2023 Melbourne Cup Weights - Defending champion Gold Trip tops ratings

"The Race that Stops a Nation" will take place a little later than usual this year, with the main event going off at Flemington on November 7th. 

This week, the ratings for each of this year's Melbourne Cup entrants were finalised. Here's a quick look at what weights the British and Irish entrants will carry, along with the leading Australian contenders.

Willie Mullins will have been delighted to see Vauban sitting 16th on rating list for the 2023 Melbourne Cup and the bookie's favourite will carry a workable weight of 55kg. Stablemate, Absurde guaranteed himself a stall at Flemington by winning the Ebor at York and Mullins' second-string will be lumbered with 53kg.

The third and fourth from this year's St Leger, Desert Hero (51.5kg) and Tower Of London (50.5kg) both look likely to run in the Melbourne Cup. Aidan O'Brien's Broome is the joint second-highest-rated runner and will have to carry 56.5kg. West Wind Blows (54kg) was rated one kilo lower than Vauban, with Joseph O'Brien's duo of Okita Soushi (51.5kg) and Valiant King (50kg) likely to sneak in near the bottom of the weights.

Gold Trip ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Melbourne Cup 12 months ago. The defending champion will again be carrying top-weight and Mark Zahra's mount will have to carry one kilo more on his back this time around.

Soulcombe, who won the Melrose Handicap for William Haggas last year, sits second in the current betting and Chris Waller's recruit has been handed a lenient weight of 53.5kg. Another of Waller's European recruits, Francesco Guardi will carry half-a-kilo more than stablemate Soulcombe. 

More names that will be very familiar to European racing fans include Without A Fight (55.5kg), Spanish Mission (55.5kg), Hoo Ya Mal (53kg) and Duke De Sessa (53kg), who all now represent Australian connections. Goldman (52kg) and Lunar Flare (51.5kg), like Absurde, are guaranteed a run in the 2023 Melbourne Cup.