Racing Victoria (RV) Head of Handicapping, David Hegan, has announced that Future History will remain on the minimum weight of 50kg for the $8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) on 7 November 2023.
Hegan has chosen not to issue a weight penalty to the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace trained stayer for his front-running victory in Saturday’s Group 3 The Lexus Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington.
The gallant win secured Future History a golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup and has seen the horse rocket from equal 59th in the Order of Entry to equal first.
He now sits alongside Goldman (Lexus Roy Higgins), Lunar Flare (Lexus Andrew Ramsden) and Absurde (Ebor Handicap) as the holders of golden tickets into the 163rd edition of the race that stops a nation.
Future History was not entered for the Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup (2400m).
Hegan said: “Handicapping is not only about where you finish, but also about relativity to other horses in the weight scale. Future History carried the minimum of 54kg in The Bart Cummings, and received 4kg from third-placed Serpentine who is weighted at 51kg in the Melbourne Cup.
“Future History will already meet Serpentine 3kg worse from The Bart Cummings in the Melbourne Cup. Having considered the final margins and performance ratings of all runners on Saturday, any penalty for Future History would be excessive in terms of relativity to Serpentine and also to Ashrun, who finished close-up in sixth, if they met in the Melbourne Cup.
“Future History remains on 50kg and will need to go to another level on the first Tuesday in November if he’s to join Almandin (2016) in completing The Bart Cummings-Melbourne Cup double.”
Since 2005, six Bart Cummings winners have not been penalised in the Melbourne Cup, the last of those being Amelie’s Star in 2017. Lunar Flare received a 0.5kg penalty for her win in last year’s edition.
The other horses to move up in the Melbourne Cup Order of Entry across the weekend were First Immortal (Mark and Levi Kavanagh) and Fancy Man (Annabel Neasham).
First Immortal passed the first ballot clause with his second placing in The Bart Cummings and moves from equal 59th to 48th – now three places behind Fancy Man who climbs from 52nd with prizemoney earned courtesy of his win in the Listed Queensland Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Click here to view updated Melbourne Cup Order of Entry (as at 9 October 2023)
Second acceptances for the Melbourne Cup will be taken at 12pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, 17 October 2023.
Third acceptances for the Caulfield Cup and Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) will be taken at 12pm (AEDT) tomorrow (10 October 2023), with an updated Caulfield Cup Order of Entry to be released later in the afternoon.