The race that stops a nation has drawn one of the strongest fields in its history this year, making it even more challenging for punters to make their selections from the large field that will participate in the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

Here’s a brief summary of the race favourites, and why they are favoured to have an impact in the world’s most prestigious stayer’s handicap:

Septimus 4/1: A genuine all-rounder who already has his big race credentials with a win in the Irish St. Leger. Not fussy about ground conditions and a proven stayer. Septimus has received a favourable draw, but may not relish running under a handicap for the first time in his career.

Mad Rush 4/1: Luca Cumani’s Mad Rush finished 4th in Caulfield Cup, and is a proven performer in handicaps. The 2 mile trip over Flemington Park will be a new experience for him, however, he’s been handed a decent draw and a relatively light handicap.

Nom Du Jeu 7/1: Nom Du Jeu is a steady improver in handicaps, who seems to be hitting top form at the right moment. The New Zealand born entry has only finished outside the money once during his career and won the Australian Derby in 2008.

Profound Beauty 15/2: Trained by the only European to win the Melbourne Cup, Profound Beauty has everything it takes to cause an upset on Tuesday. Dermott Weld’s entry is untested over the 2 mile range, but will be in the expert hands of three times Melbourne Cup winner Glen Boss.

For more Melbourne Cup runners, odds and betting options visit William Hill.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Blogroll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.