Trainer Ciaron Maher has declared reigning Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip better placed than last year to win the race that stops a nation as a showdown looms with favourite Vauban.
Gold Trip has drawn barrier two, the next stall inside Willie Mullins' Irish raider, and will spearhead a group of five contenders for Maher and co-trainer David Eustace in Tuesday's $8 million feature at Flemington.
Star jockey James McDonald will ride the topweight, who will need to defy almost half a century of history to defend his title.
No horse has lugged 58.5kg to victory in the Cup since Think Big notched his second successive win in 1975.
Long-time favourite Vauban, to be ridden by Ryan Moore, will carry 55kg.
Since winning the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 7, Gold Trip has placed third in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and fifth in the Cox Plate (2040m).
Maher is adamant Gold Trip, who carried 57.5kg to give the stable its first Melbourne Cup victory last year, is better placed to win than he was 12 months ago.
"He is (going better). He needs to be though, I think the race is stronger," Maher said.
"The track’s probably going to be a little bit firmer and he’s got a little bit more weight. So he needs to be better to win, but I think he is.
"I’m more confident, way more confident.
"He hadn’t been to the two-mile last year and always sort of had that question given his breeding, but now he’s done it, and he’s had a very similar prep.
"I’m more confident, for sure."
Vauban's odds shortened after a scintillating piece of work on his first trip to Flemington last week, when he left stablemate Absurde in his wake.
Mullins has tried many times to win the Cup, coming closest when Max Dynamite ran second to Michelle Payne and Prince Of Penzance in 2015 and third to Rekindling two years later, but has declared Vauban the strongest chance he will ever have to claim the elusive race.
Gold Trip is second favourite, with Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight (barrier 16), Chris Waller's Soulcombe (four) and Japanese raider Breakup (18) also among the leading contenders.
"I’m not concerned about the favourite," Maher said.
"I think it’s a stronger race than last year, so I think there’s a number of horses that are a great chance. But it’s a horse race, I’m not concerned about them.
"The two Irish horses will be very hard to beat ... they'll make their presence felt and they're down in the weights as well.
"Without A Fight, Mark (Zahra) has stayed on it for a reason ... he's going to be a good chance as well."
Maher and Eustace will saddle up the most Cup runners of any stable in the 24-horse field, with Gold Trip leading the charge.
They also have Right You Are, Ashrun, Future History and Interpretation in the world-renowned staying test.
"I'm very happy with the five horses we have. I'm actually rapt," Maher said.
Waller has the second-largest contingent - Soulcombe, More Felons, Sheraz and Magical Lagoon - among the five stables with multiple runners in the field.
Retiring champion jockey Damien Oliver's final Melbourne Cup ride is in doubt as he faces a nervous wait to find out if his mount Alenquer is passed fit to race.
The Mike Moroney-trained Alenquer presented with a stone bruise after track work on Sunday and faces a vet inspection on Monday.
