'He could improve his rating' - which British entry has the handicapper picked out at the Melbourne Cup weights reveal?

Racing Victoria handicapper David Hegan has highlighted the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Meydaan as a Lexus Melbourne Cup entry who could potentially outperform his mark after the weights for the Flemington showpiece were revealed on Tuesday.

Top weight for the A$10 million (£4.86m/€5.59m) Group 1 on November 8 is shared at 59kg (9st 4lb) between Irish St Leger winner Al Riffa and Via Sistina, who managed only third when sent off the 4-5 favourite to win her fifth successive start in the Crown Makybe Diva Stakes on Saturday.

However, of the 120 potential runners, it was Meydaan – who finished third behind Giavellotto and Arc-bound Kalpana in Kempton's September Stakes when last seen – who caught Hegan's attention the most, as he cited the Australian method of handicapping as potentially lenient on a horse who has run a lot of good races without winning.

The four-year-old, who has been given a weight of 54kg (8st 7lb) for the Melbourne Cup, has been winless in nine starts since landing the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood in May 2024. But Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's gelding was runner-up in Group 3 company last month prior to his Kempton effort.

"He comes with a high-performance rating but he doesn’t have the wins to back it up," said Hegan of Meydaan, who has a BHA rating of 114. 

"He is probably similar in profile to the [former] stablemate West Wind Blows, who came out here and was given 54kg in the Caulfield Cup and was narrowly beaten by Without A Fight. The difference was West Wind Blows had dual Group 3 wins and a Listed win. Meydaan comes with a similar rating but from running seconds and thirds in Listed and Group 3 races."

Hegan added: “The traditional Australian way of handicapping is to put more emphasis on wins rather than placings.

"Meydaan's highest performance run comes off the synthetic surface last time, so whether he can reproduce that on the turf we’ll have to find out. He is definitely one who could improve his rating and race beyond expectation.”

Al Riffa: shares top weight with Via Sistina in the Melbourne CupCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

While Via Sistina's two-length defeat at the weekend came as a shock, the race was over a mile, a distance she has won over only once.

Hegan said of the ten-time Group 1 winner: “Via Sistina’s record speaks for itself and she carries the single best performance rating of any nominated horse following her dominant eight-length win in last year’s Cox Plate.

"Her class is clear in races up to 2,000 metres, with the staying challenge of two miles (3200m) the only major query."

St Leger winner Scandinavia has been allocated a weight of 55.5kg (8st 10lb), which is 1.5kg more than the fellow Aidan O'Brien-trained Jan Brueghel was given after winning last year's Doncaster Classic. O'Brien described Jan Brueghel as "a massive handicap blot" after the Racing Victoria stewards ordered the withdrawal of the ante-post market leader for last year's Melbourne Cup on veterinary advice.

Al Riffa is the general 7-1 favourite for this year's race after making the perfect possible start in the colours of two-time Melbourne Cup-winning owners Australian Bloodstock at the Curragh.

“He was a dominant winner of the Group 1 Irish St Leger on Sunday," said Hegan. "He has now won Group 1 races at distances ranging from 1,400 metres to 2,800 metres."

Lexus Melbourne Cup (Flemington, November 8)
William Hill: 8 Al Riffa, 10 Scandinavia, Sir Delius, 14 Trinity College, 16 Via Sistina, Vauban, Absurde, Buckaroo, 20 bar.

Read more here:

'He has the right attributes' - Al Riffa rockets to Melbourne Cup favouritism with smooth success in Irish St Leger 

Tom Marquand 'blessed' to ride St Leger hero Scandinavia as O'Brien supersub revels in deafening Doncaster atmosphere 

Super mare Via Sistina's Group-1 winning streak finally comes to an end as Mr Brightside seals Makybe Diva treble 

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