THERE’S still two months until the Melbourne Cup but the first bet was placed just hours after last year’s race was won.

Before the dust even had time to settle following Rekindling’s extraordinary victory, one punter was already banking on the then Irish-trained horse going back-to-back in 2018, with a $10 each-way wager at $21 with TAB fixed odds.

But the Lloyd Williams-owned galloper won’t be defending his title and is no longer in the market, with this year’s Melbourne Cup nominations confirmed on Thursday.

However, Team Williams unveiled another Cup prospect last Saturday in Our Venice Beach, with his price trimming from $34 after his second at Moonee Valley in his Australian debut.

Charlie Fellowes-trained Prince Of Arran has been the big firmer with TAB following the announcement of the nominations for the Melbourne Cup.

The five-year-old gelding shortened from $51 to $21, to sit on the second line of betting with Cross Counter, Magic Circle, Muntahaa and Count Octave.

Kings Will Dream, Withhold and Torcedor hold joint favouritism at $14.

One of the biggest firmers has been Japanese star Chestnut Coat.
A $26 chance, one shrewd punter jumped on at $151 with a $200 wager (for a $30,200 return) on May 14, before his price tightened to $51 on the same morning following news he was heading to Australia.

Another is eyeing a potential $127,500 collect after taking odds of $127.50 on Kings Will Dream and Chestnut Coat in a Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double.

A bet of $2000 at $26 on Tosen Basil, a Japanese import now with Darren Weir, will return $52,000.

Surprisingly, one of more popular runners is English stayer Stradivarius — with a $1200 bet at $21 placed over the weekend after his Lonsdale Cup win in York — even though he is unlikely to travel to Australia.

Lonsdale Cup second placegetter Count Octave was added to Melbourne Cup market.

As the Melbourne Cup draws closer each week the stakes will be raised and we’ll keep you up to date with all the market moves and big bets.

MELBOURNE CUP MARKET
(as of 30/08/18: price changes since nominations)
$14 Kings Will Dream (out from $13)

$14 Withhold (in from $15)

$14 Torcedor (in from $15)

$21 Cross Counter (out from $17)

$21 Magic Circle (out from $17)

$21 Muntahaa

$21 Prince Of Arran (in from $51)

$21 Count Octave (in from $26)

$26+ Others quoted

(TAB fixed odds, prices correct at time of publication)

MARKET MOVES:
Our Venice Beach $51--$34

Count Octave added at $26

Pacodali $51--$101

BIGGEST FIRMERS:
Chestnut Coat $151--$15--$17

Kings Will Dream $51--$13

Penhill $201--$51

Magic Circle $35--$17

BIGGEST BETS:
$2000 at $26 on Tosen Basil to win

$2000 each-way at $15/$4.50 on Torcedor

$1200 at $21 on Stradivarius to win, $500 to place at $6

$1000 at $101 on Penhill to win, $800 at $26 to place

$1000 at $101 on Main Stage to win

$1000 at $51 on Sir Charles Road to win

$1000 at $51 on Stradivarius to win

$1000 at $35 on Pinot to win

$1000 at $26 on Cross Counter to win

$1000 each-way at $21/$6 on Marmelo

$1000 at $21 on Marmelo to win

BIGGEST MULTIS:
$1000 double at $127.50 on Kings Will Dream (Caulfield Cup) into Chestnut Coat (Melbourne Cup)

$1000 double at $41.40 on Winterfell (Breeders Crown 3YO C&G Trotting Final) into Withhold (Melbourne Cup) LOST

$1000 Double at $350 on Tom Melbourne (2017 Kingston Town Classic) into Red Cardinal (2018 Melbourne Cup) LOST

THE NOMINATIONS

MELBOURNE CUP
Abdon (GB) Ace High (Aus) AdmIre Robson (Jpn) Al Haram (FR) Ambitious (Jpn) Another Dollar (NZ) Auvray (FR) Avilius (GB) Azuro (FR)

Bedford (NZ) Belgravia (Ire) Best Of Days (GB) Best Solution (Ire) Big Duke (Ire) Bonneval (NZ) Brimham Rocks (GB)

Calibration (Ire) Casterton (Ire) Chelkar (FR) Chequered Flag (NZ) Chestnut Coat (Jpn) Cliffs Of Moher (Ire) Comin’ Through (Aus) Cordero (Aus) Count Octave (GB) Cross Counter (GB) Cullingworth (Ire)

