Leading Selections For The 2017 Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is 'the race which stops a nation' as, each year on the first Tuesday of November, the best staying horses from around the world compete in the richest 3200m handicap on the planet. Last year Almandin won a close finish for jockey Kerin McEvoy, 16 years after his first success in the race.

Betting is already available with the bookmakers on the 2017 running of the prestigious contest at Flemington Racecourse in Victoria. Here is a look at the early leading runners if you fancy a punt in the ante-post market on the race. A full list of tips for the spring Carnival racing from Flemington and other daily racing from the Australia and the UK can be found on Oddschecker's tipping page where you can also monitor the best prices and sign-up promotions.

Admire Deus

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Japan last won the Melbourne Cup in 2006 with Delta Blues and they have an excellent chance of ending that wait for another winner with Admire Deus this year who is the early $16 dollar favourite. The six-year-old changed trainers earlier in 2017 and is now in the hands of Tomoyuki Umeda. He has shown some good form since stepping up to the 3200m trip, including on his last start where he was fourth in the Group One Tenno Sho at Kyoto. The consistent top level performer could be a class above his rivals at Flemington off his mark so it is easy to see why many punters are turning towards the Japanese horse who looks likely to go off as the market leader on the day of the race. This will be his first run outside of Asia where he is looking for just his third ever career success.

Thomas Hobson

Irish trainer Willie Mullins is best known for preparing horses for national hunt racing where he has particularly had a lot of success at the leading meeting in the UK, the Cheltenham Festival, over the last decade. This year though, the Irishman is targeting the Melbourne Cup with his dual-purpose horse Thomas Hobson. The seven-year-old won the Ascot Stakes over 4000m in comfortable fashion at Royal Ascot back in June. Given he has a national hunt background, the Irish horse will not have any issues with the distance at Flemington, while if he is in contention in the closing stages, he may have a better turn of foot than his rivals. Thomas Hobson is currently a $20 shot for the 2017 race but once he is declared in the week before the meeting, those odds are likely to be slashed as he will not only be popular with European punters, those who study the form closely in Australia will see him as one of the leading contenders.

Red Cardinal

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Andreas Wohler kept up Europe's excellent record in the Melbourne Cup in recent years when he trained Protectionist to victory in 2014.The German trainer will fancy his chances of repeating his feat in November with Red Cardinal who has had two victories to his name over 3200m trip this season. Connections first started thinking about their horse as a contender for the 'race which stops a nation' after he won the Group Two Corner Group International Oleander-Rennen back in May at Hoppegarten. He then showcased how travelling was not a problem for him with a victory in the USA in the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Stakes. The German horse is a best price of $20 in the latest betting for one of the richest turf races anywhere in the world.

Francis of Assisi

Godolphin are one of the leading owners in horse racing around the world but they are still bidding for their first success in the Melbourne Cup. They look to have an excellent opportunity to break their duck this year with Francis of Assisi. The seven-year-old won the Group Three Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington in 2016 and also came out on top in the Bendigo Cup last year for trainer Charlie Appleby. The former national hunt horse's pedigree suggests he should relish the 3200m trip so there could be some value left in the $25 which is available on the British horse.

This year's Melbourne Cup takes place on November 7 and it can be watched on free-to-air television on Channel 7 where a full build up towards the race will be shown on the network.