Monday, 3 September 2007: International stayer Yeats shares equal topweight for this year’s Melbourne Cup on 59kg – the same as last year.
The Aiden O’Brien trained galloper shares top billing with Honk Kong star Viva Pataca, although the John Moor-trained gelding, also topweight for the Caulfield Cup, has already been ruled out of the race.
The highest weighted Australian horse is Sydney galloper Eremein, trained at Rosehill by Allan Denham but he hasn’t started since being injured in March.
AJC Derby winner Fiumicino has 54kg for both races and was one of the pre-post favourite but his spring campaign, yet to begin, is in limbo being stuck in Sydney with a horse movement ban.
Last year’s Derby winner Efficient received 54kg while star mare and last year’s Oaks winner Miss Finland has been handicapped with 53kg.
Stablemate Tawqeet, who won last year’s Caulfield Cup and started favourite but ran well below his best in the Melbourne Cup, received 56.5kg in both races.
One of the top early Caulfield Cups fancies, the Mark Kavanagh-trained Maldivian, has just 51.5kg in the race.
