We look at the Australian born and bred horses and see which ones have a chance at winning the 2024 Melbourne Cup on November 5.
What Australian horses are running in the 2024 Melbourne Cup?
The 2024 Melbourne Cup is just around the corner, and with the increase number of international stars making their way to Victoria for the The Melbourne Cup. We will look at which Australian horses are running in the cup.
Only three Australian bred horses are set to make an appearance in the prestigious race on November 5. Zardozi, Manzoice and The Map.
Although only three horses are born and bred there will be 18 runners this year that race in Australia regularly and only six that have travelled far to win the $4.56 million.
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With just six international Melbourne Cup horses left in the race, we would expect that there would be quite a few New Zealand horses making up the race this year. But although there are quite a few New Zealand bred horses in the race, there is only Kiwi trained hopeful in the field which is Sharp ‘N’ Smart.
Technically that leaves 18 horses which are Australian vying for the big race after the scratching of Point Nepean.
But almost all of those are bred outside Australia, despite being Australian owned and trained.
The full list of 2024 Melbourne Cup horses is:
2024 Melbourne Cup Final Field
1. Vauban (11)
- T: Willie Mullins
- J: William Buick
- W: 55.5kg
- F: 21342
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galiway (GB)
- Dam: Waldfest (GB)
2. Buckaroo (21)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Joao Moreira
- W: 54.5kg
- F: 22118
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Fastnet Rock
- Dam: Roheryn (IRE)
3. Circle Of Fire (24)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: Mark Zahra
- W: 54.5kg
- F: 098×1
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Fiery Sunset (GB)
4. Warp Speed (3)
- T: Noboru Takagi
- J: Akira Sugawara
- W: 54.5kg
- F: 0x523
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Drefong (USA)
- Dam: Deep Love (JPN)
5. Kovalica (17)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Damian Lane
- W: 53.5kg
- F: 6243x
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Ocean Park (NZ)
- Dam: Vitesse (NZ)
6. Sharp ‘N’ Smart (15)
- T: Graeme & Deborah Rogerson
- J: Michael Dee
- W: 53.5kg
- F: 3020x
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Redwood (GB)
- Dam: Queen Margaret (NZ)
7. Just Fine (13)
- T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
- J: Jye McNeil
- W: 53kg
- F: 01050
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Sea The Stars (IRE)
- Dam: Bint Almatar (USA)
8. Land Legend (18)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Zac Purton
- W: 53kg
- F: 3160x
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Landikusic (IRE)
9. Absurde (7)
- T: Willie Mullins
- J: Kerrin McEvoy
- W: 52.5kg
- F: x14x1
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Fastnet Rock
- Dam: Incroyable (USA)
10. Athabascan (2)
- T: John O’Shea & Tom Charlton
- J: Zac Lloyd
- W: 52kg
- F: 1008x
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Alzubra (GB)
11. Knight’s Choice (6)
- T: John Symons & Sheila Laxon
- J: Robbie Dolan
- W: 51.5kg
- F: 5009x
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Extreme Choice
- Dam: Midnight Pearl
12. Okita Soushi (10)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: Jamie Kah
- W: 51kg
- F: 1208x
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Amicus
13. Onesmoothoperator (12)
- T: Brian Ellison
- J: Craig Williams
- W: 51kg
- F: 1471x
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Dialed In (USA)
- Dam: Sueno D’Oro (USA)
14. Zardozi (4)
- T: James Cummings
- J: Andrea Atzeni
- W: 51kg
- F: 54256
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Kingman (GB)
- Dam: Chanderi (GB)
15. Sea King (1)
- T: Harry Eustace
- J: Hollie Doyle
- W: 50.5kg
- F: 1×631
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Sea The Stars (IRE)
- Dam: Pamona (IRE)
16. Valiant King (22)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Craig Newitt
- W: 50.5kg
- F: 906×6
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Grey
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Roaring Lion (USA)
- Dam: Assembly (USA)
17. Fancy Man (19)
- T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald
- J: Ron Stewart
- W: 50kg
- F: 635×0
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Pride of Dubai
- Dam: Fancy (IRE)
18. Interpretation (14)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: Teo Nugent
- W: 50kg
- F: 26800
- Age: 7YO
- Colour: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Daldiyna (FR)
19. Manzoice (8)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Declan Bates
- W: 50kg
- F: 7032x
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Choice (NZ)
20. Mostly Cloudy (16)
- T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young
- J: Karis Teetan
- W: 50kg
- F: 044×2
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Harzand (IRE)
- Dam: Clarinda (FR)
21. Positivity (20)
- T: Andrew Forsman
- J: Winona Costin
- W: 50kg
- F: 8712x
- Age: 4YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Pussy O’Reilly (NZ)
22. Saint George (9)
- T: Ciaron Maher
- J: Tyler Schiller
- W: 50kg
- F: 5948x
- Age: 5YO
- Colour: Grey
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Roaring Lion (USA)
- Dam: Lady Dragon (IRE)
23. The Map (23)
- T: Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray
- J: Rachel King
- W: 50kg
- F: 6509x
- Age: 6YO
- Colour: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Alpine Eagle
- Dam: This Moment
Australian Horses In The 2024 Melbourne Cup
Of the 24 horses in The Cup excluding those bred overseas, just three horses are Australian bred and owned.
