Irish stayer Twilight Payment has been specked at long odds in the betting for the Group 1 $8m Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington today.
Hugh Bowman, above, rides Irish stayer Twilight Payment in the 2019 Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Ladbrokes.com.au had Twilight Payment marked at $91 when the final field for the Melbourne Cup was released on Saturday night but the Joseph O’Brien trained seven year old is marked at $41 on race morning.
Big race jockey Hugh Bowman takes the ride on Twilight Payment and considers $41 to be over the odds for the well performed Irish stayer.
“His form is all around the European horses that are in the market so why he is as long as he is I can’t quite understand,” Bowman said.
“I haven’t spoke much to the connections and am expecting a call from the main owner Mr Lloyd Williams this afternoon and I am sure he will be very informative on how he thinks the horse will go.
“I am sure he will be more confident. I see no reason why he can’t finish in the first five or six.”
Twilight Payment is a very consistent performer in Europe with five wins and fourteen placings from twenty-four race starts but Bowman will certainly earn his riding percentage after the gelding drew barrier nineteen in the twenty-four horse Melbourne Cup field.
“He is a go forward horse. I am not too concerned about the draw. In fact I think it is a good draw,” Bowman said.
“He is certainly in good hands. Joseph O’Brien had Breeders Cup success over in America over the weekend and we all know he won the Melbourne Cup two years ago.
“He is in the right hands and in the race if we could get a top five finish I would be over the moon.”
Twilight Payment was a winner over 3218m at The Curragh in Ireland back in September 2016 while his recent form saw him win two starts back over 2800m in the Group 2 €150,000 Curragh Cup at the Curragh on June 28 when trained by Jim Bolger.
Twilight Payment has had one run for Joseph O’Brien for a seventh to Srearch For A Song in the Group 1 €600,000 Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (1 mile, 6 furlongs) at the Curragh in Ireland on September 15.
The Chris Waller trained Finche heads the Melbourne Cup market order at $8.50 at Ladbrokes.com.au just ahead of the Caulfield Cup winner Mer De Glace at $9 and the Lindsay Park trained import Constantinople at $9.50.
Betting for the 2019 Melbourne Cup at Ladbrokes.com.au: $8.50 Finche, $9 Mer De Glace, $9.50 Constantinople. $12 Vow And Declare, $14 Il Paradiso, Surprise Baby, $15 Cross Counter, $17 Mustajeer, $18 Prince Of Arran, $20 Magic Wand, Downdraft, $21 Latrobe, Raymond Tusk, $26 Southern France, Master Of Reality, $34 Youngstar, $34 Mirage Dancer, $41 Hunting Horn, Twilight Payment, $61 The Chosen One, $67 Steel Prince, $81 Rostropovich, Sound, $101 Neufbosc.
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