James McDonald booked for Melbourne Cup ride

There's no greater reminder that we're into November already than the arrival of Melbourne Cup day. It's billed as the race that stops the nation of Australia, but many Kiwis are also keen to jump into the spring racing spirit with a flutter or a crack at the work sweepstake. Twelve months ago, Kiwis smashed their own betting records with the New…

Superstar jockey James McDonald with proud Mum Dianne. Picture: Supplied. Motherly love will trump personal Melbourne Cup ambition for the mum of superstar jockey James McDonald who has a runner of her own in the race that stops the nation. Dianne McDonald bred and part-owns Melbourne Cup roughie Virtuous Circle, while son James will ride reigning…

Tuesday's 163rd running of the Melbourne Cup will see 24 finely tuned equine athletes line up for the race which stops the nation - it's no ordinary event. And finding the winner is no ordinary feat, however history gives us some decent insights into what to look for. MELBOURNE CUP FACTS The first Melbourne Cup in 1861 was run on a Thursday,…

The Melbourne Cup is back! The historical race inaugurated 162 years ago back in 1861, takes place at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia at 3pm (AEDT) on November 7th and looks likely to be one to remember. Let's have a look at the upcoming fixture, previous winners, record-breakers and how to bet on this year's Melbourne Cup. Melbourne…

This article contains third-party links. The 2023 Melbourne Cup is shaping up to be a truly memorable race, with several horses in with a genuine chance of winning the prestigious event. Gold Trip emerged victorious last year and has been slashed in the betting for this year's renewal despite being saddled with top weight. However, the horse's…

Winter is beginning to wind down and that means spring racing is just around the corner. The one race that gets everybody talking is of course the Melbourne Cup, with a total of $8 million in prizemoney and millions of fans across the country tuning in for'the race that stops the nation'. Last year, Verry Elleegant proved too strong for its rivals,…

DID YOU KNOW? 16 of the last 18 Melbourne Cup winners came from stalls 5 or higher. So, why not grab up a FREE £30 bet with BetUK to use on the Melbourne Cup. See below our key Melbourne Cup trends to apply to the final runners ahead of Tuesday's big Flemington Park race. Based on the last 18 runnings of the race.

It's billed as the race that stops a nation but many Kiwis are also keen to jump into the spring racing spirit too. Last year, more than 100000 New Zealanders had a punt on the race. First run in 1861, the tradition of the Cup is still going strong with Kiwis betting $11.7 million on the Cup race alone in 2021. As you mull over your one-in-23…

On the first of November, a field of talented stayers from all over the world will enter the stall at Flemington racecourse ahead of the 2022 Melbourne Cup. There are now less than four days to go before "the race that stops a nation" hits our screens and the betting is beginning to hot up. Let's take a look through the latest Melbourne Cup odds…

Champion jockey James Mcdonald got to have his first sit aboard his 2022 Melbourne Cup ride Loft in trackwork at Flemington and immediately liked what he felt. McDonald teams with the German-bred galloper in the Group 1 event over 3200m at Flemington on November 1 and gave the stayer a'test drive' ahead of the gelding's Australian debut. The…

Photo by Josh Chiodo on Unsplash The race that stops a nation takes place at Flemington, Melbourne, on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 The Melbourne Cup is one of the biggest races on the international calendar, as the field competes over 3200 meters While the Kentucky Derby attracts interest from a mainstream audience in the United States, there are few…

Durston has been lifted to the third line of Melbourne Cup betting after winning the Caulfield Cup. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) Chris Waller's chances of landing successive Melbourne Cups have improved dramatically after Durston claimed the Caulfield Cup for the all-conquering trainer. Durston firmed from $51 to the third tier of Melbourne Cup betting…

Hinged will carry just 50.5kg in Saturday's Epsom Handicap at Randwick. Picture: Grant Guy Hinged could set the tone for a weekend to remember for owner Brae Sokolski by winning the Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday. "If she can draw a barrier, I will be supremely confident," Sokolski said. "I have been…

James Mcdonald joked that he may have locked in his Melbourne Cup ride too early after Durston took out the Newcastle Cup. Success in the Group 3 race over 2300m on Friday followed Durston's win in the Listed Wyong Cup (2100m) on September 2. McDonald earlier in the week announced he was riding Loft in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at…

David Eustace (pictured) and Ciaron Maher have six runners in the VRC Members Handicap at Flemington. Picture: Brett Holburt/Racing Photos via Getty Images Bookies are wary but co-trainer David Eustace is playing down hopes of the stable's latest Melbourne Cup hope winning at his Australian debut at Flemington. Eustace and training partner Ciaron…

Nature Strip - dynamic, dominant, brilliant, breathtaking. There were not enough superlatives to describe Nature Strip's virtuoso performance on racing's biggest stage to prove he is the world's best sprinter at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. The Chris Waller-trained Nature Strip defeated an elite field to score a famous win in the Group 1 King's Stand…

The Championships at Randwick were inaugurated in 2014 and the title has never been more apt than this Friday night, when a regal rendition of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes brings this year's two-day event to a climax. TVG's international analyst, Adam McGrath, will again join Sky Racing World's Jason Witham on a live broadcast from the famous Sydney…

Unbeaten filly Coolangatta can give owners Brae Sokolski and Ozzie Kheir their first Golden Slipper win. Picture: Getty Images Brae Sokolski, the owner with the Midas touch, can secure racing's version of the "Golden Slam" with Coolangatta at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. In the last three years, Sokolski and his friend, Ozzie Kheir, have shared…

Raging Melbourne Cup favourite Incentivise has been upstaged with reigning Australian horse of the year Verry Elleegant taking out the 2021 Melbourne Cup in a thrilling upset victory. Incentivise - the shortest-priced favourite since Phar Lap - fell just short at Flemington on Tuesday, finishing in second with import Spanish Mission in third and…

Race 10: The John O'Shea-trained Quantico has stamped himself as a real star of the future with a slashing victory in the Listed MSS Security Sprint (1200m). Winner at five of his first nine starts at home in Sydney, the five-year-old son of I Am Invincible savaged the line to score comprehensively at his first experience up the straight. The…

Waller reveals Cup decision was Verry difficult Verry Elleegant get another chance in the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller has revealed how close he came to not giving champion mare Verry Elleegant her chance to crown her career by winning the $7.75m Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington…

Champion trainer Chris Waller will have four runners in Australia's great race, the Melbourne Cup Chris Waller was looking for excuses not to run Verry Elleegant in a second Melbourne Cup and apart from the weight, could not find one. Verry Elleegant is one of four horses from the Waller stable in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington, joined by…

Jack Fitzpatrick, punters.com.au from News.com.au The final field has been declared and barriers drawn for the $5m Cox Plate, with star import Zaaki set to jump from barrier six in the field of 10. Punters.com.au reports the two-time Group One winner was an odds-on chance in some futures markets before suffering a shock defeat as a $1.28F in the…

Champion jockey James Mcdonald got to have his first sit aboard his 2022 Melbourne Cup ride Loft in trackwork at Flemington and immediately liked what he felt. McDonald teams with the German-bred galloper in the Group 1 event over 3200m at Flemington on November 1 and gave the stayer a'test drive' ahead of the gelding's Australian debut. The…