How the experts are tipping the Melbourne Cup, the best bets for the day and how to place a wager

The patriotic punters will be lining up to support Jamie Melham and Half Yours in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Half Yours is the only Australian-bred horse in the field of 24 and if Melham can guide him to victory, he will become the 13th horse in history to win the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.

It looks the horse to beat.

Here is a look at the Cup form, a Cup trifecta, a Cup quadrella and the best bets of the program.

Melbourne Cup Day

First race: 10.45am. Melbourne Cup: 3pm

TRACK: Soft 7 RAIL: Out two metres. WEATHER: Showers, a top of 16 degrees.

Race 7: $10m Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), 3pm

The favourite: The money poured in for Irish topweight Al Riffa on Monday and there’s no reason to believe it won’t keep being well-supported. It has elite group 1 form in the UK, and was bought by Australian connections especially with this race in mind. Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien and jockey Mark Zahra are both two-time Cups winners.

The threats: Half Yours comes off a huge Caulfield Cup win and is well weighted on 53kg. He is bred for the distance and likes soft ground. Jockey Jamie Melham has set her sights on this race. Chris Waller’s Buckaroo is coming off a cracking second in the Cox Plate, the Paul Preusker-trained Torranzino looks to be on an old-fashioned Cup preparation and was a strong Geelong Cup winner, while French galloper Presage Nocturne will improve off a great Caulfield Cup run. Waller seems to be confident of Valiant King’s chances.

The roughies: The sort of horses you should be considering for exotic bets such as trifectas and first fours include Middle Earth, More Felons and Land Legend.

Melbourne Cup tips: 1st Half Yours, 2nd Torranzino, 3rd Presage Nocturne, 4th Buckaroo

Russell says: I am staying away from Al Riffa because he is first-up in Australia and lugging the topweight. In comparison, Half Yours ticks all the boxes. Best lead-up run, gun jockey, good weight and can get the distance.

Russell’s best: Saint George (Race 6, No.5) – This horse was set for the Melbourne Cup last year, so will find this event a bit easier. Was a flashing light run first-up in the Seymour Cup. He’s a grey, and greys love it wet.

Russell’s roughie: Torranzino (Race 7, No.23) - He’s my second pick in the Melbourne Cup and at great each-way odds. Trainer Paul Preusker is a great trainer of stayers. Celine Gaudray is a star of the future.

Cup Day trifecta: 1st: 2, 4, 6, 23. 2nd: 1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 14, 15, 23, 24. 3rd: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 15 20, 22, 23, 24.

Cup Day quaddie: 1st leg: 2, 4, 6, 23; 2nd leg: 2, 3, 13, 15; 3rd leg: 5, 7, 14, 15; 4th leg: 7, 8, 12, 19.

How and where to bet

Gamble responsibly, of course, and be aware that the TAB and pub aren’t the only places you can place a bet. Most of the action happens on phones, with a huge array of online bookmaking firms available if you download their apps.

You can’t use credit cards to put money into many accounts, so you will need a way to have a deposit, which you can limit.

Once that’s done, there are a few different ways to bet. Those are: win (your horse must win); place (your horse must finish first, second or third); each way (you receive a dividend if your horse finishes in the top three); quinella (first two home in any order); exacta (first two home in exact order); trifecta (first three home); or first four. You can also place mystery bets at TABs if studying weights, form, barriers, jockeys or trainers is not the way you want to spend your time.

Remember, the Melbourne Cup is race seven at Flemington. If you know that and the number of the horse you aim to back, you’ll find a way.

Also understand that if a horse is paying $6 to win, then you will receive $6 for every dollar you place on the horse if it wins. Obviously, the higher the odds – a figure determined by experts based on where punters place their money or via a pool that spits out the odds – the greater the reward because the higher-priced horses are considered (for a whole range of reasons) to have less of a chance to win.