Dal Harraild (GB) Dandy Gent (Aus) Danon Roman (Jpn) D’Argento (Aus) Deauville (Ire) Desert Skyline (Ire) Divine Unicorn (GB) Doha Dream (FR) Domed (Aus) Douglas Macarthur (Ire) Duretto (GB)

Egg Tart (Aus) Emotionless (Ire) Etah James (NZ) Exemplar (Ire)

Finche (GB) Flag Of Honour (Ire)

Gallic Chieftain (FR) Game Starter (Ire) Giuseppe Garibaldi (Ire) Golden Authority (NZ) Grunt (NZ) Guardini (FR)

Hamada (GB) Hans Holbein (GB) Happy Moment (Jpn) Haripour (Ire) Harlem (GB) Harrison (GB) He Ekscels (NZ) Here And Now (GB) High Bridge (GB) Highlad (Aus) Hiyaam (NZ) Homesman (USA) Humidor (NZ) Hunting Horn (Ire) Hush Writer (Jpn)

Idaho (Ire) Ilwendo (Ger) Invictus Prince (GB)

Jaameh (Ire) Jake’s Hill (GB) Jon Snow (NZ)

Kellstorm (Ire) Kew Gardens (Ire) Kilimanjaro (Ire) Kings Will Dream (Ire)

Ladies First (NZ) Lagostovegas (Ire) Lancaster Bomber (USA) Langley (Jpn) Latrobe (Ire) Libran (Ire) Life Less Ordinary (Ire) Lord Fandango (Ger) Luvaluva (NZ)

Magic Circle (Ire) Marmelo (GB) Master Of Reality (Ire) Master Zephyr (GB) Material Man (Aus) Max Dynamite (FR) Megablast (NZ) Midterm (GB) Mighty Boss (Aus) Milseain (NZ) Ming (Aus) Miss Admiration (Aus) Mongolianconqueror (NZ) Mr Clarify (NZ) Mr Garcia (GB) Mr Moonlight Magic (GB) Muntahaa (Ire) Mustajeer (GB)

Nakeeta (GB) Naval Warfare (Ire) Nelson (Ire) Night’s Watch (NZ) Northwest Passage (Aus)

Odeon (NZ) One Foot In Heaven (Ire) Opposition (GB) Orderofthegarter (Ire) Ormito (Ger) Our Abbadean (NZ) Our Libretto (NZ) Our Venice Beach (Ire)

Pacodali (Ire) Patrick Erin (NZ) Pentathlon (NZ) Peribsen (Ire) Pioneertown (Ire) Plein Ciel (Ger) Poetic Dream (Ire) Pounamu (Aus) Prince Of Arran (GB) Prize Money (GB)

Red Cardinal (Ire) Red Verdon (USA) Rezealient (Aus) Rising Red (NZ) Romanesque (Ire) Rostropovich (Ire) Runaway (Aus)

Satono Rasen (Jpn) Self Sense (Aus) Sense Of Occasion (Aus) Shimrano (Ger) Shraaoh (Ire) Sin To Win (NZ) Single Gaze (Aus) Sir Charles Road (Aus) Sir Chauvelin (GB) Sir John Lavery (Ire) Sixties Groove (Ire) Sole Impact (Jpn) Sopressa (Aus) Sound Check (Ger) Steps (Ire) Stratum (GB) Sully (NZ) Supernova (GB) Surrey (Aus) Sydney Blue (Aus)

Tall Ship (Ire) Tavistock Abbey (NZ) The Lord Mayor (NZ) The Pentagon (Ire) The Statesman (GB) The Taj Mahal (Ire) Thinkin’ Big (Aus) Thomas Hobson (GB) Tiberian (FR) Tiffany’s Lass (Aus) Top Of The Range (NZ) Torcedor (Ire) Tosen Basil (Jpn) Trap For Fools (Aus)

Unforgotten (Aus) Us Army RanGer (Ire)

Valac (Ire) Vengeur Masque (Ire) Ventura Storm (Ire) Vin De Dance (NZ)

Wall Of FIre (Ire) Walton Street (GB) Weekender (GB) Wheal Leisure (Aus) Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) Withhold (GB) Wolfe Tone (NZ)

Yogi (NZ) Youngstar (Aus) Yucatan (Ire)

Zacada (NZ)

