Melbourne Cup Betting

The Turnbull Stakes is one of the great lead-up races to the Melbourne Cup Betting, Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate – and there is every chance the winner of each of those races will contest the Turnbull this year.

Run over 2000m at Flemington, the Turnbull is often a pivotal point of the spring, with horses really hitting top gear after a number of earlier warm ups.

It was rightly upgraded to Group 1 status in 2006 and another great field is set to contest the race on Saturday.

Last year’s race provided the winner of both the Cox Plate, El Segundo (6th) and Melbourne Cup, Efficient (11th).

Melbourne Cup winners Makybe Diva (2005) and Let’s Elope (1991) both won the Turnbull, while Doriemus ran second in the 1995 Turnbull before winning the Caulfield Cup that year.

It’s an even more compelling case for the Caulfield Cup.

Elvstroem (2004), Northerly (2002), Sky Heights (1999) and Let’s Elope (1991) have all done the double in recent times, while Diatribe (2000), Doriemus (1995) and Paris Lane (1994) all placed before winning the Caulfield 2400m event.

In regards to the Cox Plate, Makybe Diva (2005), Northerly (2002), The Phantom Chance (1993) and Better Loosen Up (1990) all won the race before going to Moonee Valley, while Sunline ran second before taking her second Cox Plate in 2000.

So with that in mind, Saturday’s race should provide us with a great guide to the upcoming majors.

Weekend Hussler is an odds-on favourite and is expected to go from here and win both the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate – if the market is correct, for he is a fractional odds favourite in both races.

Among his rivals this Saturday are the half-brothers Efficient (by Zabeel) and Guillotine (Montjeu).

Efficient’s owner Lloyd Williams isn’t expecting a win from his charge this week, but is hoping he runs on strongly. Guillotine comes off a surprise win in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes last time out and has now struck peak form for David Hayes.

Both greys, from the New Zealand mare Refused The Dance, they will be better suited back to handicap conditions.

Guillotine can confirm himself as a major danger to Weekend Hussler in the Caulfield Cup if he runs here.

‘The Hussler’s’ biggest danger this week is expected to be Pompeii Ruler, who has twice run well behind him this spring. Maldivian is another runner capable of causing an upset, with both likely to be among contestants in this year’s Cox Plate.

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