Melbourne Cup Betting

The AJC Derby is often where bookmakers start when trying to work out Melbourne Cup markets later in the year.

Invariably, the Derby winner goes up as the early favourite for the great race.

It’s a trick bookmakers have been using for years. Never mind that the last horse to complete the Derby-Cup double was the mighty Phar Lap in 1930!

The 78 year gap between drinks seems to do little to douse punters’ desire to jump into the Derby winner each and every year.

Unfortunately the AJC Derby has lost its prestige in recent times, with the past two winners – Fiumicino and Headturner – having won just the one solitary race between them since winning the Derby.

Nom Du Jeu continued the great run of NZ-bred horses in the Derby – it’s now 14 of the past 25 to the Kiwis.

While history is against him coming back to repeat the dose in the Cups later in the year, there is a pointer in his form which may be able to be followed.

Nom Du Jeu was beaten 7.6lengths in the New Zealand Derby last month by C’est La Guerre.

Winning AJC Derby trainer Murray Baker had little hesitation in claiming that his charge was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, as he felt C’est La Guerre would have won the AJC Derby easily as well – and the formlines point to that being the case, as runner-up Red Lord was also among the beaten division in the NZ Derby.

So keep in mind the name C’est La Guerre when Cup markets come up later this year.