The first of them was by popular local boy Buffering, who did his reputation no harm at all in the Hong Kong Sprint, taking on a field stuffed with speedsters from all around the world and giving them a decent scare, too. He’s usually slow away from the gates, and the Hong Kong Sprint was no exception for Buffering, but he showed himself more than willing to put in it for jockey Damian Browne, and it was only in the closing stages that he was swamped by the chasing group – a chasing group that included some genuine international talent, not least of all the winner Aerovelocity.

And if that performance gave Australians something to cheer on Hong Kong’s biggest race day, then they will have been thrilled when Criterion nearly went one better, leading the Hong Kong Cup for a decent span before he was collared in the last 50m by the pair who came in first and second. Criterion was right on the pace for the whole race, and even went a couple of lengths clear – giving Australian Racing fans the chance to dream of a first win on Hong Kong’s premier race day for more than a decade – but Military Attack and Designs On Rome proved too classy in the end, though Criterion hung on for a third place that does him a lot of credit.

Both were great races to watch, and they marked out a pair of Australian horses to watch this year: if you see Buffering or Criterion in those Racing odds in the coming months and prick up your ears, then you won’t be the only one, by any stretch of the imagination…

He seems confident that he’s got it right for Dunaden, though: ‘Dunaden has been allotted the top weight for the second year running, however I have reduced his weight by 0.5kg to 58.5kg in recognition of the fact he was beaten almost 10 lengths by Green Moon in last year’s race when favourite. Whilst Dunaden enjoys a weight reduction, history still presents a significant challenge as no original top weight has won the Cup since Comic Court in 1950.’

So the French import has lots of work to do if he’s going to make history with a second triumph, and he’s currently at $34.00 on Sportsbet. All the rest of the Melbourne Cup odds 2013 can be found by following the link…

And the little milestones on the way to the big race are all part of that process of increasing anticipation between now and the starter’s gun. This week, the weights have been confirmed, there’s been another burst of excitement and discussion in the media, and the odds at Sportsbet have seen their first movement for a while. Puissance De Lune is still the favourite, but has shifted a little to $5.50, with Fiorente just a little behind at $8.00. Are you still confident of where your money’s going, or are you having another think?

Get all your Melbourne Cup odds 2013 simply by following the link…

And Red Cadeaux is a Melbourne Cup runner that we’ll be wanting to watch in the Caulfield Cup. You can find your Melbourne Cup odds 2013 by following the link, but we can tell you that right now, on Sportbet, Red Cadeaux is sitting at $41.00, well behind the favourite Puissance De Lune at $5.00, Fiorente at $11.00 and Hawkspur at $13.00…

Neither horse lost any backers for the big race in November with their performances, both running well and apparently pleasing their trainers. Puissance De Lune made good ground from the back of the pack, and went well, while trainer Chris Waller was very happy with Foreteller: ‘we chose the right one and we had the right horse fit on the day. He’s pulled off a big win.’

Here’s where you can find all your Melbourne Cup odds 2013…

Prebble has given up the first half of the Hong Kong season (where he’s based) for the chance to team up again with Green Moon, and he’s confident that Lloyd Williams’ stable will show strongly this Spring: ‘he Green Moon is here, he is proven and his run on the weekend was fantastic. The rest of them have to put their hands up and show what they can do on Australian turf. Lloyd Williams has the nicest crop of horses ever going into a spring carnival.’

Prebble was speaking at the nominations of the 135 horses that are still in the mix (head here for a full list and for your Melbourne Cup odds 2013) – all of them behind favourite Puissance De Lune, at $5.00…

There have been five overseas winners in the past couple of decades, going back to Vintage Crop in 1993, and Dunaden is currently $21.00 on Sportsbet. Back in 2011, it was Dunaden who won narrowly over Red Cadeaux, who was also nominated, and is currently at $41.00. But the favourite is still Puissance De Lune by a good stretch at $5.00, followed at a respectful distance by Fiorente at $11.00 and then Sea Moon at $17.00. And whilst all the press attention might be on the runners from overseas, Racing Victoria’s General Manager of Racing, Greg Carpenter, is keen to draw attention back to local horses: ‘It’s not just about the internationals. We have an enormous strength of quality among the locally trained horses, and to have all those staying race winners on the Australian calendar heading towards this Melbourne Cup underlines the undoubted strength of the nominations.’

Do you agree with him? There’s all the Melbourne Cup odds 2013 that you might need on Sportbet now!

‘At her best she still couldn’t foot it with that lot,’ says James of a strong Memsie Stakes field, ‘she is not known at this distance at all.’ But he must have some confidence in the mare, as he has her well-placed in her preparations for the spring in Melbourne. ‘She is going to be placed to advantage in those races weight wise and will be better placed there than in weight-for-age.’ Silent Achiever stands at $67.00 on Sportsbet, and we’re left wondering if Roger James has put any money down. See more Melbourne Cup odds 2013 here…

Robert Hickmont trained last year’s Melbourne Cup winner, Green Moon, and has a strong showing in this year’s Caulfield Cup, with a number of horses running that are sitting near the top of the list of early Melbourne Cup favourites at Sportsbet. Follow the link for your full Melbourne Cup 2013 odds, but here are a couple of highlights: Green Moon is at $26.00 for a Melbourne Cup win, and there are a couple of his stablemates in there, too: Seville at the same $26.00, and Sea Moon at $13.00…

Puissance De Lune is currently sitting favourite on Sportsbet at $7.00 before the first nominations for the Melbourne Cup, and Darren Weir is rightly pleased with his progress: ‘he had a good gallop last week over 800m at Ballarat, and he’s likely to have a jumpout again there on Friday week,’ the trainer says.
‘He’d done plenty of pace work leading into the gallop, and he stretched out nicely, winding up from the 800m mark.’

Too soon to make a bet? Head here for your Melbourne Cup odds 2013…