It's one of the biggest race days of the year this Saturday, with the running of the Group 1 Caulfield Cup set to headline a blockbuster day of action at the track.
Some of the best middle-distance and staying horses from across the globe will compete in the $5 million feature, with the likes of Gold Trip and Montefilia both confirmed to run.
With a wide-open field and plenty of proven winners, this promises to be one of the best and most unpredictable Caulfield Cups in recent memory.
The Sporting News gives an in-depth look into the Caulfield Cup field below.
Caulfield Cup 2023 final field, barriers and betting odds
West Wind Blows, Without A Fight and Soulcombe are near the top of the betting market, but it's reigning Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip — who is now confirmed to run — sitting above them all prior to the barrier draw.
Odds courtesy of Dabble. Correct as of October 21st. Say HEY to the social bet, Download the DABBLE app.
| Runner (Barrier) | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1. Gold Trip (11) | Ben Melham | C.Maher/D.Eustace | $6.50 |
| 2. Without A Fight (7) | Mark Zahra | A and S Freedman | $8.50 |
| 3. Breakup (5) | Damian Lane | Tatsuya Yoshioka | $10 |
| 4. Montefilia (9) | Blake Shinn | Chris Waller | $11 |
| 5. Francesco Guardi (15) | James McDonald | Chris Waller | $26 |
| 6. West Wind Blows (2) | Jamie Spencer | S and E Crisford | $5.50 |
| 8. Soulcombe (6) | Craig Williams | Chris Waller | $7.50 |
| 9. Duke De Sessa (14) | John Allen | C.Maher/D.Eustace | $41 |
| 10. Hoo Ya Mal (8) | Tim Clark | G.Waterhouse/A.Bott | $10 |
| 11. Right You Are (13) | Michael Dee | C.Maher/D.Eustace | $51 |
| 12. Emissary (4) | Jye McNeil | Michael Maroney | $101 |
| 13. Goldman (18) | Linda Meech | G.Waterhouse/A.Bott | $91 |
| 14. Okiita Soushi (12) | Kerrin McEvoy | Joseph O'Brien | $31 |
| 15. Fame (16) | Craig Newitt | P.Moody/K.Coleman | $126 |
| 16. Bois D'Argent (3) | Winona Costin | Annabel Neasham | $101 |
| 17. Spirit Ridge (10) | Dean Yendall | Annabel Neasham | $23 |
| 18. Valiant King (1) | Jamie Kah | Joseph O'Brien | $10 |
| 19. United Nations (17) | Carleen Hefel | C.Maher/D.Eustace | $101 |
Caulfield Cup betting preview, tips and form guide
Gold Trip ($6) looks set to enter the race as favourite despite the top-weight, with last year's Melbourne Cup winner returning in style and taking out the G1 Turnbull Stakes last start, toppling two other favoured runners in this race.
The six-year-old had a tough autumn but looks to be in fantastic order heading into the busiest period of the year, with his victory at Randwick a fortnight ago extremely impressive, finishing 1.75 lengths ahead of West Wind Blows.
On the second line of betting for the Caulfield Cup this year is Soulcombe ($6), who has had some solid performances throughout this preparation and will step up to a preferred distance in this race.
Without A Fight ($6.50) has received some early support in betting and will be second-up for this encounter. The six-year-old gelding is proven over this trip, winning once and placing on a further five occasions from eight starts.
The previously mentioned West Wind Blows ($6.50) is a multiple-time Group 1 placegetter with a strong overall career record and produced a strong performance in his Australian debut two weeks ago behind the favourite.
At wider odds is Montefilia ($14), who has won numerous Group 1 races in her career. The mare is coming off a victory in the G2 Hill Stakes a fortnight ago, but will relish the extended distance and is proven over 2400m.
Francesco Guardi ($15) will be boosted by the addition of James McDonald in the saddle and looks desperate for a longer trip, while the classy Hoo Ya Mal ($15) will be at his peak for this race.
In the roughie department, Spirit Ridge ($34) almost caused a boilover three weeks ago in the G1 Metropolitan and is in tremendous form, while overseas runner Valiant King ($10) draws the inside gate for his first start in Australia.
Also in the mix are the likes of Breakup ($9), Okita Soushi ($19) and Right You Are ($41), who have all found victories over this distance during their careers.
THE LEG UP EXPERT TIP: Gold Trip win ($6) or West Wind Blows win ($6.50)
Gold Trip
"It's going better this year going into it than last year ... only has to carry a kilogram more, [and the] horse is flying." - Patrick Allendorf
West Wind Blows
"It's going to get a completely different run than the Turnbull [Stakes] where it was just burning energy for the entire race ... Gold Trip was just out the back enjoying all of that damage being done and zoomed home ... you just had to be taken by that run in the Turnbull. The internationals are so hard to beat here." - Matthew Zammit
THE SPORTING NEWS EXPERT TIP: Soulcombe win ($7.50) / Spirit Ridge each-way ($34 - $8.50)
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