2018 Melbourne Cup barrier draw
THE nation stops on the first Tuesday in November to watch the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington – but owners, trainers and punters alike also stop on the Saturday night before the great race to witness the barrier draw for the $7 million race.
The barrier draw is of great importance as it determines where each of the Melbourne Cup horses will be positioned, at least in the early stages, of the gruelling two-mile event.
A suitable barrier can enhance a horse’s chances of finding an ideal spot and running a bold race, likewise, a poor draw can have disastrous consequences and destroy a runner’s chance before the gates have even opened.
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2018 Melbourne Cup barrier draw
| No. | Silks | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds |
| 1 |  |
Best Solution | Saeed bin Suroor | Pat Cosgrave | 6 | 57.5kg | $15 |
| 2 |  |
The Cliffsofmoher | Aidan O’Brien | Ryan Moore | 9 | 56.5kg | $17 |
| 3 |  |
Magic Circle | Ian Williams | Corey Brown | 17 | 56kg | $8.50 |
| 4 |  |
Chestnut Coat | Yoshito Yahagi | Yuga Kawada | 4 | 55.5kg | $9.50 |
| 5 |  |
Muntahaa | John Gosden | Jim Crowley | 13 | 55.5kg | $10 |
| 6 |  |
Sound Check | Mike Moroney | Jordan Childs | 16 | 55.5kg | $67 |
| 7 |  |
Who Shot TheBarman | Chris Waller | Ben Melham | 18 | 55.5kg | $8.50 |
| 8 |  |
Ace High | David Payne | Tye Angland | 22 | 55kg | $11 |
| 9 |  |
Marmelo | Hughie Morrison | Hugh Bowman | 10 | 55kg | $17 |
| 10 |  |
Avilius | James Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 11 | 54.5kg | $13 |
| 11 |  |
Yucatan | Aidan O’Brien | James McDonald | 23 | 54.5kg | $4.50 |
| 12 |  |
Auvray | Richard Freedman | Tommy Berry | 1 | 54kg | $91 |
| 13 |  |
Finche | Chris Waller | Zac Purton | 15 | 54kg | $26 |
| 14 |  |
Red Cardinal | Darren Weir | Damien Oliver | 5 | 54kg | $34 |
| 15 |  |
Vengeur Masque | Mike Moroney | Patrick Moloney | 2 | 54kg | $67 |
| 16 |  |
Ventura Storm | Hayes, Hayes & Dabernig | Mark Zahra | 7 | 54kg | $34 |
| 17 |  |
A Prince of Arran | Charlie Fellowes | Michael Walker | 20 | 53kg | $15 |
| 18 |  |
Nakeeta | Iain Jardine | Regan Bayliss | 3 | 53kg | $81 |
| 19 |  |
Sir Charles Road | O’Sullivan & Scott | Dwayne Dunn | 14 | 53kg | $101 |
| 20 |  |
Zacada | Forsman & Baker | Damien Lane | 24 | 53kg | $126 |
| 21 |  |
Runaway | Waterhouse & Bott | Stephen Baster | 12 | 52kg | $34 |
| 22 |  |
Youngstar | Chriss Waller | Craig Williams | 8 | 51.5kg | $21 |
| 23 |  |
Cross Counter | Charlie Appleby | Kerrin McEvoy | 19 | 51kg | $9 |
| 24 |  |
Rostropovich | Aidan O’Brien | Wayne Lordan | 21 | 51kg | $21 |
Melbourne Cup barrier draw statistics
The start of the Melbourne Cup is relatively fair – there is over one kilometre from the barriers to the start of the first turn which gives jockeys plenty of time to try and find a position.
However, with 24 horses and a mix of frontrunners, backmarkers and mid-pack runners, there is also a lot of competition for the optimum positions which can make or break a horse’s chances.
The most successful barrier is number five which has seen eight winners since the introduction of starting gates in 1924. The last winner of the Melbourne Cup to win from barrier five was Americain which won the 150th edition of the race in 2010 for French trainer Alain De Royer-Dupre and jockey Gerald Mosse.
Barrier five also has a good record, supplying seven winners including Gai Waterhouse’s Fiorente back in 2013. Barriers 10 and 14 and locked on six wins a piece, with Efficient and three-time Cup winner Makybe Diva exiting those gates respectively in 2007 and 2005.
The worst barrier is 18 – incredibly it has never produced a winner. Many also believe barrier 13 to be unlucky – even though champions Phar Lap, Baghdad Note, Ethereal and Dunaden all came from it to claim Australian racing’s premier race.
Betting odds for the 2018 Group 1 Melbourne Cup
Yucatan is the current the $6 favourite with Sportsbet to go become yet another international to win the Group 1 Melbourne Cup despite drawing barrier 23.
International horses dominate the 2018 Cup betting odds, taking all the top seven sports in betting. The highest rated Australian cup runner is Youngstar priced at $17 to win the cup.
2017 Melbourne Cup barrier draw
| No. | Silks | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds |
| 1 |  |
Hartnell | James Cummings | Damian Lane | 12 | 57.5kg | $26 |
| 2 |  |
Almandin | Robert Hickmott | Frankie Dettori | 14 | 56.5kg | $7 |
| 3 |  |
Humidor | Darren Weir | Blake Shinn | 13 | 56kg | $9.50 |
| 4 |  |
Tiberian | Alain Couetil | Oliver Peslier | 23 | 55.5kg | $31 |
| 5 |  |
Marmelo | Hughie Morrison | Hugh Bowman | 16 | 55kg | $9 |
| 6 |  |
Red Cardinal | Andreas Wohler | Kerrin McEvoy | 24 | 55kg | $15 |
| 7 |  |
Johannes Vermeer | Aiden O’Brien | Ben Melham | 3 | 54.5kg | $10 |
| 8 |  |
Bondi Beach | Robert Hickmott | Michael Walker | 1 | 54kg | $61 |
| 9 |  |
Max Dynamite | William Mullins | Zac Purton | 2 | 54kg | $15 |
| 10 |  |
Ventura Storm | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Glen Boss | 6 | 54kg | $31 |
| 11 |  |
Who Shot Thebarman | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 20 | 54kg | $41 |
| 12 |  |
Wicklow Brave | William Mullins | Stephen Baster | 8 | 54kg | $51 |
| 13 |  |
Big Duke | Darren Weir | Brenton Avdulla | 5 | 53.5kg | $19 |
| 14 |  |
US Army Ranger | Joseph O’Brien | Jamie Spencer | 22 | 53.5kg | $61 |
| 15 |  |
Boom Time | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Cory Parish | 9 | 53kg | $26 |
| 16 |  |
Gallante | Robert Hickmott | Michael Dee | 18 | 53kg | $101 |
| 17 |  |
Libran | Chris Waller | Dwayne Dunn | 7 | 53kg | $41 |
| 18 |  |
Nakeeta | Iain Jardine | Glyn Schofield | 19 | 53kg | $31 |
| 19 |  |
Single Gaze | Nick Olive | Kathy O’Hara | 11 | 53kg | $41 |
| 20 |  |
Wall Of Fire | Hugo Palmer | Craig Williams | 15 | 53kg | $13 |
| 21 |  |
Thomas Hobson | William Mullins | Joao Moreira | 21 | 52kg | $14 |
| 22 |  |
Rekindling | Joseph O’Brien | Corey Brown | 4 | 51.5kg | $16 |
| 23 |  |
Amelie’s Star | Darren Weir | Dean Yendall | 10 | 51kg | $23 |
| 24 |  |
Cismontane | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Beau Mertens | 17 | 50kg | $41 |
Betting odds for the 2017 Group 1 Melbourne Cup
Almandin remains the $7 favourite with Sportsbet to go back to back in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup after drawing favourably in barrier 14 for the race that stops the nation.
The Robert Hickmott-trained gelding won from barrier 17 when ridden by Kerrin McEvoy in 2016 and will be guided in this year’s race by Frankie Dettori after the jockey originally booked for the ride, Damian Oliver, was suspended for improper riding in the Cox Plate.
Marmelo, which put in an eye-catching run in the Caulfield Cup won by Boom Time, is the $9 second elect after coming up with barrier 16.
The only other horse under double figures is Humidor which went excruciatingly close to spoiling Winx’s party in last Saturday’s Cox Plate. He has drawn well in barrier 13 and has been installed a $9.50 shot.
He will become the first horse since Master O’Reilly back in 2008 to compete in the three majors of the Spring Carnival – the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and The Melbourne Cup – when he lines up on Tuesday for trainer Darren Weir.
Caulfield Cup winner Boom Time will start from gate nine and is a $26 shot, whilst Who Shot Thebarman, which will be lining up for his fourth crack at the Melbourne Cup, will jump from barrier 20 and is a $41 chance.
Gallante, which took out the 2017 Sydney Cup over two miles, will have to create history to win, having drawn barrier 18 – the only gate not to have provided a winner in the race’s long history. He is currently a $101 shot for Robert Hickmott and rider Michael Dee.
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