CAULFIELD CUP
Abdon (GB) Ace High (Aus) AdmIre Robson (Jpn) Al Haram (FR) All Too Soon (Aus) Almost Court (NZ) Alward (Ire) Ambitious (Jpn) Another Dollar (NZ) Auvray (FR) Avilius (GB) Azuro (FR)

Bedford (NZ) Belgravia (Ire) Best Of Days (GB) Best Solution (Ire) Big Duke (Ire) Bonneval (NZ) Boom Time (Aus) Brimham Rocks (GB)

Casterton (Ire) Chelkar (FR) Chestnut Coat (Jpn) Cliffs Of Moher (Ire) Comin’ Through (Aus) Cordero (Aus) Count Octave (GB)

Dal Harraild (GB) Danon Roman (Jpn) D’Argento (Aus) Deauville (Ire) Divine Unicorn (GB) Domed (Aus) Douglas Macarthur (Ire) Duretto (GB)

Egg Tart (Aus) Emotionless (Ire) Etah James (NZ) Exemplar (Ire)

Finche (GB) First Crush (Aus) Folkswood (GB)

Gallic Chieftain (FR) Game Starter (Ire) Grunt (NZ) Guardini (FR)

Hans Holbein (GB) Happy Moment (Jpn) Harlem (GB) Harrison (GB) He Ekscels (NZ) Hello It’s Me (NZ) Here And Now (GB) High Bridge (GB) Highlad (Aus) Hiyaam (NZ) Homesman (USA) Humidor (NZ) Hush Writer (Jpn)

Idaho (Ire) Invictus Prince (GB)

Jaameh (Ire) Jake’s Hill (GB) Jon Snow (NZ)

Kaonic (NZ) Kellstorm (Ire) Kilimanjaro (Ire) Kings Will Dream (Ire)

La Bella Diosa (NZ) Langley (Jpn) Latrobe (Ire) Libran (Ire) Life Less Ordinary (Ire) Lord Fandango (Ger) Luvaluva (NZ)

Mahamedeis (Aus) Master Of Reality (Aus) Master Zephyr (GB) Material Man (Aus) Midterm (GB) Mighty Boss (Aus) Milseain (NZ) Ming (Aus) Miss Admiration (Aus) Mongolianconqueror (NZ) Mr Garcia (GB) Mr Moonlight Magic (GB) Mustajeer (GB)

Naval Warfare (Ire) Nettoyer (Aus) Night’s Watch (NZ)

Odeon (NZ) One Foot In Heaven (Ire) Opposition (GB) Order Again (NZ) Orderofthegarter (Ire) Oregon’s Day (Aus) Ormito (Ger) Our Abbadean (NZ) Our Libretto (NZ) Our Venice Beach (Ire)

Pacodali (Ire) Patrick Erin (NZ) Pilote D’Essai (GB) Pioneertown (Ire) Pleasuring (Aus) Plein Ciel (Ger) Poetic Dream (Ire) Pounamu (Aus) Prince Of Arran (GB) Prize Money (GB) Prized Icon (Aus)

Red Cardinal (Ire) Red Verdon (USA) Rezealient (Aus) Rising Red (NZ) Roman Son (Aus) Romanesque (Ire)

Samovare (Aus) Satono Rasen (Jpn) Sedanzer (Aus) Self Sense (Aus) Sense Of Occasion (Aus) Sheezdashing (Aus) Shillelagh (NZ) Shoreham (Aus) Sikandarabad (Ire) Silent Warrior (Aus) Sin To Win (NZ) Single Gaze (Aus) Sir Charles Road (Aus) Sir John Lavery (Ire) Sole Impact (Jpn) Sopressa (Aus) Sound Check (Ger) Spanish Reef (Aus) Steps (Ire) Sully (NZ)

Tall Ship (Ire) Tavistock Abbey (NZ) Teodoro (Ire) The Lord Mayor (NZ) The Taj Mahal (Ire) Tiberian (FR) Tom Melbourne (Ire) Top Of The Range (NZ) Torcedor (Ire) Tosen Basil (Jpn) Trap For Fools (Aus)

Unforgotten (Aus) Us Army RanGer (Ire)

Valac (Ire) Vengeur Masque (Ire) Ventura Storm (Ire) Vin De Dance (NZ)

Waging War (Aus) Wall Of FIre (Ire) Wheal Leisure (Aus) Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) Willi Willi (Aus)

Yogi (NZ) Youngstar (Aus) Yucatan (Ire)

Zacada (NZ)