbull Stakes, but he showed that he was heading in the right direction with a third place finish in a strong edition of the Geelong Cup.
The fact that he can run a strong 3200 metres is a positive, but I’m not sure that he has the class to win a Melbourne Cup of this quality.
Russian Camelot
Russian Camelot might be the value runner in Melbourne Cup betting.
Punters have been quick to desert him after he was beaten as favourite in both the Caulfield Stakes and the Ladbrokes Cox Plate, but to me he has been racing like a horse that is looking for more ground.
He is bred to be a genuine stayer and his final sectionals in the South Australian Derby over 2500 metres were absolutely outstanding.
There is no doubt that he has serious class and I can’t let him go around at $13 without having something on.
Steel Prince
Steel Prince is yet another galloper having a second crack at the Melbourne Cup and he was able to sneak into the top ten with Brett Prebble in the saddle.
He was thereabouts in both the MRC Foundation Cup and The Bart Cummings before he recorded an impressive victory when he was well-backed in the Geelong Cup.
The form coming out of the Geelong Cup has already proven to be strong and he is another horse that you know will run a strong 3200 metres.
$34 represents a bit of value.
The Chosen One
The Chosen One is racing in career best form this campaign and he isn’t without a chance in the Melbourne Cup.
He raced a little bit flat in both the Underwood Stakes and the Herbert Power Stakes, but he returned to a semblance of his best form with a strong third behind Verry Elleegant and Anthony Van Dyck in the Caulfield Cup.
I think you can forgive his run in the Melbourne Cup 12 months ago and he ran out a strong 3200 metres when he finished second in the Sydney Cup earlier this year.
I’m not sure he can turn-the-tables Verry Elleegant and Anthony Van Dyck, but he can run well again.
Ashrun
Ashrun won his way into the Melbourne Cup with a gallant victory in the Lexus Hotham Stakes on Victoria Derby Day.
He took a while to wind up when he finished fourth in the Geelong Cup and he clearly enjoyed the big Flemington track to take out the Lexus Hotham Stakes.
There is no doubt that he will relish the step-up to 3200 metres and he has a similar profile to 2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist.
The question mark is how he will handle the quick back-up and there has been an overreaction to his win in the Lexus Hotham Stakes.
Warning
Warning is the value runner in 2020 Melbourne Cup betting.
The Victoria Derby winner has been ticking over beautifully this preparation and I am confident that his run in the Caulfield Cup was better than it looks on paper.
Before that he ran some of the fastest closing sectionals of the race in the Turnbull Stakes and there is no doubt that Flemington is the right track for him.
The step-up to 3200 metres seems ideal and you know that he will be finding the line late.
Etah James
The Sydney Cup/Melbourne Cup double is an incredibly difficult task and Makybe Diva is the only horse to have done it in the past 50 years.
Etah James is not Makybe Diva.
She failed to fire in The Metropolitan and she was soundly beaten by Miami Bound in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup.
Etah James is one of the outsiders in Melbourne Cup betting for a reason.
Tiger Moth
Tiger Moth is the horse to beat in the 2020 Melbourne Cup.
He has a very similar profile to former Melbourne Cup winners Rekindling and Cross Counter as well as Il Paradiso, who was extremely unlucky in the race 12 months ago.
Tiger Moth is still a Northern Hemisphere three-year-old and he is a horse that has an enormous amount of upside.
He finished second at Group 1 level behind Santiago in the Irish Derby and won his next start at Group 3 level in dominant fashion.
Tiger Moth has tactical versatility and I am confident that he is good enough to overcome the wide barrier draw.
Oceanex
Oceanex won her way into the Melbourne Cup with her victory in the Andrew Ramsden Stakes, but she hasn’t really fired this campaign.
She did show some improvement when she finished third in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, but I don’t think she is anywhere near good enough to win the Melbourne Cup.
Miami Bound
The Moonee Valley Gold Cup/Melbourne Cup double hasn’t been completed since Think Big in 1974 and Miami Bound is out to change that in 2020.
There was plenty to like about the way that she won the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, but that was far from the strongest field and this race is much tougher.
She is another horse that would surprise if she was in the finish.
Persan
Persan has come from nowhere to secure a place in the Melbourne Cup field and he brings winning form into this contest.
He has recorded three wins from his past five race starts and he earnt his place in the Melbourne Cup with an excellent victory in The Bart Cummings.
Whether he has the class to win a Melbourne Cup is a big question, but he is a stayer that is heading in the right direction.
Melbourne Cup Tip
21 Tiger Moth at $8.00
