The field has been finalised for Tuesday’s $8 million Melbourne Cup at Flemington, with favourite Tiger Moth losing support after drawing wide in barrier 23.

The final spot in the field was claimed by Ashrun, who won the Hotham Stakes on Derby Day to qualify for the big race.

Ashrun is trained by Germany’s Andreas Wohler, who won the Cup in 2014 with Protectionist — it drew the outside barrier in 24.

The international stayer will still be in with a solid chance, given its weight for the Cup drops to 53kg, from the 61kg it carried to win the Hotham.

The draw was held remotely for the first time; thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, connections of the Cup entries were not able to be on-course.

There were mixed results for the leading chances for the Melbourne Cup.

The Caulfield Cup winner, Verry Elleegant, drew barrier 15, which will make things harder for the Chris Waller-trained chance.

Sir Dragonet, who won this year’s Cox Plate, was given barrier 14 and Russian Camelot — who finished third in the same race — will go from 16.

Among those to benefit from the draw were English stayer Anthony Van Dyck — the English Derby winner and Caulfield Cup runner-up — received barrier three, Finche will go from six and the Paul Preusker-trained Surprise Baby has barrier seven.

“He has run really well [this preparation],” Finche’s jockey James McDonald told Channel Ten.

“Now he’s got a good gate and there are no excuses.”

Last year’s winner, Vow and Declare, drew barrier four, but the Danny O’Brien-trained galloper is carrying 57kg — five kilograms more than in 2019, and is seen as something of an outsider in Cup betting at $34.

Prince of Arran, who came second in last year’s race and third behind Cross Counter in 2018, drew the inside barrier one.

It sits fifth in the betting at $10.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Tiger Moth was joined in favouritism by Anthony Van Dyck and Sir Dragonet, with all three horses at $8 according to the TAB market.



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