Race to the finish: the order of entry explained

For trainers of Melbourne Cup aspirants, the aim is to qualify their horses for the $8.56 million event with as little weight as possible, theoretically giving the horse a better chance of winning. The name of the game is to “beat the handicapper” but it is a tightrope that trainers must walk carefully.

The journey begins when nominations for the race close in early September. The Racing Victoria handicapping team, led by chief handicapper David Hegan, then begin the painstaking task of assessing the form of every horse entered for the race relevant to the other entries and a benchmark set of weights for age and sex, compiling a handicap for every horse from top weight to bottom weight. Those assigned a higher weight are better performed horses with a better chance of making the field, but canny trainers with unexposed up-and-coming stayers will try to sneak into the race near the bottom of the handicap, enduring nail-biting weeks that hinge on race results and the annual attrition rate to climb the order of entry.

Once handicaps have been assigned, horses can earn weight penalties at the discretion of Hegan and his team if they are able to win any internationally recognised Listed or Group race. Winners of Listed or Group handicap races run at 1600m or further are eligible for a handicap penalty, while the winners of weight-for-age races run over 2300m or further can be re-handicapped. These penalties become critical as the declaration stages progress, an extra kilo can catapult a horse up the order of entry into the safe zone to make the field, similarly though an extra kilo to a horse at the top of the weights could make it that much tougher to win.

Adding extra excitement to the Lexus Melbourne Cup journey are a series of ballot exempt races spread across the year. Victory in any of those races guarantees the winner a place in the Melbourne Cup field that year, it is racing’s equivalent to Willy Wonka's golden ticket.

Eight ballot exempt races can secure the winner a spot in the field. The Lexus Roy Higgins (2600m) run at Flemington in March, the Lexus Andrew Ramsden (2800m) run at Flemington in May, the Belmont Gold Cup (3200m) run in Belmont in the USA, the Ebor Handicap (2816m) run at York in the UK in August, The Lexus Bart Cummings (2500m) run at Flemington in October, the Lexus Archer Stakes (2500m) run at Flemington in September, the Caulfield Cup (2400m) run at Caulfield in October, and the Cox Plate (2040m) run at Moonee Valley in late October provide an incredible opportunity to the lucky winners.

For South Australian-based trainers Dan Clarken and Oopy Macgillivray, the Andrew Ramsden Stakes provided a clear path forward for their tough staying mare The Map when she claimed the race in May.

The runner-up in the Adelaide Cup in March, The Map would likely not have earned enough weight from Hegan and his team to secure a Lexus Melbourne Cup berth, but winning the Lexus Andrew Ramsden stripped away the stress and allowed the trainers to concentrate on planning a campaign that would deliver the mare to Flemington in perfect condition on the first Tuesday in November.

“We’re in the Melbourne Cup, now we have to get her fit and we don’t have to run her and get any weight penalties, so that’s the first plan,” Macgillivray said after the race.

“She just missed out on making the field last year (2023), but in our heart of hearts we always felt she was up to it. It’s a dream to know we’re in it.” - Oopy Macgillivray

The Map sits at the head of the order of entry with a handicap of just 50 kilos along with Lexus Archer Stakes winner Point King (50kg) and The Lexus Bart Cummings winner Just Fine (53kg) with the connections of all three horses looking forward to Cup Day safe in the knowledge that their horse cannot be knocked out of the field.

It will be a more anxious wait for the connections of horses sitting in the danger zone of the order of entry as the battle to secure one of the final places in the 24-horse field hits fever pitch.

New Zealand stayer Mahraajan (22nd) winner of the 2024 Auckland Cup, Brisbane Cup winner Alegron (23rd) and Queensland stayer Knight’s Choice (24th) teeter on the edge of safety while a swarm of horses like Muramasa (25th), Valiant King (26th), Interpretation (27th), Mostly Cloudy (28th), Saint George (34th) along with visiting European gallopers Onesmoothoperator (32nd), Birdman (36th) and Kinesiology (42nd) will need a last minute handicap penalty to leapfrog their way into the race.

Two-time Lexus Melbourne Cup winning owner Ozzie Kheir, who cheered on Protectionist and Verry Elleegant as a part owner, has highly rated British import Birdman chasing Cup glory this year. The northern hemisphere three-year old was allotted just 50 kilos when weights were released and currently sits outside the likely field.

“He will go to Geelong (Cup) and take his chance there, it’s a tough race to win but if he does we hope he gets a kilo and that could make all the difference. If he doesn't make the Cup this year, he’s only young, we'll try again next year,” - Ozzie Kheir

The Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) on October 23rd, the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) on October 26th, and the Group 3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) on October 30th are the last chances that Cup hopefuls have to qualify for the race.

The Geelong Cup in particular has been a critical race in the road to the Lexus Melbourne Cup. Geelong Cup winners Dunaden (2011), Americain (2010) and Media Puzzle (2002) put the race on the map when they went on to complete the Geelong Cup-Melbourne Cup double, but a host have others have earned a start through the race before running well at Flemington like Emissary, Prince of Arran and Bauer.

Third declarations for the 164^th Lexus Melbourne Cup close at 10am on Monday October 28th, with the final declaration at 4.30pm on Penfolds Victoria Derby Day Saturday November 2nd.

Current Order of Entry for the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup can be found here.