Zardozi (4)
T: James Cummings
J: Andrea Atzeni
- Age: 4YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Kingman (GB)
- Dam: Chanderi (GB)
Zardozi 2024 Melbourne Cup Odds
Career stats for Zardozi
- Career: 19: 6-3-1
- Flemington: 4: 2-1-0
- Distance: 0: 0-0-0
- Wet: 8: 5-0-0
- Good: 11: 1-3-1
- Group 1: 8: 1-2-1
- Win %: 32%
- Place %: 53%
Melbourne Cup results for Zardozi
Zardozi will be having her first start in a Melbourne Cup when she lines up in the 2024 edition.
Recent Form for Zardozi
| Date | Race | Track | Distance | Placing | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2 | Empire Rose Stakes | Flemington | 1600m | 5/13 | Daniel Stackhouse | 11 | 57kg | $19.00 | 2.5L |
| Oct 19 | Caulfield Cup | Caulfield | 2400m | 4/18 | Andrea Atzeni | 9 | 51kg | $6.50 | 8.5L |
| Oct 5 | Metropolitan Handicap | Randwick | 2400m | 2/17 | Zac Lloyd | 9 | 52kg | $7.00 | 0.1L |
Can Zardozi win the 2024 Melbourne Cup?
Our on top selection for the 2024 Melbourne Cup is Zardozi. The James Cummings-trained mare should have won the Metropolitan three runs back when nosed out of it by Land Legend, and then had plenty of excuses when finishing fourth in the Caulfield Cup. She seemingly didn’t handle Caulfield and copped an almighty bump just as she building through her gears. James Cummings has undertaken his grandfather Bart’s theory in racing Zardozi on a three-day backup after an eye-catching run in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m). She will be rock-hard fit and Sydney Cup-winning hoop Andrea Atzeni sticking on board will be given every chance in running from a midfield spot from barrier four. If Zardozi brings her best, she is the one to beat.
Manzoice (8)
T: Chris Waller
J: Declan Bates
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: Choice (NZ)
Manzoice 2024 Melbourne Cup Odds
Career stats for Manzoice
- Career: 21: 2-4-1
- Flemington: 2: 1-0-0
- Distance: 1: 0-0-0
- Wet: 11: 2-2-0
- Good: 10: 0-2-1
- Group 1: 8: 1-0-0
- Win %: 10%
- Place %: 33%
Melbourne Cup results for Manzoice
Manzoice, the 2022 VRC Derby winner, will be making his Melbourne Cup debut in the 2024 edition.
Recent Form for Manzoice
| Date | Race | Track | Distance | Placing | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25 | Moonee Valley Gold Cup | Moonee Valley | 2500m | 7/10 | Joao Moreira | 4 | 55kg | $11.00 | 3.6L |
| Oct 5 | The Bart Cummings | Flemington | 2520m | 10/13 | Joao Moreira | 9 | 54.5kg | $6.50 | 4.7L |
| Sep 6 | Wyong Gold Cup | Wyong | 2100m | 3/8 | Tyler Schiller | 3 | 56kg | $4.80 | 1.3L |
Can Manzoice win the 2024 Melbourne Cup?
Much like his stablemate Kovalica, the Chris Waller-trained Manzoice has found winning hard in recent times. The five-year-old has not won since his 2022 VRC Derby win and has struggled in similar company to this field. He needs to overturn a 4.7 length defeat in The Bart Cummings and a 3.6 length defeat in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, and despite being in the right barn, it is still to big of an ask.
The Map (23)
T: Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray
J: Rachel King
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Alpine Eagle
- Dam: This Moment
The Map 2024 Melbourne Cup Odds
Career stats for The Map
- Career: 32: 9-3-3
- Flemington: 3: 2-0-0
- Distance: 1: 0-1-0
- Wet: 9: 3-0-1
- Good: 23: 6-3-2
- Group 1: 0: 0-0-0
- Win %: 28%
- Place %: 57%
Melbourne Cup results for The Map
The Map will be having her first start in the 2024 edition of the Melbourne Cup.
Recent Form for The Map
| Date | Race | Track | Distance | Placing | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Odds | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23 | Geelong Cup | Geelong | 2400m | 6/13 | Jamie Kah | 2 | 54kg | $8.50 | 4.9L |
| Oct 12 | Herbert Power Stakes | Caulfield | 2400m | 5/15 | Luke Currie | 8 | 54.5kg | $12.00 | 3.9L |
| Sep 21 | Naturalism Stakes | Caulfield | 2000m | 11/15 | Craig Newitt | 8 | 54.5kg | $31.00 | 4.5L |
Can The Map win the 2024 Melbourne Cup?
When The Map booked her ticket into the Cup when winning the Ramsden Stakes earlier in the year, the world was her oyster. However, the six-year-old mare has hardly caught fire in four runs this campaign and was well held when beaten five-lengths in the Geelong Cup by Onesmoothoperator. Barrier 23 is far from ideal as well, and it would be a surprise if The Map started shorter than the +4000 she opened at post barrier draw.
For a full breakdown on every 2024 Melbourne Cup horses chances in the race that stops the nation, see our full feature race guides: