Lightly raced stayer Marmelo is the one to beat in Tuesday’s $6.2 million Melbourne Cup over 3200m.

Trained in England by Hughie Morrison, Marmelo is part-owned by Australian interests, and will be ridden by top jockey Hugh Bowman.

The five-year-old turned in a brilliant Melbourne Cup trial in the 2400m Caulfield Cup last month, powering home to a dead heat for sixth, less than three lengths from winner Boom Time.

Morrison couldn’t be happier with Marmelo ahead of his tilt at ‘the race that stops a nation’.

“There’s no negatives; he looks well, he’s eating well,” Morrison told The New Daily.

“He had a nice little spin with (jockey) Hugh (Bowman) on Thursday.

“Hugh’s happy, so I’m happy.

“It’s great to have the top man in town on the horse. He has great confidence in him.”

Marmelo is a winner of three of his 11 starts, the most recent of those the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay (3000m) at Deauville in France in August.

Interestingly, both Americain (2010) and Protectionist (2014) won the Kergorlay before going on to win the Melbourne Cup.

At the start prior to the Kergorlay, Marmelo finished second to Talismanic, who won the prestigious Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar in California on Sunday.

“He (Marmelo) won a Group 3 race in Chantilly (in France) in April in record time on decent ground; that’s when Australia came up for us,” Morrison explained.

“If he replicated that at Flemington, he’d be right, bang there.”

Watch Marmelo win the Kergolay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QY6ZP1p8Y8

As is traditionally the case, this year’s Melbourne Cup is a wide open affair, with defending champion Almandin and Cox Plate runner-up Humidor well-fancied, along with Johannes Vermeer, Rekindling and Wall Of Fire.

Successful owner Lloyd Williams, who has already won the great race on five occasions, has six runners: Almandin, Johannes Vermeer, Bondi Beach, US Army Ranger, Gallante and Rekindling.

Runner-by-runner form guide

1. Hartnell (Barrier 12, Form: 2×1229)
Trainer: James Cummings, Jockey: Damian Lane
Super horse, but can’t see him winning.

2. Almandin (Barrier 14, Form: 11×214)
Trainer: Robert Hickmott, Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Brilliant stayer and will take a power of beating.

3. Humidor (Barrier 13, Form: 81352)
Trainer: Darren Weir, Jockey: Blake Shinn
Cox Plate run was outstanding. Big show.

4. Tiberian (Barrier 23, Form: 11711x)
Trainer: Alan Couetil, Jockey: Olivier Peslier
Form is top class. Very good each way chance.

5. Marmelo (Barrier 16, Form: 1521×6)
Trainer: Hughie Morrison, Jockey: Hugh Bowman
Enormous run in Caulfield Cup. Top contender.

6. Red Cardinal (Barrier 24, Form: 32x11x5x)
Trainer: Andreas Wohler, Jockey: Kerrin McEvoy
Promising stayer, but outside barrier makes it tough.

7. Johannes Vermeer (Barrier 3, Form: 712×23)
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien, Jockey: Ben Melham
Desperately unlucky in Caulfield Cup. Can win.

8. Bondi Beach (Barrier 1, Form: 330×90)
Trainer: Robert Hickmott, Jockey: Michael Walker
Not going well, but a chance if he showed his best.

9. Max Dynamite (Barrier 2, Form: 2x30x91x)
Trainer: Willie Mullins, Jockey: Zac Purton
Trainer is a genius. Each way hope.

10. Ventura Storm (Barrier 6, Form: 5×7620)
Trainer: David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig, Jockey: Glen Boss
Place best.

12. Wicklow Brave (Barrier 8, Form: 24440)
Trainer: Willie Mullins, Jockey: Stephen Baster
Probably past his best.

13. Big Duke (Barrier 5, Form: 50214)
Trainer: Darren Weir, Jockey: Brenton Avdulla
Place chance.

14. US Army Ranger (Barrier 22, Form: 20386)
Trainer: Joseph O’Brien, Jockey: Jamie Spencer
No.

15. Boom Time (Barrier 9, Form: 39341)
Trainer: David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig, Jockey: Cory Parish
Surprise Caulfield Cup winner. Place best.

16. Gallante (Barrier 18, Form: 270×07)
Trainer: Robert Hickmott, Jockey: Michael Dee
Making up the numbers.

17. Libran (Barrier 7, Form: 61652)
Trainer: Chris Waller, Jockey: Dwayne Dunn
Not the worst.

18. Nakeeta (Barrier 19, Form: 0241x1x)
Trainer: Iain Jardine, Jockey: Glyn Schofield
Talented stayer in good form. Expect big run.

19. Single Gaze (Barrier 11, Form: 05442)
Trainer: Nick Olive, Jockey: Kathy O’Hara
Tough mare, but doubt she can win.

20. Wall Of Fire (Barrier 15, Form: 248×22)
Trainer: Hugo Palmer, Jockey: Craig Williams
Top run at local debut. Big chance.

21. Thomas Hobson (Barrier 21, Form: 712×72)
Trainer: Willie Mullins, Jockey: Joao Moreira
Proven at 3200m. Top chance.

22. Rekindling (Barrier 4, Form: 40124)
Trainer: Joseph O’Brien, Jockey: Corey Brown
Untapped. Win would not surprise.

23. Amelie’s Star (Barrier 10, Form: 39410)
Trainer: Darren Weir, Jockey: Dean Yendall
Place chance.

24. Cismontane (Barrier 17, Form: 10331)
Trainer: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Jockey: Beau Mertens (a)
Likely leader. Lacks the class to win.

Trent Masenhelder’s Melbourne Cup selections:
1. Marmelo
2. Humidor
3. Almandin
4. Red Cardinal

Other race tips:
Emirates 100th A380 Stakes (Race 1): Qafila
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (Race 10): White Moss