06/11/2023
🏆 Melbourne Cup 2023 🏆
- soulcombe
- Future history
- Vow and declare
As the pulse quickens and the hooves thunder, the 2023 Melbourne Cup beckons an exhilarating conundrum for punters and enthusiasts alike. This year's line-up presents a challenging field, with Vauban emerging as the $4.60 favorite. Despite his impressive victory at Ascot, the Cup's probable dry track might prove a stumbling block for him. It's a well-known fact that the Cup seldom favors favorites, with only 34 emerging victorious, the last being Fiorente back in 2013 at lucrative odds of $7-1. While the William Mullins and Ryan Moore partnership commands respect, Vauban doesn't quite align with my selections.
I’ve landed on Soulcombe as the primary choice. With strategic gear adjustments—blinkers coming off and an altered race strategy with him not being assisted by the pony he presents a compelling case fitting the bill. The talented gelding, despite a tendency to miss the start, has the right jockey aboard to mitigate this flaw. A winnable weight and a favorable draw, provided he launches cleanly, position Soulcombe seems the obvious choice with the best jockey in the land aboard.
In the mix at $34, Future History boasts a similar lightweight advantage. A front-runner by nature, this horse thrives in conditions that favored front-runners during the recent Derby Day. With Holly Doyle set to take the reins, her Melbourne debut promises an exciting spectacle.
Then there's the question of Vow and Declare. History rarely repeats itself in the Melbourne Cup, There’s been 3 winners who have finished first in the cup who were 8 years old ,toryboy in 1865, Catalogue in 1938 & Twilight Payment in 2020. Can vow and declare write history tomorrow. Could Vow and Declare etch his name into this distinguished roster? With conditions aligning favorably and in peak form, the only concern remains the starting barrier. However, a top-ten finish seems a near certainty.
The Melbourne Cup, a theater of surprises and epic narratives, I’m hoping all the horses get around safe as the jocks.
Good luck