Australian trainer Bart Cummings won his 12th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday when his 40/1 priced entry, Viewed, came out of nowhere to clinch Australia’s biggest race by a nose.

A horse that had been off the radar before the race started took the lead late in the race and refused to give it up, even as Luca Cumani’s Geelong Cup winner Bauer challenged for the win.

“Someone told me I do make a habit of winning this race and I said it was a good habit to get into,” Cummings told the media after the race. “I feel very sorry for Luca Cumani as the runner-up, but it’s great to see the Aussies succeed. I thought it might have been a dead heat it was that close.”

An Australian entry also took third place, with C’est La Guerre coming home after starting the race at odds of 20/1.

Ireland’s Aidan O’Brien, who had three entries in the race, left Flemington Park empty-handed after Septimus failed to make an impression finishing the race in 18th place, while Alessandro Volta finished in 20th place and Honolulu came home last.

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.

Jane Chapple-Hyam has withdrawn Yellowstone from the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

After a week spent wrangling with Victoria Racing Club authorities over the fitness of her Melbourne Cup entry, Chapple-Hyam finally conceded defeat on Monday after vets raised fresh concerns over the injuries suffered by Yellowstone in his stall last week.

“Obviously it is very disappointing that Yellowstone won’t be running,” Chapple-Hyam said today. “We’ve come a long way but the horse’s welfare is the most important thing and we are just going to have to take it on the chin.”

Meanwhile Aidan O’Brien has raised doubts about Septimus’ participation in the 2008 Melbourne Cup, claiming that he’s prepared to pull his runner out of the race if the Flemington Park turf doesn’t soften up by Tuesday morning.

O’Brien has raised concerns about his runner’s safety on a fast track, telling reporters: “It’s fast ground, the track’s in unbelievable order and we know the guys are doing everything in their power to produce a safe track. All I’m worrying about is I want to have Septimus when he goes home.”

The odds on 2008 Melbourne Cup favourite, Septimus, have been cut further after Aidan O’Brien’s Irish St Leger winner drew the 10th stall for the race, alongside stablemate Alessandro Volta.

The draw will give Septimus a tactical advantage in a race where starting position can be as important as the handicap. The presence of Alessandro Volta at his side could also be important as Septimus attempts to navigate a packed field.

“I’m happy that Septimus and Alessandro Volta both have good draws and that they are next to each other,” O’Brien told The Telegraph.

Trainer Luca Cumani also benefitted from the draw, with Mad Rush drawing the ideal starting position in the 4th stall and Geelong Cup winner Bauer drawn in the 14th stall. Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Yellowstone drew stall number 12 for the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

Dermott Weld, the only European trainer to have won the Melbourne Cup, saw entry Profound Beauty‘s odds shorten after she was drawn close to the barrier in the 2nd stall.

“I’m very happy with her and I expect her to run a good race, but think Septimus and Mad Rush, the first and second favourites are going to be very hard to beat,” Weld said.

Caulfield Cup winner, All The Good, is the latest addition to the Melbourne Cup casualty list. The 5 year old from the Godolphin stable has injured his right foreleg and may be withdrawn from the race pending the results of x-rays.

“He was supposed to work today but he’s not right, so we will be taking no risks,” said trainer Saeed Bin Suroor. “There is no swelling and no heat in his leg but these things happen – they are just animals.”

All The Good‘s odds have dropped significantly following his victory in the group one Caulfield Cup, with many regarding him as a genuine contender for a win in Australia’s biggest race.

“I’m not worried about his fitness because he won the Caulfield Cup, but I want to see him sound and healthy before we make a decision,” Bin Suroor said.  “On Saturday he has to be declared, so we will see tomorrow what the results of the tests tell us.”

Suroor told reporters that while All The Good has been taken out for a canter without any apparent ill effects, the decision over whether or not he will compete in the 2008 Melbourne Cup will be made on Saturday following veterinary tests.

Australia’s hopes of producing a local Melbourne Cup champion in 2009 were dealt a blow yesterday when it was announced that ante-post favourite, Efficient, has been withdrawn from the race due to injury.

Efficient is believed to have injured a fetlock during training, and the 5 year old grey will be out of racing for the remainder of the year.

”He worked yesterday morning and seemed fine afterwards, but now this,’’ Efficient’s owner Lloyd Williams said. “He looks like he will need three months complete rest so we’re not likely to see him again until next spring.’’

