24 runners aim for Melbourne Cup glory on November 5
Land Legend, trained by Chris Waller, shows strong staying potential
Saint George offers value at longer odds with promising recent form
Expired
The Melbourne Cup at Flemington. (Getty)
A capacity field of 24 runners will bid for glory in the 2024 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, November 5. Who will win the Spring Carnival showpiece?
"The race that stops a nation" has been the flagship event in Australian horse racing since its creation in 1861.
The winner of this two-mile Grade One handicap will ensure their spot in the annals of sporting history, while also handing connections a staggering first prize of almost $5m.
We've taken a look through the betting for this year's Melbourne Cup and picked out two runners to back at each-way prices.
2024 Melbourne Cup Tips
One of five runners for Chris Waller is LAND LEGEND (18/1), who won the Randwick St Leger on his final start for James Ferguson last October.
After a couple of pipe-openers over shorter distances, Land Legend struck in the Metropolitan Handicap back at Randwick four weeks ago. Waller's recruit was rushed up into contention rounding the final bend, pulling clear of the chasing pack with Zardozi and Land Legend dropped his head at the right time to snatch victory in a thrilling finish.
Two weeks later, Waller threw his four-year-old into the Caulfield Cup, where Zac Purton was handed an awful draw in stall one. Land Legend was a step slow coming out of the gates and was immediately lit up. Purton was still having his arms pulled out when he finally allowed Land Legend to gallop on coming into the final bend. Although that maneauver brought him within striking distance of Duke De Sessa, Land Legend's tank was empty with two furlongs to travel and Purton's mount did well to hang onto third.
A slowly-run 12 furlongs contest was never going to suit Land Legend. James Ferguson campaigned him like a future stayer and it was stamina that won Land Legend the Randwick St Leger last term. Waller's recruit comes into his first Melbourne Cup on the back of two excellent performances. 53kgs is a workable weight and Purton won't be too disappointed by a wide draw out in stall 18.
Reece Jones riding Land Legend wins Race 8 James Squire Metropolitan during Sydney Racing at Royal Randwick. (Getty)
At an even longer price, I'm going to side with one of the eight bottom-weights in this year's Melbourne Cup, SAINT GEORGE (33/1).
Like Land Legend, Saint George looked like a progressive stayer in the making during his final season in the UK, going close in both the Queen's Vase and the Bahrain Trophy on his final two outings for Andrew Balding and Qatar Racing.
A move to Ciaron Maher's stable came at the start of August 2023, but it wasn't until September of this year that we saw Saint George make his Aussie debut, finishing a very close fourth in the Foundations Cup.
Having struggled from a wide draw when only ninth in the Bart Cummings here at Flemington, Maher's recruit ran a cracker from out the back in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup 11 days ago, where a powerful late flourish took Saint George into fifth place.
Maher has been banging in big winners left, right and centre during this Spring Carnival. With Mark Zahra and Jamie Kah riding his more fancied runners, Maher has booked the in-form Tyler Schiller to partner with Saint George, who should be well suited by both the trip and the quicker ground conditions.
Verdict
Here are our Melbourne Cup 2024 tips:
2022 Melbourne Cup Tip 1: Land Legend Each-Way @14/1 at bet365 - 10 Units
2022 Melbourne Cup Tip 2: Saint George Each-Way @33/1 at bet365 - 5 Units
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Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
