The Melbourne Cup is on the cusp of another major change to its qualification criteria with the Victoria Racing Club in advanced talks to add another golden ticket race for horses vying for a spot at Flemington.
Idol Horse can reveal the G3 Geelong Cup – which has traditionally been a strong lead-up for the G1 Melbourne Cup and was famously won by French stayers Americain and Dunaden before their victories in Australia’s great race – is strongly being considered as a win-and-you’re-in event.
It is poised to join the Roy Higgins Quality, Andrew Ramsden Stakes, The Bart Cummings and Archer Stakes as races which offer the winner and its connections one of 24 coveted spots in the Melbourne Cup.
The winners of Melbourne’s two other spring features, the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate, also gain ballot exemption while there are also berths on offer to the winners of the Belmont Gold Cup in the United States and the Ebor Handicap in Britain.
Multiple sources have told Idol Horse it’s highly likely the Geelong Cup will be ticked off as a ballot exempt Melbourne Cup race, and only an unforeseen late twist will prevent it from having its standing greatly enhanced.
The Geelong Cup has historically been a solid form reference for the Melbourne Cup, and eight of the last 10 winners – including the likes of European-trained Onesmoothoperator (2024), Price Of Arran (2019) and Qewy (2016) – have all crept into the Melbourne Cup field, but have often relied on weight penalties to push their way up the order of entry.
Emissary (2022) and Prince Of Arran (2019) have come agonisingly close to victory on the first Tuesday in November, both running second after winning the Geelong Cup.
But those days of the winner needing to be re-handicapped to make the field could be a thing of the past with the winner expected to be offered direct entry into the Melbourne Cup.
It’s another bold move from the VRC which has been steadfast in its belief in recent years the Melbourne Cup should have more golden ticket races, particularly early in the year to add 12-month interest for the race, and give Australian-trained horses greater chances of featuring.
The Geelong Cup will also be a more attractive option for Europeans trying to force their way into the field after completing quarantine in Melbourne.
Last year’s Geelong Cup was worth A$500,000, but the exposure of having an automatic path to the Melbourne Cup will be priceless less than two weeks before the race that stops a nation.
Knight’s Choice was a shock winner of the Melbourne Cup last year for Queensland-based trainers Sheila Laxon and John Symons. He paid $91 for Irish jockey Robbie Dolan, who was already known in mainstream circles as a singing contestant on a reality television show.
Flemington is also the favourite to host next year’s Cox Plate with a decision imminent on where the Moonee Valley Racing Club will relocate the weight-for-age championship as its track undergoes a renovation.
The Melbourne Racing Club has also pitched for Caulfield to host the Cox Plate. ∎
