SEPTIMUS IF WE are to believe all the talk and hype, there really isn't much point running the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. We may as well just engrave the trophy now with the name Septimus and be done with it. That's apparently how good this overseas visitor is, he's a shoo-in to win. Absolute certainty. Just way too good for his fellow internationals and obviously, then, way too good for our mere mortal local equines. Didn't you see the way he won the Irish St Leger? He won it by a staggering 13 lengths. He's won over 3600 metres, in the wet, is well-weighted and in form, having won his past four starts. If the reviews are right he will probably win easily … except, didn't they say similar things about internationals of the past such as Drum Taps, Yeats, Oscar Schindler, Mamool, Double Trigger? Can't remember any of them winning the Cup! MASTER O'REILLY Last year's Caulfield Cup winner was sent out favourite in the Melbourne Cup a year ago and I can hear all of you now who backed him yelling he's not going to fool you again and get your money this time around. But don't be too hasty. They have tried a few different things this preparation and the benefit of experience will be a help. His eighth last year wasn't all that bad and he ran home well, without winning this time, in the Caulfield Cup last month. Maybe this is the Cup they will take home this year? I would be throwing him into trifectas as he looks one of the best hopes to defend national pride. HONOLULU Honolulu sounds nice at this time of year. Actually Honolulu sounds nice at any time of the year. The place, not this horse. Honolulu the horse probably feels a little like Cinderella's ugly stepsisters. Honny is a stablemate of Septimus and has to stand there while all the attention goes the way of Septimus. He may not be as good but he can run a bit and won the Doncaster Cup (3621m) last start and a race over 4369m at Ascot two runs earlier. The run in between, though, he was beaten by 20 lengths by Yeats, and Yeats didn't exactly excel when he came to town. C'EST LA GUERRE In French it means: Melbourne Cup winner. OK, it doesn't really, but that's a good yarn to spin to your non-horse racing (and non-French speaking) friends. With Efficient not getting to the Cup this year, C'est La Guerre has become one of the two hopes for millionaire owner Lloyd Williams. The four-year-old won the New Zealand Derby effortlessly in March, and since being sold to Williams and crossing the ditch, his form - without winning - has been pretty good, running on at the end of races to indicate the Cup's 3200m will suit. Doesn't mind the rain with three wins from three starts on slow tracks, and is capable of giving the battling owner another Cup win. NOM DU JEU In French it means: Melbourne Cup winner. Not buying that, are you? All right, it means "name of the game" and the name of the game come Melbourne Cup time is finding a horse that will run the two miles. Although Nom Du Jeu hasn't done that yet, all indications are he will. The Kiwi visitor won the Australian Derby, 2400m, at Randwick in April coming from 15th at the turn and last start he was again 15th at the turn but charged home to run second in the Caulfield Cup. If you back him on Tuesday, be pretty happy if he's 15th on the turn because you know he'll be storming home. YELLOWSTONE An English visitor that doesn't look to be up to the class of Septimus. He did win in the mud back home over 2816m in July, then ran a close third to All The Good, but was 54 lengths behind Septimus in the Irish St Leger last start. Wasn't Yellowstone the national park where Yogi Bear lived? No, that's right, that was Jellystone. Still, backing Yellowstone here might be a big Boo Boo. ZIPPING With Efficient out of the Cup, the hopes of the Lloyd Williams camp rest with C'est La Guerre and this bloke. If ever a galloper was due for a little luck it's Zipping. In 2006 he finished fourth behind Delta Blues. Last year he finished fourth behind Efficient. Maybe he can break into the top three this season, or perhaps he's just always meant to be a thoroughbred bridesmaid. Once again Zipping's form has been good heading into the Cup, having finished third in the Turnbull Stakes (he was fifth last year) and second in the Cox Plate (eighth in 2007). He will be thereabouts again, so anyone who has backed him the past two years and been frustrated by coming so close to getting a dividend should probably force themselves to have something on him again. MAD RUSH Last year Luca Cumani brought an international visitor over for the Cups and Purple Moon ran a great race in the Caulfield Cup. Then, with Damien Oliver aboard, came within half a length of winning the Melbourne Cup when second to Efficient. Having learned some valuable lessons about what it takes to win a Melbourne Cup, Cumani is back with another horse he thinks can do the job. Mad Rush did similar to what Purple Moon did in the Caulfield Cup and ran home from last around the turn to finish fourth and, like Purple Moon, everyone started tipping it to win the Melbourne Cup. Ollie will be in the saddle again and he knows his way around the Cup trip. The only worry is Mad Rush has never run this far before. Worth the risk, though. ICE CHARIOT If you want to sound knowledgeable about the Melbourne Cup, just slot into the conversation the phrase "run the trip", as in "yeah, but will he run the trip", "I don't think he will run the trip", "the trainer is certain he will run the trip". It simply means the horse will run a strong 3200m and, in a Melbourne Cup, more horses don't "run the trip" than those that do.

