Late betting plunge creates a surprising new Melbourne Cup favourite - so who are you backing in the race that stops the nation?
A late betting plunge has created a new favourite to win the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
Tiger Moth ballooned from $6.50 to $9 when the barrier draw was revealed, but the stallion is now the shortest-priced favourite in the race that stops a nation at $6.50.
Anthony Van Dyck was the favourite for the better part of Sunday and Monday, but is now betting $9.50 behind Surprise Baby at $9.
Six-time Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams claims Tiger Moth, ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, is 'the perfect horse'.
Racing expert and presenter Francesca Cumani said he is 'impossible to ignore'.
Tiger Moth ballooned from $6.50 to $9 when the barrier draw was revealed, but the stallion is now the shortest-priced favourite in the race that stops a nation at $6.50
Anthony Van Dyck was the favourite for the better part of Sunday and Monday, but is now betting $9.50 behind Surprise Baby at $9
'He will have plenty of supporters in the Cup because he has the ideal profile of being a lightly raced northern hemisphere three-year-old with a good venture capital and light weight (52.5kg),' she said.
Local trainer Danny O'Brien will again stand in the way of the Irish challenger after winning last year with Vow And Declare.
Vow And Declare will be one of the Flemington trainer's four runners along with Russian Camelot, Miami Bound and this year's Adelaide Cup winner King Of Leogrance.
Russian Camelot has been near the top of Cup betting since winning the South Australian Derby in May but Vow And Declare has struggled to recapture his 2019 form.
Vow And Declare was well beaten in the Caulfield Cup but O'Brien has changed a few things to get the five-year-old back near his best.
'We're putting blinkers on him because it might sharpen him up a bit,' master trainer Aidan O'Brien said.
Twilight Payment has shortened from $41 to $21 and is Ladbrokes' worst result as of Monday night.
Despite the absence of on-track betting, serious and occasional punters across the nation are expected to have a flutter to the tune of millions on the main race.
TAB expects to process over 100,000 wagers a minute at peak times on Tuesday, its biggest trading day of the year.
'We take as many as 20 million bets on the day,' Tabcorp's wagering managing director Adam Rytenskild told AAP.
TAB expects to process over 100,000 wagers a minute at peak times on Tuesday, its biggest trading day of the year
Melbourne Cup crowds have been slipping in recent times but the COVID-19 pandemic has ensured attendance will sink to an all-time low this year
Melbourne Cup crowds have been slipping in recent times but the COVID-19 pandemic has ensured attendance will sink to an all-time low this year.
Melburnians can have two adults plus dependents from one household visit their house, with Cup organisers selling home-delivered gourmet food and alcohol packs curated by the likes of Neil Perry.
Alternatively, racegoers can opt to flock to parks and public gardens in groups of up to 10 to make the most of the fine weather.
Pubs and bars are also hoping to cash in on Tuesday's traditionally bumper trading day after finally reopening to customers last week.
Dozens of businesses are hosting Cup day-themed events across the city, with outdoor and indoor dining limits of 50 and 20 respectively.