Arctic Owl looks a wise Cup pick

There is a view among the Australian experts that their horses this year are below the usual standard and although Freemason, Diatribe and Kaapstad Way have good form and sound chances, they do not look to have the quality of the European contenders.

There is though the constant worry about the journey, which makes John Oxx, the trainer of Enzeli, wary of the task ahead,

"This is a wild adventure, really. Not only are you going halfway round the world but also you're going into a two-mile handicap so it's very difficult to work out the form. You're going to need a lot of luck in running to feature in the finish.

"People have been telling me for the last two years that Enzeli is not the right type of horse for the Melbourne Cup because he's too much of a stayer but then you get people telling you that non-stayers don't win the race so really I'm as confused as ever! He can produce a good burst of speed at the end of a race but he is a bit inconsistent."

Enzeli will need a strongly run race to bring out his stamina and that should be guaranteed by the presence of this year's Ascot Gold Cup second, Far Cry. The pace of the Melbourne Cup is usually frenetic for the first five or six furlongs until they hit the bend, when the field slows up and takes its collective foot off the gas for over half a mile before kicking on again.

Far Cry's style of racing would suggest that the new champion jockey Kevin Darley will be near the front from the very start and will almost certainly inject extra speed into the race just when everyone else is trying to get a breather. This will make for a truly run two mile test which will not suit the home team and will play into the hands of Enzeli and Arctic Owl, who comes from off the pace and finishes his races with a flourish.

It should also mean that the usual barging match that takes place when the horses behind start to climb all over those in front should be lessened because they will all be going as fast as they can to keep up.

Martin Pipe, trainer of Far Cry, has made his name on the National Hunt circuit by sending his horses out in front and galloping the rest into the ground so there is every reason to think that he may try that tactic here.

Pipe is giving little away, "I'm feeling very little pressure and I'm just enjoying it. We're here with a far cry, as it were, and it would just be a thrill to finish in the first three. I just keep wondering why I haven't done this before and there could be other international exploits to come."

If that is the case, he should sit down for a chat with Sheikh Mohammed, who cannot let an international Group 1 race pass without making his presence felt. Last year Godolphin nearly sprung the surprise of the Cup when the 50-1 shot Central Park finished second and the bookmakers have consequently taken a conservative view of Lightning Arrow, who they make a 16-1 shot.

That looks on the stingy side for a horse who has never encountered a race of this distance or this level in his life. Frankie Dettori will also have a task on his hands if he is to make the weight of 8st 5lb, the lightest he has attempted since his plane crash this summer.

Selections: 1, Arctic Owl; 2, Far Cry; 3, Freemason; 4, Diatrobe.