Cup barriers: The good, bad and ugly

Overview

Barriers aren’t the bee all and end all in a Melbourne Cup. They have a long, straight run into the first bend in the Cup and three of the past four winners have some from barrier 21, 19 and 17 respectively. There are moderate northerly winds forecast for the Cup which will blow into their faces around the sweeping home bend but unless they get up past 30km/h they should have too much impact – keep an eye on the wind conditions HERE

A number of horses return from the 2019 Cup but unlike that race – which was run at 15L below standard to the 800m mark (which is a most pedestrian pace) – this year’s Cup looks to have a good deal of speed and they should run along at a strong tempo. Backmarkers had very little hope last year and three of the first four in run settled in the first five when they passed the judge for the first time but it may well be a very different story in 2020.

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Article written by: Matt Welsh