Melbourne Cup top weight expected to come

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Irish stayer Yeats heads the Melbourne Cup weights for the second year in a row and officials remain confident he'll make the trip despite Australia's equine influenza (EI) outbreak.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Yeats and Hong Kong star Viva Pataca both received 59kg when the Cup weights were declared today, although Viva Pataca's connections have already ruled out a Spring Carnival campaign.

Racing Victoria Ltd director of racing Leigh Jordan said several European trainers with Cups entries remained positive about coming to Australia despite the EI outbreak.

"The European trainers are all aware of EI, they live with EI, we've been sending them updates every night since this happened to tell them of the situation. . . and that it will have no impact on coming into Australia and from an international perspective on utilising Sandown (Quarantine Centre)," he said.

"Talking with Aidan (O'Brien) we could see anywhere up to three horses coming from the O'Brien camp which would be fantastic for the carnival given his status around the world."

Yeats, who will carry the same weight as last year when he finished seventh to Japanese stayer Delta Blues, is unbeaten in three starts since last year's Cup.

His latest win came in the Gold Cup (4023m) at Royal Ascot in June when he beat Geordieland who bled in last year's Melbourne Cup when 18th.

"In my view there is no evidence to suggest Yeats is going any better than last year, therefore I've assessed him as the same horse and on the same weight," RVL's chief handicapper Greg Carpenter said.

"It's a challenging weight but he's the premier stayer of Europe and I'd certainly love to see him back this year."

The last topweight on original handicaps to win the Melbourne Cup was Comic Court in 1950.

O'Brien has three of the top nine horses in Melbourne Cup weights, the other two being Coronation Cup winner Scorpion (58.5kg) and Septimus (57kg) who was runner-up in the Coronation Cup (2424m) before winning the Group Two Lonsdale Cup (3299m).

He also has Cox Plate prospects in Dylan Thomas and George Washington.

Legendary Irish trainer Dermot Weld, the only European trainer to win the Melbourne Cup (Vintage Crop in 1993 and Media Puzzle in 2002) has just one entrant, recent stable acquisition Bellamy Cay.

Bought out of the Andre Fabre stable, Bellamy Cay is yet to start for Weld, but has been given 55kg in both Cups.

A lightly raced son of Kris, Bellamy Cay was runner-up in the French St Leger (3100m) in October last year.

The Godolphin stable has nine entries in each Cup, the highest weighted being Laverock with 56kg.

A six-year-old son of Octagonal, Laverock is a Group One winner over 1850m in France and over 2400m in Italy.

The David Hayes-trained Miss Finland, the current Cox Plate favourite following her first up win in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday, has been given 53kg in both Cups.

Carpenter rated the five-time Group One winner 0.5kg below champion Surround, the only filly to win a Cox Plate (1976).

Hayes' reigning Caulfield Cup victor Tawqeet received 56.5kg in both Cups and Carpenter said there was every chance he could be Caulfield Cup top weight if El Segundo, the top weighted Australian horse with 57.5kg, doesn't start.

El Segundo, beaten a nose in last year's Cox Plate, will be given the chance to go one better this year.

Victoria Derby winner Efficient and AJC Australian Derby winner Fiumicino were both allocated 54kg.

Efficient's older stablemate, Adelaide and Sydney Cups victor Gallic (55kg), will attempt to become the first eight-year-old since Catalogue in 1938 to win the Melbourne Cup.

Last year's Melbourne Cup winner Delta Blues was allotted 58.5kg, up 2.5kg on last year, while stablemate and runner-up Pop Rock received 56.5kg.

However, neither horse will make the trip due to the EI outbreak in Japan, which meant they could not be put into quarantine there.