Marmelo firms into Melbourne Cup favouritism

The five-year-old bay horse, trained by Hughie Morrison in Berkshire in England, has come in for increased attention since flashing home to be sixth behind Boom Time in the Caulfield Cup.

Marmelo had the fastest sectionals — times for the last 200 metres — in the race, covering the final furlong in 11.79 seconds.

The British horse had already caught the eye with a solid win in one of the key Cup lead-up races in Europe, the Prix Kergorlay at Deauville in France in August.

Last year's winner, Almandin, has drifted out in the market to $9, and another local, the Darren Weir-trained Humidor, has gone out to $10 from $9.

Aside from Marmelo, the other main mover 24 hours out from the Cup is Rekindling, the Joseph O'Brien-trained stayer, who, like Almandin, is owned by Lloyd Williams.

Rekindling was $16 after drawing barrier four on Saturday, but is now in to fifth favourite at $12.

Max Dynamite, the Willie Mullins-trained horse who came second in the 2015 Cup and has been receiving top reviews for his work at Werribee, remains steady at $15.

The streets of Melbourne will come to a standstill today for the traditional Cup parade, followed by the Call of the Card, where people will get a better idea of who the money is coming for in this year's race.

Melbourne Cup draw