2009 Melbourne Cup Betting Tips

As the 2009 Melbourne Cup draws ever closer punters across the land will be looking for the best betting tips and nominations for the big race. We here at the Betting Directory will be giving you as many pointers as possible in trying to find you a winner. The Melbourne Cup isn't the easiest to find a winner though, with around twenty four horses charging around the 2 mile circuit at Flemington Racecourse. Looking back over the last ten years there have only been two winning favourites and that was the legendary Makybe Diva who followed up her success in 2003 as favourite in 2004 and 2005.

In terms of interest from Europe, the record isn't great, with just one winner and ten placed finishes in the last ten years from 44 Melbourne Cup runners. This makes picking out a winner for the Melbourne Cup that much more difficult than usual and we'd make your first tip to concentrate on horses trained on home soil. In terms of checking out these horses we have our very own Melbourne Cup Form Guide which will help you look at the form and we also highlight the big races in the lead up to November within our Melbourne Cup Trials section.

2009 Melbourne Cup Nominations

Since the omission of 2007 winner Efficient was confirmed only two horses have contested the head of the betting, last years winner Viewed and five year old Alcopop. The Bart Cummings trained winner in 2008 Viewed followed up his win in the Caulfield Cup with a good run out finishing fast in third in Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes. Alcopop has come from obscurity and unbeaten this season comes to Flemington off the back of a fine win in the Herbert Power.

It's another Bart Cummings trained runner that catches our eyes however and that is the mount of Hugh Bowman, Roman Emperor. All eyes have been on Viewed in the lead up but Cummings second string impressed running second in the Caulfield Cup and also ran a respectable ninth in the Turnbull Stakes at the beginnng of October. The Australian Derby Winner last April was given a gallop at the track on Victoria Derby Day on Saturday to acclimatise hiself to the hulabaloo of Flemington race day whilst stablemate Viewed had the run in the Mackinnon. We wouldn't put it past old master Bart Cummings less fancied horses Roman Emperor and Allez Wonder to run a big race here whilst all the attention is on Viewed.

Other fancies for the Melbourne Cup come in the shape of two horses trained abroad. The New Zealand trained Daffodil has won many fans and she has a big chance after finishing fourth in the Caulfield Cup. The Ian Williams trained Munsef offers a decent each-way chance for the European raiders. The globetrotter hasn't finished out of the top four in all starts in the summer icluding a win in the Chester Stakes and a second in the Stockholm Cup.

Despite the two market leaders being as short as 4/1 for the Melbourne Cup the race has a real open look about it and it's as ever a tough ask picking a winner.

NAP - Roman Emporer - 8/1 with Bet365

NB - Daffodil - 14/1 with Paddy Power

Outsider - Allez Wonder - 28/1 with Boylesports

European Raider - Munsef - 40/1 with Paddy Power

Check out all the latest updated odds for the 2009 Melbourne Cup

Tom Lee's Tips and Nominations for the 2009 Melbourne Cup

Our resident racing expert Tom Lee has taken out some time from his busy schedule with the Channel 4 Racing team to give his very own Melbourne Cup tips and nominations. Tom is rapidly becoming one of the most respected racing tipsters and you can see why if you click on the link to his tips section below.

Click here for Channel 4's Tom Lee's top tips for the 2009 Melbourne Cup