Fields for Friday night’s TAB Melbourne Cup heats have been drawn and they are every bit as good as promised.
In what is widely regarded the best night of greyhound racing of the year – often dubbed ‘Derby Day for the dogs’ – the greyhounds drawn to contest the heats of the world’s greatest race ooze quality. The 64 runners have combined to win 904 races – 404 of them in city class – and earned over $8m in prize money.
While heavily supported in early betting with tab.com.au, Topgun winner Poke The Bear has been eclipsed for favouritism for the $630,000 race by glamour New South Wales chaser Miss Splendamiro. tab.com.au has installed her the $7 favourite in an exceptionally open market after drawing box 1 in her heat, with Poke The Bear the $8 second elect after drawing box 4 in the same heat.
As well as Poke The Bear, a further seven group 1 winners will contest the heats including Hecton Bale, Deliver, West On Augie, My Redeemer, Up Hill Jill, Toruper Monelli and Dyna Patty.
Other notables include Million Dollar Chase winner Mystic Riot who will become the highest prize money earning greyhound in history with a victory in the final, Black Opium which is aiming to become the youngest and least experienced greyhound in history to win the Cup, and last year’s third place getter Kouta Mayhem hoping to become the third greyhound to win the Cup at its second attempt.
So deep are Friday night’s heats that last week’s Shootout winner (Orson Allen) and the fastest greyhound of 2018 (Barooga Brett) will line up in the final race on the card.
Supporting the TAB Melbourne Cup heats will be four heats of the Bold Trease. A group 1 series with a final carrying $150,000, it has attracted the best stayers in the country including Poco Dorado which has won all eight of her starts over the ‘half-mile’ at Wentworth Park, Barcali which has the fastest winning time of any of the contenders, and veteran Ebby Ripper who finished third behind the great Fanta Bale in the 2017 edition of the race.
The winner of each TAB Melbourne Cup heat will progress to the final on Friday 23 November. There will be a total of $1,000,000 in prize money across the 12 race card which will include eight feature race finals.
Click here for the full fields and form guide for Friday night’s TAB Melbourne Cup heats
Click here for the fixed odds market for each of Friday’s TAB Melbourne Cup and Bold Trease heats
Click here for the latest TAB Melbourne Cup all-in market from tab.com.au
Click here for the latest Bold Trease all-in market from tab.com.au
Visit www.superdogs.com.au for further information regarding the TAB Melbourne Cup carnival.
TAB MELBOURNE CUP HEATS BY THE NUMBERS
- 97 Nominations received
- 96 Greyhound eligible for selection
- 31 Greyhounds exempted directly into the heats
- $8,058,295 in combined prize money
- 904 Races won
- 404 City races won
- 39 Trainers represented in the Cup heats
- 4 Trainers have previously won the Cup – Seona Thomson, Andrea Dailly, Jason Mackay, Peter Akathiotis
- 8 Andrea Dailly trained runners, the most by any trainer
