Dermot Weld's stayer Vinnie Roe has been allocated the top weight for November's Melbourne Cup, Australia's richest and most famous horse race. The five-year-old received 59 kilograms when the weights for the annual race were released.
Australia's top distance runner, Northerly, was handed the second highest weight of 58kg ahead of a host of European-based horses including last year's runner-up Give The Slip (56.5 kg) and his Godolphin stablemate Marienbard (57 kg), a Group One winner in Germany last weekend.
There were a total of 267 entrants for the A$4 million (US$2.20 million) race but only 22 will make it to post at Flemington on November 5. Included were runners from Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, United States, Japan, Indonesia and New Zealand.
Dermot Weld famously trained Vintage Crop for his Cup victory in 1993 and he will be looking to do the same with Vinnie Roe, a winner of eight of his 14 career starts, including the 2001 Jefferson Memorial Irish St Leger.
Vinnie Roe is already one of the favourites for the race although he faces a stiff challenge particularly given that no horse has won the race carrying 59 kg or more since Rain Lover carried 60.5 kg to victory in 1969.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
