Melbourne Cup picks

It’s Melbourne Cup day.

My picks, based on total ignorance of form are:

1:  (because I know the owners):
7

Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) (18)

 

2: (because the jockey is in blue):

1

Best Solution (IRE) (6)

3: (because the jockey is in Otago colours – blue and yellow).

Marmelo (GB) (10)

The field and form are here

Melbourne Cup picks

The appeal of horses’ names and jockeys’ colours is the usual basis for my picks in any race.

But today, patriotism is my guide and I’m opting for Pentathlon:

Pentathlon is the only Kiwi-trained, bred and owned starter in this year’s Cup. Pentathlon is being prepared by Kiwi training legend John Wheeler from New Plymouth. It’s been 20 years since Wheeler saddled up a runner in the great race. He will be ridden by New Zealand jockey Mark Du Plessis.

The Victorian Racing Club has the field and form here.

Sticking with patriotism, I’m picking Who Shot Thebarman for second and going for a jockey in blue, Beautiful Romance for third.

There’s a virtual gourmet picnic for anyone who picks the winner with a bonus virtual bottle of champagne for anyone who picks the first three.

 

UPDATE: I’m swapping my pick to Who Shot Thebarman for first and Pentathlon for second.

The horse is owned by Dan, Michael, Shaun and Humphrey O’Leary and is trained by expatriate New Zealander Chris Waller.

It was named after a favourite saying of the O’Leary’s aunt when her gin glass was empty and needed a refill.

TAB NZ has reported that up to 70 members of the O’Leary brothers family and friends will travel to Melbourne to support the horse.

I know some of the family and even if I didn’t that much support from family and friends, not to mention the aunt’s spirit, appeals.

Melbourne Cup picks

The field for this afternoon’s  Melbourne Cup is:

7	3.00PM	$6,000,000	Group 1	Emirates Melbourne Cup	No age restriction Handicap No sex restriction (No class restriction)	3200m	▶
recent form horse trainer rider bar. wgt kg form 1 x4240x20x1 Admire Rakti Tomoyuki Umeda Zac Purton 8 58.5 ▶ view 2 36x12x114x Cavalryman Saeed Bin Suroor Craig Williams 3 57 ▶ view 3 5316x7x212 Fawkner Robert Hickmott Nicholas Hall 9 57 ▶ view 4 2424x60x47 Red Cadeaux Ed Dunlop Gerald Mosse 15 57 ▶ view 5 2x31x22114 Protectionist Andreas Wohler Ryan Moore 11 56.5 ▶ view 6 00210x8x50 Sea Moon Robert Hickmott Tommy Berry 18 56.5 ▶ view 7 0x10x641x0 Seismos Marco Botti Craig Newitt 1 56 ▶ view 8 1143×86117 Junoob Chris Waller Hugh Bowman 7 55.5 ▶ view 9 2151x20x26 Royal Diamond Johnny Murtagh Steven Arnold 6 55.5 ▶ view 10 22x211212x Gatewood John Gosden William Buick 22 55 ▶ view 11 41222x131x Mutual Regard Johnny Murtagh Damien Oliver 12 55 ▶ view 12 2119×07110 Who Shot Thebarman Chris Waller Glen Boss 13 55 ▶ view 13 31338x1x24 Willing Foe Saeed Bin Suroor James McDonald 17 55 ▶ view 14 3192x3134x My Ambivalent Roger Varian Andrea Atzeni 4 54.5 ▶ view 15 16x327x055 Precedence Bart & James Cummings Michael Rodd 20 54.5 ▶ view 16 x408821349 Brambles Peter G Moody Luke Nolen 21 54 ▶ view 17 27259×5647 Mr O’ceirin Ciaron Maher Chad Schofield 19 54 ▶ view 18 514x426x43 Au Revoir Andre Fabre Glyn Schofield 23 53.5 ▶ view 19 7190×54426 Lidari Peter G Moody Ben Melham 10 53.5 ▶ view 20 2262×05026 Opinion Chris Waller Tye Angland 14 53.5 ▶ view 21 x0313x7635 Araldo Michael Moroney Dwayne Dunn 24 53 ▶ view 22 x3013x1613 Lucia Valentina Kris Lees Kerrin McEvoy 2 53 ▶ view 23 241×834390 Unchain My Heart David Hayes & Tom Dabernig Dean Yendall 5 51.5 ▶ view 24 111×039231 Signoff Darren Weir Joao Moreira 16 51 ▶ view

New Zealanders are backing New Zealand horses:

The TAB says Kiwi punters have backed Auckland Cup winner and New Zealand horse Who Shot Thebarman to the tune of $700,000.

Kiwi hopeful Lucia Valentina has been rated as the race’s second favourite, paying $6.50 to win, behind Japanese horse Admire Rakti at $4.80. Who Shot Thebarman is paying $17.00 to win.

My picks – based on absolutely no knowledge and a lot of emotion are:

* Opinion (because I like the name and the jockey is wearing blue).

* Willing Foe (for the same reasons).

* Cavalryman (for those reasons plus my grandfather looked after the army’s horses in Egypt in WWI).

There’s a virtual bottle of the winner’s choice at stake for anyone whose picks do better than mine.