Thinking of taking a punt on the 2022 Melbourne Cup? Coonabarabran Times' in-house racing enthusiast, Chris Ward, shares his best bets for the race that stops a nation. 

I feel like this is said every year, but the 2022 instalment of the Melbourne Cup is about as open as ever.

Taking a close look at the field, it’s difficult to separate form lines of today's runners, but there is one performer that stands out slightly above the rest.

That horse is Deauville Legend and it is the favourite for a reason. But how many favourites go on to win a Melbourne Cup? 

Deauville Legend

Deauville Legend has raced its entire career out of Great Britain with seven starts and three wins to its name. What’s interesting about this four-year-old gelding however, is that it has yet start on anything other than a good track. As an Irish bred horse, it should get through the wet ground fine, but with no prior form it's certainly a risk.

The other query I have about Deauville concerns distance. Until today, 2,615 metres the furthest it has raced. The Melbourne Cup is 3,200 metres. 

Despite these doubts, for me, Deauville is a stand out performer and if it doesn’t take out the 2022, Melbourne Cup it will come very close.

Without A Fight

The six-year-old gelding Without A Fight is right up there with a chance too. It dropped seven kilograms from its last start.

It’s had 17 starts with seven wins and seven places meaning it knows how to find its way to the finish line, rarely missing the podium. 

Without A Fight has won at 2,816 metres and, although has won on soft going, it prefers a firmer surface. This one is a toss of the coin for me but the wetter the track gets on the day, I’ll be looking elsewhere.

Hoo Ya Mal

The next best for me is the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Hoo Ya Mal. Forget its last start and look at its previous seven. In those, Hoo Ya Mal didn’t finish any worse than third place.

One of the top jockeys, Craig Williams, gets the ride. Hoo Ya Mal has won on soft and placed on heavy so it handles the wet going. My only query is the wide draw in barrier 15.

Stockman

My best outsider is the New Zealand runner Stockman. This six-year-old gelding is the veteran of the field with 36 starts to its name. It loves the wet conditions with three wins on soft going and four on a heavy rated track. It also drops five kilograms from its previous start.

High Emocean

My next best outsider is High Emocean. The six-year-old mare has hit form at the right time, winning the 2,400 metre Bendigo Cup recently.

It’s had nine starts for three wins and three places on soft tracks and three starts for two wins and a place on heavy. The more rain Melbourne gets the better its chances. Look for it to sit mid field off the speed and make a move late.

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