The Melbourne Cup weights have been announced for the November 7 race

Favourite Vauban is given 55kg as the 2023 Melbourne Cup weights have been made public as we edge closer to November. 

Only seven weeks until the 2023 Melbourne Cup and the weights have been announced. This is always an exciting week as the futures market begins to take shape, and the money starts to fly on the betting sites. Watch for those market movers.

There are still a lot of potential runners in the Melbourne Cup, with those outside of the current 24 slots waiting patiently to see if their pride and joy can sneak into the race that stops the nation. We look below at four of the leading contenders for victory and what weights have been allotted to them for the race.

Gold Trip

The 2022 winner returned to form on his first start of this preparation when fourth in a competitive handicap at The Valley. David Hegan, the head handicapper in Victoria, has taken no chance with him, allotted an impost of 58.5kg, an extra kilo from last year’s winning weight. 

The record books need to be turned back to 1975 to find the last winner who carried more than 58kg to victory in the Melbourne Cup, which shows what sort of a task Gold Trip has been given in his attempt to go back to back.

Only five horses have won two cups since the first running in 1861. Makybe Diva, of course, won three, but she was a freak of nature! We know the grit and determination that Gold Trip possesses, and he will need every ounce of it to win again.

Vauban

Willie Mullins has sent a string of raiders here for the Melbourne Cup in the past and has gone close with both Max Dynamite (on two occasions) and Wicklow Brave. Vauban heads the futures market for the 2023 running, and Mullins will be hoping that he has finally got the one to add this race to his remarkable haul of wins in Europe. 

55kg is the impost handed to Vauban, which looks right on all known forms. He spent a lot of time over hurdles, which makes it hard to judge precisely where he is on the flat, but his Royal Ascot win was visually impressive, and he did it from the front, which is not always easy in such a competitive handicap.

Breakup

One of the most fascinating potential runners, hailing from the Japanese stable of Tatsuya Yoshioka. Horses from Japan have been dominating the world in recent years, and they would dearly love another winning raid on Australian shores. 

Breakup has not exactly been setting the world alight on his home soil so far in 2023, but he has done his racing in very strong company. We only have to return to 2019 to find Lys Gracieux, who won the Cox Plate for Japan, to know what their runners can do here.

There is a burden of 55kg for him in the big race, which, similar to Vauban, could be fair enough if he can bring his top form to the table. There is plenty to like about him - his stamina is guaranteed, and his connections will leave no stone unturned to have him in Melbourne tuned to perfection.

Francesco Guardi

The Chris Waller-trained gelding is towards the head of the betting for several spring targets. He found his stride last spring, saluting in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup over 2500m on heavy 8 ground. 

He has yet to try such an extreme distance as this, but that run suggests more in the tank when he steps up. 54kg is perfectly fair, and he has shaped well over distances too short so far this prep, including behind Mr Brightside last time out.

The November 7 contest is always the highlight of the spring carnival at Flemington. A race that attracts attention worldwide has a truly international field for the 2023 renewal. These next seven weeks can’t go by quickly enough!