Viewed and Efficient fight for Cup top spot
Australia: The two most recent Emirates Melbourne Cup winners Viewed and Efficient are now fighting out favouritism in domestic betting on Australia's most celebrated race.
Viewed rocketed up the charts when he added Saturday's Caulfield Cup to his Melbourne Cup of last year while 2007 winner Efficient cemented his place with victory in the Turnbull Stakes a week earlier.
Both are now at 5-1 with TAB Sportsbet ahead of Metropolitan Handicap winner Speed Gifted and emerging star Alcopop at 6-1.
Viewed's Bart Cummings-trained stablemate, Caulfield Cup runner-up Roman Emperor, is in to 9-1 with New Zealand mare Daffodil a 13-1 chance.
Daffodil finished fourth in the Caulfield Cup and, although bloodied and bruised from a cut above the knee, trainer Kevin Gray said she remained on target for Flemington.
"The leg's quite swollen, there's a bit of skin off and some bruising to the bone and the vet's given her some treatment," Gray told NZPA.
"But we've got a fortnight to get over it. She's run fourth in a Caulfield Cup so she's got to be a chance to run in the money.
"Will the Melbourne Cup be any harder? We're here and we're going to have a go. If she can run in the first six or seven we'll be very happy."
Chris Munce has once again put his hand up for the ride even though a A$3,000 fine for breaching the whip rules took a sizeable chunk out of his prizemoney percentage.
Mourilyan is now the most favoured of the visitors from farther afield at 20-1, with Kirklees out to 25-1 and Cima De Triomphe now 60-1 after both performed below expectations in the Caulfield Cup.
Cima De Triomphe's stablemate Basaltico is scheduled to run in Wednesday's Geelong Cup, won last year by another Luca Cumani trainee Bauer, who ran Viewed to the closest of seconds in the Melbourne Cup.
Cummings will try to get Dandaad into his Melbourne Cup team via the GeelongCup.
Dandaad's last win was in the Lavazza Long Black on Melbourne Cup day last year.
He has just 50kg in the Melbourne Cup and a penalty for winning at Geelong would help lift him into the field.
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