How the Melbourne Cup field measures up on TRC Global Rankings

Huge crowds pack Flemington racecourse on the first Tuesday in November each year for ‘The Race That Stops A Nation’. Photo: cityrivercruises.com.au

As befits one of the world’s greatest races, the Emirates Melbourne Cup field was bred by some of the world’s best sires. The exploits of the final 32 for next Tuesday’s race have contributed to the table below of the leading ‘distance sires’ on the planet according to the TRC Global Rankings algorithm.

The algorithm constructs a network of influence from the top races across the planet, training itself to predict the results of future races more and more accurately. In this exercise, we have restricted the data to just the world’s best staying contests.

The world's leading distance-race sires

Based on all Group and Graded races since October 23, 2013, over further than a mile and a half. Stallions in bold have Melbourne Cup entries

Rank

Name

Modal Country

Rnrs

Runs

IV

tRPR

  G1 wins

G2 wins

G3 wins

Pts

1

Galileo

GB

44

95

1.31

 86.09

    2

5

12

1004

2

Manduro

GB

8

26

1.07

 84.16

    2

3

2

974

3

Stay Gold

Japan

16

42

1.23

 82.47

    3

3

1

967

4

Dalakhani

France

12

31

1.19

 82.63

    0

5

4

966

5

Dubawi

GB

11

26

1.00

 83.43

    0

2

3

963

 

Monsun

France

13

37

1.13

 82.63

    2

3

3

963

7

Deep Impact

Japan

29

55

0.74

 84.62

    2

0

0

960

8

Duke Of Marmalade

GB

11

25

1.00

 82.91

    1

3

1

959

 

Montjeu

France

20

45

1.19

 81.88

    3

2

5

959

10

Heart's Cry

Japan

14

41

1.06

 82.34

    0

3

2

957

Five sires with runners in the Cup – Galileo, Monsun, Duke Of Marmalade, Montjeu and Heart’s Cry – make the top 10 and are collectively responsible for nine of the final 32 entries.

Of course, Galileo is also our #1 in the overall rankings of sires on all surfaces, over all distances and in all countries, and victory for either Bondi Beach or Grey Lion would underline the Coolmore great's current hegemony over the breed.

Galileo has never sired a Melbourne Cup winner, but the former German Triple Crown winner Monsun has been responsible for two of the last three, in Fiorente and Protectionist.

This seems to confirm that, while Australian racehorses are notably more versatile distance-wise than Europeans, the increasingly international make-up of the Cup necessitates the winner owing solid, classic stamina. Note that Monsun is the sire of Almandin, Excess Knowledge and Vengeur Masque among the last 32 in the Cup.

For his part, Montjeu got the 2012 winner Green Moon and has the Robert Hickmott-trained pair Gallante and Assign as potential advertisements, while Heart’s Cry and Duke of Marmalade are the respective sires of Japanese challenger Curren Mirotic and Big Orange, the latter one of the best chances for a first British win.

Connections of the Melbourne Cup entries on TRC Global Rankings

No

Horse

Owner

Trainer

Sire

Owner rank

Trainer   rank

Sire rank

1

Jameka

C L Maher, Mrs J M McKenna Et Al

Ciaron Maher

Myboycharlie

47

42

31

2

Almandin

N C Williams & Mr & Mrs L J Williams

Robert Hickmott

Monsun

32

72

11

3

Big Orange

W J and T C O Gredley

Michael Bell

Duke Of Marmalade

163

210

43

4

Our Ivanhowe

A Kheir, P M Mehrten Et Al

Lee & Anthony Freedman

Soldier Hollow

103

64

27

5

Curren Mirotic

Takashi Suzuki

Osamu Hirata

Heart's Cry

285

169

61

6

Hartnell

Godolphin

J O'Shea

Authorized

2

7

101

7

Who Shot Thebarman

D M O'Leary, H T O'Leary Et Al

Chris Waller

Yamanin Vital

146

2

214

8

Wicklow Brave

Wicklow Bloodstock (Ireland) Ltd

W P Mullins

Beat Hollow

285

156

101

9

Bondi Beach

L J Williams/Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith

A P O'Brien

Galileo

1

1

1

10

Exospheric

A Kheir, P M Mehrten Et Al

Lee & Anthony Freedman

Beat Hollow

103

63

101

11

Scottish

Godolphin

Charlie Appleby

Teofilo

2

13

9

12

Tally

Godolphin

J O'Shea

Street Cry

2

7

12

13

Grand Marshal

C C Lai

Chris Waller

Dansili

39

2

29

14

Gallante

C Williams & Mr & Mrs L J Williams

Robert Hickmott

Montjeu

32

72

73

15

Almoonqith

Shadwell Stud Australia Ltd Syndicate

David A & B Hayes & Tom Dabernig

Dynaformer

4

27

82

16

Real Love

Peters Investments Pty Ltd Syndicate

Darren Weir

Desert King

12

8

128

17

Sir John Hawkwood

Waratah Thoroughbreds

John P Thomson

Sir Percy

146

82

110

18

Heartbreak City

Here For The Craic Partnership

A J Martin

Lando

NA

NA

NA

19

Howard Be Thy Name

Mahogany & Forest Lodge Racing Pty Ltd

Darren Weir

Redoute's Choice

NA

8

73

20

Beautiful Romance

Godolphin

Saeed bin Suroor

New Approach

2

11

54

21

Excess Knowledge

A & S Olive, Gold Front T'breds Breeding & Racing et al

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott

Monsun

285

32

11

22

Assign

N C Williams & Mr & Mrs L J Williams

Robert Hickmott

Montjeu

32

73

73

23

Secret Number

Godolphin

Saeed bin Suroor

Raven's Pass

2

11

128

24

Grey Lion

Oti Racing, Aquis Farm Et Al

Matt Cumani

Galileo

NA

NA

1

25

Qewy

Godolphin

Charlie Appleby

Street Cry

2

13

12

26

Pentathlon

R S Baulcomb, Mrs G A & J N K Martin Et Al

John Wheeler

Pentire

NA

NA

361

27

Rose Of Virginia

Macedon Park Pty Ltd, G S Sheldon & J G Sheldon

Lee & Shannon Hope

Thorn Park

NA

135

286

28

Vengeur Masque

R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd, G G Ltd Et Al

Michael Moroney

Monsun

44

257

11

29

Oceanographer

Godolphin

Charlie Appleby

Sea The Stars

2

13

8

30

De Little Engine

R J Conolan, D Goldsmith Et Al

Danny O'Brien

Encosta De Lago

NA

198

26

31

The Bandit

Waratah Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd

John D Sadler

Empire Maker

146

300

310

32

Tom Melbourne

Oti Racing, Kiwiana Synd Et Al

Lee & Anthony Freedman

Dylan Thomas

NA

64

49

 

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