A full field of 18 plus four emergencies has been declared for the $3 million Caulfield Cup.
Leading trainer Chris Waller will have three runners – Who Shot Thebarman, Grand Marshal and Royal Descent – while Kris Lees will saddle up 2014 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist and last year’s Caulfield Cup third placegetter Lucia Valentina.
Of the three Waller runners, Who Shot Thebarman (21) and Royal Descent (22) drew the two widest gates at Tuesday afternoon’s barrier draw, while Sydney Cup winner Grand Marshal drew well with barrier six.
Japanese stayer Fame Game has shortened in the betting after drawing the inside barrier, but Mongolian Khan remains a clear top pick for Saturday’s race over 2,400 metres.
Mongolian Khan firmed into favouritism for the Cup after finishing behind Criterion in the Caulfield Stakes last Saturday but eased slightly after drawing nine and is now the $4.80 favourite.
Fame Game, to be ridden by Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton, firmed from $10 to $9 after drawing barrier one that had his trainer Yoshitada Munakata offering a big smile.
Fellow Japanese galloper Hokko Brave did not fare so well in the draw coming up with barrier 19 and eased out to $14 after being $11 before the draw.
Caulfield Cup 2,400m – 5:40pm Saturday (AEDT)
| No. | Horse | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PROTECTIONIST | Brenton Avdulla | 12 | 58kg | $35 |
| 2 | SNOW SKY | Damien Oliver | 3 | 58kg | $11 |
| 3 | FAME GAME | Zac Purton | 1 | 57kg | $10 |
| 4 | OUR IVANHOWE | Ben Melham | 17 | 56kg | $31 |
| 5 | HOKKO BRAVE | Craig Williams | 19 | 55.5kg | $14 |
| 6 | MONGOLIAN KHAN | Opie Bosson | 9 | 55kg | $4.20 |
| 7 | TRIP TO PARIS | Tommy Berry | 5 | 55kg | $21 |
| 8 | WHO SHOT THEBARMAN | Blake Shinn | 21 | 54.5kg | $31 |
| 9 | GRAND MARSHAL | Jim Cassidy | 6 | 53.5kg | $31 |
| 10 | ROYAL DESCENT | Glen Boss | 22 | 53.5kg | $18 |
| 11 | VOLKSTOK’N’BARRELL | Craig Newitt | 11 | 53.5kg | $26 |
| 12 | HAURAKI | James McDonald | 14 | 53kg | $9 |
| 13 | LUCIA VALENTINA | Dwayne Dunn | 20 | 53kg | $51 |
| 14 | RISING ROMANCE | Damian Lane | 2 | 53kg | $12 |
| 15 | MAGICOOL | James Winks | 15 | 52kg | $151 |
| 16 | GUST OF WIND | Chad Schofield | 13 | 51kg | $19 |
| 17 | SET SQUARE | Kerrin McEvoy | 16 | 51kg | $9 |
| 18 | MAGNAPAL | Dean Yendall | 18 | 50kg | $41 |
| Emergencies | |||||
| 19 | QUEST FOR MORE | Glyn Schofield | 8 | 53.5kg | $51 |
| 20 | COMPLACENT | 10 | 53kg | $14 | |
| 21 | DIBAYANI | 7 | 53kg | $41 | |
| 22 | MAGIC HURRICANE | 4 | 52.5kg | $15 | |