Ice Chariot has run the trip, winning the Queens Cup in Brisbane over 3200m last year. His run in the Mackinnon Stakes yesterday was a nice warm-up and he's a place hope. VIEWED He has never had a start over 3200m and really didn't flatter yesterday in the Mackinnon Stakes, finishing well back, but there is one big reason this bloke cannot be dismissed. He is trained by Bart Cummings and, if you've been in a cocoon for many years and haven't heard of him, he also goes by the moniker of "the Cups King" because he's won so many Melbourne Cups - 11 at last count. If Viewed had only three legs you would still consider backing it because Bart trains it. By the way, it has four legs. LITTORIO It was only a short time ago that Littorio was favourite for the Melbourne Cup after he blitzed rivals in the Turnbull Stakes. He ran a good fifth in the Caulfield Cup, then got to the line OK without threatening in the Mackinnon Stakes yesterday. He could be one of Australia's better hopes of thwarting the international invasion. Still untried over this sort of distance, but all the indications are he will have no problems with it and his trainer, Englishman Nigel Blackiston, used to work for Cups King Bart Cummings. So here's the chance for the Cups King's Footman to step up. BAUER Luca Cumani's stablemate of Mad Rush and, unlike Septimus's "step-sisters", this bloke - which is part-owned by former Australian cricket all-rounder Simon O'Donnell - has a real chance on Tuesday. He could hardly have been more impressive winning the Geelong Cup last month and the last European to win the Melbourne Cup, Media Puzzle, won the same race on his way to Flemington glory. He has won over 2796m in Europe, obviously has ability and a light weight here. Worth an each-way bet, for sure. BOUNDLESS At her first Australian start this campaign the New Zealand mare plodded along to finish 11th in the Caulfield Cup, hardly boosting optimism about the Melbourne Cup, but she does have some class about her as a New Zealand Oaks winner in March. It's a really nice name this mare has, conjuring up images of running through an open paddock without a care in the world. And, if you like backing female horses, away you go. The only females that will get my money on Cup day will be, as usual, the lady behind the TAB window and my wife. GALLOPIN Gallopin winnin? Dreamin! His supporters are clingin' to the hope that the Moonee Valley Cup jinx will end on Tuesday. Gallopin won the Cup last start and did so impressively, but the last Moonee Valley Cup winner to go on to win the Melbourne Cup was Kingston Rule way, way back in 1990. Zipping - or should that be Zippin - has been the closest in recent times, finishing fourth after his Cup win in 2006. He is in the good stable of Danny O'Brien so he can't be dismissed, but I can't see him winnin. GUYNO Another runner untested at the arduous 3200m journey of a Melbourne Cup, and although a solid fifth in the Geelong Cup, it's really hard to see him worrying some of these. Guyno is a West Australian and the last West Aussie to win the Cup was Rogan Josh in 1999. Bart Cummings put the polish on his Cup campaign that year and Bart has nothing to do with Guyno. ZARITA She could be a bolter at odds. She won the South Australian Derby and the South Australian Oaks this year and has performed well in most of her six runs at this track, winning twice and being placed twice. Last start she surprised a lot of people with a close-up fourth behind Maldivian in the Cox Plate. The trip will be a query, but there are worse gallopers you could be betting on this Tuesday. NEWPORT Stormed home on a wet track like he had gumboots on to win The Metropolitan at Randwick last month and it wasn't a bad run in the Moonee Valley Cup, either. Certainly looks like he will run out the 3200m and has won at this track. If you like him, chuck some more on if the track is a little damp. PROFOUND BEAUTY The one overseas trainer who has had success in the Melbourne Cup is Ireland's Dermot Weld, winning the Cup with Vintage Crop and then Media Puzzle. Profound Beauty is Dermie's horse and has been working the track down ever since she arrived in Australia. She won over 2816m two runs ago at home but hasn't started in a race since August and has no 3200m form. But, unlike other European trainers, Dermie knows what it takes to win a Cup so I'd be watching this one very closely. RED LORD Had a run over 3200m back in May in the Sydney Cup and wasn't beaten far in finishing fifth. Has a win over 2800m to his credit and his recent form has been fair, without flattering. But one thing he has in his favour is that he is trained by Anthony Cummings. Anthony is the son of Bart, the Cups King, so perhaps Anthony is the Cups Prince. Surely some of that Cup knowledge has been passed on from father to son, or at the very least rubbed off. VAREVEES If you look at the French mare you may notice something familiar and significant to a Melbourne Cup. Actually you probably won't unless you are 150 years old, and if you are, your memory is probably shot. Anyway, back to the story: the jockey aboard Varevees will be wearing all-black colours, the colours made famous by Archer, winner of the first two Melbourne Cups in 1861 and 1862. Varevees is sure to run out the trip having already won over 3100m in Europe and has been aimed at this race specifically for the past 10 months. And unlike Archer, Varevees hasn't had to walk from Nowra to get to Flemington. PRIZE LADY One of the best-credentialled gallopers in the race in terms of running 3200m. She won the 3200m Auckland Cup in 2007 and repeated the dose this year. Admittedly they are her only two wins in the past 19 months, but you could say she is due again, and it's her pet distance. You could say that, but I'd prefer to say no thanks, no prize for this lady on Tuesday. ALESSANDRO VOLTA Named after Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta, an Italian who lived 200 years ago and who developed the first electric cell in 1800. The volt is named after the count. Enough history, can this Alessandro Volta light up your Tuesday? Short answer, probably not. The stablemate of Septimus has had only nine race starts, winning two of those, and getting beaten a long way in the most recent run. It's really hard to get enthused about his hopes. BARBARICUS Cool name for a horse and sounds like it should be owned by Russell Crowe. Could he be the Gladiator that staves off the international invasion on Tuesday? He's a nice horse that ran a great race to finish third in the Caulfield Cup, which is always a good form guide to the Melbourne Cup, and then charged to the lead only to be caught on the line by Theseo in yesterday's Mackinnon Stakes. In a good stable with a light weight, and stranger things have happened in the Cup. MOATIZE Was second in the Geelong Cup, then stormed home to win the Saab Quality yesterday to stake his claim in the Cup, but is it too soon for him to be doing the double? Back in 1958 Baystone won that race then won the Melbourne Cup. Then we had to wait 16 years for Think Big in 1974 to win that lead-up race then the Cup. It was then 26 years before Brew won the Saab, then the Cup in 2000, so if that trend continues it should be 36 years after Brew, before another Saab winner goes on to Cup glory. But he is trained by Bart Cummings, the man who trained Think Big 34 years ago. The extra distance suits and don't discard this roughie.