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A total of 24 races will be competing for the coveted Melbourne Cup trophy in tomorrow’s race. Yet of the 24 horses racing, there can only be one winner. Of course, they each have a different chance of winning too, as determined by the odds seen at online betting sites. This brings us to the current Melbourne Cup favourite ahead of Tuesday – Deauville Legend. He is one of the youngest horses in the lineup for the Melbourne Cup, being a 4-year-old gelding. So naturally, he is fresh, strong, and many are predicting that he will cross the line in first place.
But there are a few other things to consider than just his age and physical stature which determine his favoured position. All of the ins and outs that have put Deauville Legend at the top of the favourites list will be discussed throughout. And with the race approaching rapidly, we think it’s about time we got into the meat of this information.
BET365 | 3.60 | |
LADBROKES | 3.50 | |
CORAL
| 3.50 | |
BETFRED
| 3.50 |
Recent performances of the Melbourne Cup Favourite
One of the best ways to determine the favourite for any horse race is to look at the form that they have been in. Of course, form means how they have performed in recent races, or at least in races of a similar structure to the Melbourne Cup. And that’s where things start to look very good for Deauville Legend. He has taken two big wins at long distances in the 2022 season alone.
The first of these came in the Bahrain Trophy held at Newmarket in July. He finished first in this race, which carries a distance of 2,615m. That’s roughly 600m short of the distance for the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, but it’s still relatable. As for the other race performance at long distance, Deauville Legend managed to take the win at York – the Voltigeur Stakes, to be precise. This was a G2 event held over a distance of 2,385m, and this win came in August.
Since this was the last race that this horse took part in, it’s clear that he goes into the Melbourne Cup in great form and with plenty of confidence. And to be perfectly honest, the results of these two races alone have driven the odds all the way down for this horse. However, some speculate that his weight of 55kg isn’t quite low enough to carry his speed and strength for the whole 3,200m track at Flemington.
That’s because previous winners have usually floated around the 51/52kg mark, but we shall have to wait and see.
Melbourne Cup Favourite – information on jockey and trainer
Putting the actual form book to one side now, it’s important to look at some background information for Deauville Legend. Starting with the trainer, he is a man by the name of James Ferguson. This man has trained many successful horses over the years, yet he hasn’t been a household name for champion horses as far as the Melbourne Cup is concerned. However, swooping in to save the day here is the jockey – Kerrin McEvoy. Believe it or not, McEvoy has won the Melbourne Cup on three separate occasions.
With that said, the first win came all the way back in 2000, more than 20 years ago. We would argue that this shows true experience in the saddle for this major event. But others might argue that this puts McEvoy in the ‘older’ category. It all depends on your viewpoint. However, one fact that cannot be argued is that the three titles that McEvoy has at the Melbourne Cup puts him in the top list of winning jockeys of all-time at the Melbourne Cup.
And to put the doubters who say that he is ‘past it’ to bed here, McEvoy’s most recent win came in 2018.
Current odds for the Melbourne Cup Favourite
At the end of the day, the main element that determines whether we can view a horse as the Melbourne Cup favourite or not is the odds. These are the numbers given by mainstream bookmakers that indicate the likelihood of the horse winning the event. And of the entire list of 24 horses set to take to the track on Tuesday, Deauville Legend has the lowest odds of them all – making him the clear favourite to win. The odds are actually 3.50 right now, which puts him far ahead of his nearest rival, Without a Fight.
In fact, this horse has odds as low as 8.50 from what we’ve seen, which puts clear daylight between the top two contenders. To give that a bit of context from a betting perspective – if you bet $100 on Deauville Legend and he won, you’d get a return of $350. If you bet the same $100 on Without a Fight, your return would be $850. That’s an enormous difference between the two, and the odds for the other top contenders are considerably lower than this.
So without a shadow of a doubt, Deauville Legend is the top Melbourne Cup favourite on Tuesday. Don’t forget that you can bet on this horse at top betting sites like bet365, Unibet, Paddy Power, and Ladbrokes too.
Melbourne Cup Favourite FAQs
Is Deauville Legend guaranteed to win the Melbourne Cup?
Nothing is a guarantee in the world of horse racing. So no, he isn’t guaranteed to win the Melbourne Cup. He is simply the most likely winner as determined by the odds.
Will the odds for this horse change over the next few hours?
The odds for Deauville Legend to win the Melbourne Cup could well change between now and the start of the race, yes. We’ve simply listed the odds for him to win, at the time of writing.
Which market should I pick if I want to back this horse?
You could place a bet on this horse to win, to place, or you could back him as part of an each-way wager.
Who is the Melbourne Cup favourite?
Just to clarify – Deauville Legend is the overwhelming favourite to win the Melbourne Cup right now. This is backed up by the odds of 3.50 that he has at most bookmakers.
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