“He has strained the joint but we are not sure how it’s happened. He was super yesterday. But what can you do? That is racing.”

Efficient’s withdrawal from the race sees Aidan O’Brien’s Septimus unopposed as Melbourne Cup favourite for the first time since nominations closed in August.

Meanwhile, Yellowstone’s connections have reported that his injuries are not as severe as initially suspected and that the British entry is definite starter for the Melbourne Cup.

“We’ll get there,” trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam said. “He was fine this morning, he cantered along nicely and the best thing was that he trotted up alright afterwards.”

British Melbourne Cup entry Yellowstone’s hopes of competing in the 2008 Melbourne Cup next week are in jeopardy after he sustained injuries rolling in his box.

The injury comes just a day after trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam backed her entry to surprise the big-name runners in the 2008 Melbourne Cup, labeling him the ‘forgotten’ entry. Yellowstone’s price has hovered around the 50/1 mark since his confirmation for the Melbourne Cup.

“He loves to roll,” Chapple-Hyam said of Yellowstone’s injury. “It looks like he’s had a roll in his box and got stuck, you can see the scratches all over the walls where he’s thrashed about. Today I’ve decided to give him box rest and he will have physiotherapy later today.”

Yellowstone sustained bruising to his hips and haunches during the incident in his quarantine box, and veterinarians will need to determine whether his muscles have been affected by the incident before giving him the all-clear for the Melbourne Cup.

Maldivian made it 3 wins out of 3 starts at the Moonee Valley Racing Club yesterday, producing a scintillating run to win the Cox Plate, Australia’s most prestigious weight-for-age handicap.

Mark Kavanagh, one of Australia’s top trainers, prepared Maldivian for the race by putting blinkers on his runner then schooling him over jumps.

“Everyone was telling me how to train him and I had to stay focused,” Kavanagh said. “It was always the plan to school him over jumps and put the blinkers on for the Cox Plate and I did exactly as I said I would.”

“And he loves Moonee Valley. Horses that love the track excel at it so I was very happy going into the race. I was just waiting for the right time to play the trump card.”

Zipping took 2nd place in the Cox Plate, ahead of ante-post favourite Samantha Miss, who came home a disappointing third. Kiwi raider, Princess Coup, never looked like finishing in the top three and arrived at the finishing post in 9th place.

The 2008 Spring Racing Carnival moves on to the Moonee valley Racing Club this weekend as some of Australia’s finest weight-for-age runners line up to contest the prestigious group one Cox Plate.

The run-up to the race has produced two firm ante-post favourites sharing 11/4 odds at William Hill – Samantha Miss and Princess Coup.

Star jockey, Glen Boss, has shed the weight needed to partner Samantha Miss in the race, and is looking forward to the prospect of competing in one of the biggest races of the year.

“There won’t be a fitter, sharper jockey walk on to the track on Saturday,” said Boss, who has spent the last several weeks training with former Commonwealth featherweight champion Julian Holland.

“I’m flying. I’m about 47.5kg now and I feel terrific. I have done it the right way and I am ready. I can’t wait.”

Joint-favourite Princess Coup, a New Zealand entry, arrived in Melbourne yesterday in preparation for the Cox Plate, and trainer Mark Walker believes she has what is takes to walk away with the Cox Plate title.

“She was very consistent all season and this year she appears to be gathering even a little better than last season,” Walker said in The Australian.

Jockey Damien Oliver believes that Bauer has what it takes to win the Melbourne Cup after partnering the English stayer to victory in the group three Geelong Cup on Wednesday.

Oliver is eminently qualified to assess whether or not Bauer is capable of converting success in the Geelong Cup into a Melbourne Cup victory, having partnered the lasted Geelong Cup/Melbourne Cup double winner, Media Puzzle, in 2002.

Bauer’s success in the Geelong Cup handed trainer Luca Cumani his first ever win in Australia, and provides him with another strong entry to the Melbourne Cup after Mad Rush qualified for the race with an impressive 4th place in the Caulfield Cup on the weekend.

“The last three years we have learned a lot and this being a first winner is a good reward for all the work by everyone in the team,” Cumani said after the race. “He (Bauer) ran such a good race and to win means it guarantees a start in the Melbourne Cup we hope.”

“I think after Mad Rush’s great run we thought both horses were on the right road,” Cumani concluded.