Betting tips / The Early Crow / 26 November 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

November 2009 probably isn't a good time to be putting your first bets on for the 2010 Melbourne Cup, but that doesn't stop some punters from taking the early odds.

The winning post can seem a long way from home, but sometimes, so are the barrier stalls.

Believe it or not, the first markets for the 2010 Melbourne Cup have already been posted. Betfair already has a market in place, as does the corporate bookmaker Betstar.

The big spring feature races attract an enormous amount of early punter interest, but any bookmaker will tell you - just quietly - that it's one of the easiest ways for a punters to do their money cold.

So often, the shortest-priced favourites drop out either well before the big race or just as they are looking primed for their big spring target.

In 2009, there were three stand-out examples. The first high-profile withdrawal came from Dermot Weld, the wily Irish trainer with a phenomenal record in the big race.

His mare Profound Beauty was well backed before being scratched at the request of the owners, who decided they didn't want to send the promising stayer all the way to Australia. The punters did their shirts.

The next big scratching was Rebel Raider, the early Cup favourite, who'd run a lovely race first-up in Adelaide and was forced out due to injury, shattering the hopes of trainer Leon MacDonald and jockey Claire Lindop. The punters did their nuts.

But the bookies really cleaned up when the 2007 Cup winner Efficient was scratched after sustaining another leg injury. If ever a horse was looking like he was on track to take the big two-miler for a second time, it was Efficient. The punters were left with the arse out of their pants.

The favourite in early Melbourne Cup markets is Shocking, which is trading at $26 on Betfair. For those tempted to take the early prices on offer, my advice is to wait at least another 11 months and if need be, just put a hell of a lot more on at the shorter price - if the horse is still in the field.

The winning post can seem a long way from home, but sometimes, so are the barrier stalls.