Twilight Payment joins Joseph O'Brien with Melbourne Cup the target

Joseph O'Brien, who landed the 2017 Melbourne Cup for Lloyd and Nick Williams with Rekindling, will train Twilight Payment for the same Australia-based owners, with the big Flemington event on November 5 the target.

Twilight Payment, a six-year-old who has won five races, has been bought by Lloyd Williams and has joined O'Brien from Jim Bolger's yard.

Speaking on Thursday, O'Brien said: "Twilight Payment has recently joined our yard and the plan is to send him for the Melbourne Cup.

"He will run somewhere next month, possibly in the Irish St Leger in which he finished fourth last year."

Twilight Payment, who was originally owned by Godolphin and then by Bolger's wife Jackie, won the Group 2 Curragh Cup in June on his most recent start.

Cross Counter, Marmelo and Prince Of Arran, the first three home in last year's Lexus Melbourne Cup, are the standout names among a whopping 39 international entries for the race that stops a nation.

Cross Counter leads home a one-two-three for Britain in last year's Melbourne CupCredit: Robert Cianflone (Getty Images)

Eight of the first nine home in last week's Ebor – which was won by Mustajeer, who has been bought and will represent local trainer Kris Lees – also feature.

A British one-two-three last year was preceded by an Irish one in 2017 and the three trainers involved, Joseph O'Brien (five), Aidan O'Brien (11) and Willie Mullins (one) are well represented again.

Aidan O'Brien's challenge is headed by last year's St Leger winner Kew Gardens and this year's second favourite Il Paradiso, while his son's entries include last year's Irish Derby winner Latrobe and Gold Cup third Master Of Reality in addition to Twilight Payment.

Kew Gardens: last year's St Leger winner among 11 Melbourne Cup entries for Aidan O'BrienCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The Mullins-trained True Self and Dermot Weld's Stivers are also among the Irish hand.

Aside from those to the fore in the Ebor – including Red Galileo, Desert Skyline, Raymond Tusk, Barsanti and Raheen House – the British challenge also includes Geoffrey Freer winner Technician, Queen's Vase winner Dashing Willoughby and Ispolini, who chased home Cross Counter off level weights in Meydan but has not been seen since finishing fourth behind Stradivarius in the Yorkshire Cup.

There were also 25 international entries made for the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup.

Greg Carpenter, Racing Victoria’s head handicapper, said: “We’re delighted with the list of entries received today for the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup and Lexus Melbourne Cup. There is great depth among the entries and it will be a challenge to secure a place in both races.

“It’s great to see Cross Counter given his chance to become the first dual international winner of the Melbourne Cup and those horses who finished second through seventh behind him last year being given their chance to atone.”

List of the 39 international entries in the Melbourne Cup

Barsanti (Roger Varian)
Bin Battula (Saeed bin Suroor)
Buckhurst (Joseph O'Brien)
Cape Of Good Hope (Aidan O'Brien)
Constantinople (Aidan O'Brien)
Cross Counter (Charlie Appleby)
Dashing Willoughby (Andrew Balding)
Desert Skyline (David Elsworth)
Downdraft (Joseph O'Brien)
Eminence (Aidan O'Brien)
Gold Mount (Ian Williams)
Haky (John Hammond)
Hunting Horn (Aidan O'Brien)
Il Paradiso (Aidan O'Brien)
Ispolini (Charlie Appleby)
Kew Gardens (Aidan O'Brien)
Latrobe (Joseph O'Brien)
Lys Gracieux (Yoshito Yahagi)
Magic Wand (Aidan O'Brien)
Marmelo (Hughie Morrison)
Master Of Reality (Joseph O'Brien)
Meiner Wunsch (Takahiro Mizuno)
Mer De Glace (Hisashi Shimizu)
Morando (Andrew Balding)
Mount Everest (Aidan O'Brien)
Mountain Hunter (Saeed bin Suroor)
Norway (Aidan O'Brien)
Prince Of Arran (Charlie Fellowes)
Raheen House (William Haggas)
Raymond Tusk (Richard Hannon)
Red Galileo (Saeed bin Suroor)
Red Verdon (Ed Dunlop)
South Pacific (Aidan O'Brien)
Stivers (Dermot Weld)
Technician (Martyn Meade)
Torcedor (Andreas Wohler)
True Self (Willie Mullins)
Twilight Payment (Joseph O'Brien)
Western Australia (Aidan O'Brien)

Racing Post analysis

European raiders have dominated the Melbourne Cup in recent times and last year's winner Cross Counter, Irish Derby hero Latrobe – who was second beaten a head in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes on his visit to Australia last year – and the 2018 St Leger scorer Kew Gardens head this year's challenge.

That is a menacing front three supported by seasoned horses such as Marmelo, Prince Of Arran, Desert Skyline and Raymond Tusk and, perhaps unsurprisingly given recent results, a whole host of the Classic generation.

Rekindling highlighted the quirk in the Australian weight-for-age scale that was beneficial to European three-year-olds in the Melbourne Cup and Cross Counter hammered home the point last year. Carpenter reacted by removing 1kg (2.2lb) from the allowance, reducing it from 4kg to 3kg, but plenty clearly feel it will not be enough to stop them.

St Leger hopefuls such as Il Paradiso, Constantinople and Buckhurst stand out for that reason. And, given runners make it into the Melbourne Cup off their official rating before weight allowances are applied, they have a much better chance of getting into the race than they would in Britain, where the cut is made by weight carried.

For the freshest betting advice, based on latest going and market conditions, don't miss the Live Tipster every afternoon. Just click Raceday Live at racingpost.com or the mobile app