2024 Melbourne Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw - Buckaroo gets a wide draw at Flemington
- The final field field for the 2024 Melbourne Cup
- Favourites Vauban and Buckaroo drawn in barriers 11 and 23 respectively
- Full guide to the 24 contenders
Buckaroo has drawn wide (Getty Images)
The field field of 24 runners for the 2024 Melbourne Cup has been confirmed with leading contender Buckaroo hit with a wide draw.
"The race that stops a nation" takes place at Flemington racecourse on Tuesday 5 November and the final field of 24 runners is headed by favourite Buckaroo.
The Willie Mullins-trained Vauban heads the weights and is one of the leading international contenders once again for the Flemington showpiece.
2024 Melbourne Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw
| No. | Name | Weight | Barrier | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vauban | 55.5kg | 11 | Willie Mullins | William Buick |
| 2 | Buckaroo | 54.5kg | 21 | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira |
| 3 | Circle Of Fire | 54.5kg | 24 | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra |
| 4 | Warp Speed | 54.5kg | 3 | Noboru Takagi | Akira Sugawara |
| 5 | Kovalica | 53.5kg | 17 | Chris Waller | Damian Lane |
| 6 | Sharp 'N' Smart | 53.5kg | 15 | Graeme & Debra Rogerson | Michael Dee |
| 7 | Just Fine | 53kg | 13 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jye McNeill |
| 8 | Land Legend | 53kg | 18 | Chris Waller | Zac Purton |
| 9 | Absurde | 52.5kg | 7 | Willie Mullins | Kerrin McEvoy |
| 10 | Athabascan | 52kg | 2 | John O'Shea & Tom Charlton | Zac Lloyd |
| 11 | Knight's Choice | 51.5kg | 6 | Josh Symons & Sheila Laxon | Robbie Dolan |
| 12 | Okita Soushi | 51kg | 10 | Ciaron Maher | Jamie Kah |
| 13 | Onesmoothoperator | 51kg | 12 | Brian Ellison | Craig Williams |
| 14 | Zardozi | 51kg | 4 | James Cummings | Andrea Atzeni |
| 15 | Sea King | 50.5kg | 1 | Harry Eustace | Hollie Doyle |
| 16 | Valiant King | 50.5kg | 22 | Chris Waller | Craig Newitt |
| 17 | Fancy Man | 50kg | 19 | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | Ron Stewart |
| 18 | Interpretation | 50kg | 14 | Ciaron Maher | Teo Nugent |
| 19 | Manzoice | 50kg | 8 | Chris Waller | Declan Bates |
| 20 | Mostly Cloudy | 50kg | 16 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Karis Teetan |
| 21 | Positivity | 50kg | 20 | Andrew Forsman | Winona Costin |
| 22 | Saint George | 50kg | 9 | Ciaron Maher | NA |
| 23 | The Map | 50kg | 23 | Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray | Rachel King |
| 24 | Trust In You | 50kg | 5 | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | Mark Du Plessis |
After a fine effort in the Caulfield Cup, Chris Waller's Buckaroo has been backed into joint-favouritism for Tuesday's main event.
However, favourite backers won't have been celebrating after the barrier draw, when Buckaroo was drawn wide out in stall 21.
Vauban also sits atop the betting and, like last year, William Buick's mount landed a kind draw in stall eleven. Stablemate Absurde, who performed much better than Vauban when seventh in the race 12 months ago, was drawn in stall seven and will be partnered by top jockey Kerrin McEvoy.
Between them, Chris Waller and Ciaran Maher account for over a third of the final field. Along with Buckaroo, Waller runs Caulfield Cup third Land Legend, and former Grade One winner Kovalica.
Maher's assault will be led by Geelong Cup runner-up Interpretation, with Okita Soushi, Saint George and Circle Of Fire also representing the 2022 winning trainer.
Victory in the Geelong Cup thrust Brian Ellison's Onesmoothoperator into Melbourne Cup contention. Harry Eustace's raider, Sea King landed a tricky draw down in stall one. Sole Japanese entrant, Warp Speed also landed a low draw in gate three.
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