Incentivise has emerged as the favourite for the 2021 Melbourne Cup after an eye-catching victory in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington Racecourse on Saturday.
In what was expected to be a mouth-watering clash with Verry Elleegant, a leading Melbourne Cup contender, in the Turnbull Stakes, Incentivise underlined his burgeoning reputation with a stylish victory at Flemington.
Despite a slight drift in the betting and having lost Turnbull favouritism to Verry Elleegant, gelding Incentivise secured a spring carnival victory from Young Werther and Chapada. Verry Elleegant finished fourth.
So impressive was the manner of the win that Australian horse racing bookmakers have made Incentivise the new favourite for the Melbourne Cup, the biggest race of the year in Australia.
The story of the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise has been a notable one, going from Sunshine Coast maiden to dual Group 1 winner in the space of eight straight wins.
Incentivise is also favourite for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup, one of the three major events of the Spring Carnival in Melbourne.
The international contender Spanish Moon is second in the betting for the Melbourne Cup having been confirmed to make the journey from England by trainer Andrew Balding despite a setback in his preparation.
Spanish Moon won’t run in the Caulfield Cup having missed the quarantine period for that Group 1, making the Melbourne Cup his one and only target when arriving in Australia.
On the back of his performance in the Turnbull Stakes, Young Werther has emerged as the third favourite for the Melbourne Cup. Verry Elleegant has been a big drifter following her disappointing run as favourite in the Turnbull.
While Incentivise was winning the Turnbull Stakes, Grand Promenade was taking out the Bart Cummings at Flemington. That guarantees Ciaron Maher & David Eustace’s runner a place in the Race That Stops A Nation, and as a result he occupies the fourth line of betting.
Maher & Eustace also have another leading contender with Explosive Jack, who was fifth in the Turnbull Stakes and has plenty of potential stepping up to the Melbourne Cup distance in November.
Montefilia was another winner of the same day with victory in The Metropolitan at Randwick also seeing her Melbourne Cup credentials enhanced. The filly outstayed her rivals and is the new sixth favourite for the Flemington showpiece.
Defending champion Twilight Payment, who won the 2020 Melbourne Cup for Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien, will head back to Australia and try and join an elite band of back-to-back winners of the famous race. He is the fifth favourite to take the title again.
Realm Of Flowers is guaranteed a place in the Melbourne Cup as winner of the Andrew Ramsden Stakes, and occupies the eighth line of betting.