Entries and betting odds start to firm up for Melbourne Cup

Less than 20 international horses are left in the Melbourne cup at the first declarations stage, although a number of big name trainers are still represented.

The Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Suroor has four entries, while Aidan O'Brien, Dermot Weld and Luca Cumani are also represented.

The overall entries were cut from 229 to 141 for the $5 million event, held at Flemington on November 3.

Early leaders in the Melbourne Cup betting include Profound Beauty, a Dermot Weld charge, at 11.00, and Vigor, on the same odds with Sportingbet.

Saeed Bin Suroor's entries include the talented Kirklees, who stands at 41.00 for the Cup with Sportingbet.

Vigor, trained by Danny O'Brien, saw his stock rise when he won the 1600m Group 2 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.

The victory was particularly eye-catching as the five-year-old edged just ahead of Typhoon Tracy on the line.

O'Brien, quoted by AAP, said of Saturday's win: "He's a very, very good racehorse. Obviously we've never tested him against the quality opposition until today, but we were quietly confident he could take that step,"

"It was very important that he won because he wouldn't have been guaranteed a run in the Caulfield Cup."