Melbourne Cup sees more international nominees

Racing Victoria (RV), in conjunction with the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), on

Tuesday released nominations for the 2013 Melbourne Cup, while celebrating the

20th anniversary of international participation in the world's most famous

staying race.

It was in 1993 that Dermot Weld's Irish raider Vintage Crop broke new ground

when becoming the first internationally-trained starter and winner of

Australia's most famous horse race. Over the past 20 years, there have been 101

internationally-trained starters with Media Puzzle (Ireland, 2002), Delta Blues

(Japan, 2006), Americain (France, 2010) and Dunaden (France, 2011) the other

visitors to have triumphed on the first Tuesday in November.

The Mikel Delzangles-trained Dunaden is one of 28 internationally-trained

nominees for this year's A$6.2 million race -- up from 23 in 2012 -- with

past-winning trainers Dermot Weld and Alain de Royer Dupre both entering horses

once again.

Dunaden and defending champion, locally trained import Green Moon, headline a

total of 135 nominations for the 3200-meter showdown at Flemington on November

5. Only five horses have won the Cup more than once in its 152-year history:

Makybe Diva (2003-05), Think Big (1974-75), Rain Lover (1968-69), Peter Pan

(1932, 1934) and inaugural winner Archer (1861-62).

In releasing nominations, RV's Executive General Manager-Racing, Greg

Carpenter, declared the quality of nominations was testament to the prestige of

the Melbourne Cup and the scene was set for a brilliant edition of 'the race

that stops a nation.'

"The Melbourne Cup is the world's premier staying race and the quality of the

local and international entries for this year's race is outstanding," Carpenter

said. "To have the past two winners in Green Moon and Dunaden, together with

representatives from most of Europe's premier stables, amongst the nominations

is testimony to the stature of the Melbourne Cup on the world stage.

"For the first time in the Cup's history, internationals account for more

than 20 percent of the total entries and the number of Northern Hemisphere-bred

entrants has risen above 50 percent which best illustrates the

internationalization of the race over the past two decades.

"Whilst the quality of the international nominees is impressive, we're

equally pleased with the depth of talent amongst the locally-trained entrants

which includes three of the first four home in last year's Melbourne Cup --

Green Moon, Fiorente and Kelinni."

Hall of Fame legend Bart Cummings, now training in partnership with grandson

James, has just one entry in his pursuit of a 13th Cup. The Cummings' have

entered veteran Precedence who has contested the past three Melbourne Cups

finishing eighth, 11th and ninth.

Weights for the Melbourne Cup will be released on September 17, with first

acceptances to be taken October 8.

The nominations list can be viewed

here.

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