European Raiders

European Raiders is a term given to those horses that have been entered into the Melbourne Cup but are trained and raced in Europe. In the case of the Melbourne Cup, the main influx of runners from Europe comes from the UK and Ireland.

There haven't been many successes over the past ten years to speak of for the European contingent, so bear this in mind when it comes to your 2009 Melbourne Cup betting. However, one Irish trainer who has enjoyed success in the race is Dermot Weld, who has won the race twice, most recently with Media Puzzle in 2002.

Bet365 £200 Betting Offer
When you open a new account at Bet365 you can claim a massive £200 in free bets. Open an account, make a deposit of £10 or more and you will be entitled to a 100% bonus of your deposit up to a maximum of £200.
Claim the £200 deposit offer at Bet365

Unfortunately, Weld has decided not to run one of the market leaders in the betting Profound Beauty after deciding the ground was too hard. Weld and other European Melbourne Cup trainers have complained that the going at Flemington Racecourse is too fast and that their horses came back with jarring injuries last year.

With Profound Beauty having been scratched for the race the chances of having a European trained winner have lengthened. The Godolphin team have sent plenty of runners down under with little success. In the last ten years they've had two second places and a third, but they've not placed in the race since 2003. Godolphin will send Kirlklees to this years Melbourne Cup but there doesn't appear to be much interest in the betting.

Check out our latest Melbourne Cup tips and nominations from Channel 4's Tom Lee.

Aiden O'Brien is another trainer who has sent plenty of runners to post in the past decade with little success and Changingoftheguard looked to be his main runner in the race this year. However, the horse has been sold to an unamed Australian and will be trained by David Hayes for the race in November. O'Brien saddled Mahler to third in the 2007 Melbourne Cup and that's his best finish in the race to date. Age Of Aquarius represents Ballydoyle's best chance of getting their first win in the race.

Ladbrokes £25 Free Bet Offer
Open an online betting account with the bookmaker Ladbrokes and they will provide you with a free bet offer of upto £25. Ladbrokes will match your first bet of £5 or more - with a free bet of upto £25 per new account.
Claim a free bet of £25 at Ladbrokes

Luca Cumani has become somewhat of a Melbourne Cup specialist, although he has yet to win the race. Cumani has been sending over runners for the past decade and missed out by a nose in the 2008 Melbourne Cup with Bauer. This year, Cumani saddles Basaltico and Cima de Triomphe the latter of which is attracting plenty of interest in the betting market.