It turns out that the site I got this information from had a truncated list. The other means to pass the first ballot clause are:

• place 6th, 7th or 8th in the 2016 MRC Caulfield Cup
• place 2nd or 3rd in the 2016 MVRC Cox Plate
• win the 2016 VRC Turnbull Stakes
• won or was placed 2nd or 3rd in the 2014 Emirates Melbourne Cup
• won the 2014 Caulfield Cup

Finishing 6th-8th in the 2016 Caulfield Cup were: Our Ivanhowe (already passed ballot), Sir Isaac Newtown (not nominated) and Vengue Masque (now passes ballot clause)

Cox Plate is this coming Saturday. Acceptances are on Wednesday morning, but presently nominated and still hoping to pass the first ballot clause is: Tosen Stardom.

The winner of the 2016 Turnbull Stakes was Hartnell (already passed).

The first three placegetters in the 2014 Melbourne Cup were Protectionist (no longer nominated), Red Cadeaux (RIP) and Who Shot Thebarman (already passed).

The 2014 Caulfield Cup winner was Admire Rakti (RIP).

Jameka has been given a 1.5kg penalty in the Melbourne Cup, will now carry 53.5kgs

Order of entry update

Exempt from Ballot as at 17 Oct 2016:
1 Jameka
2 Almandin

Passed 2016 Emirates Melbourne Cup first ballot clause as at 17 Oct 2016:
3 Preferment
4 Big Orange
5 Our Ivanhowe
6 Curren Mirotic
7 Tarzino
8 The United States
9 Hartnell
10 Who Shot Thebarman
11 Wicklow Brave
12 Bondi Beach
13 Exosphere
14 Scottish
15 Tally
16 Grand Marshal
17 Gallante
18 Almoonqith
19 Real Love
20 Sir John Hawkwood
21 Heartbreak City
22 Howard Be Thy Name
23 Beautiful Romance
24 Excess Knowledge
25 Fanatic
26 Zanteca
27 Assign
28 Sacred Master
29 Secret Number
30 Grey Lion
31 Pentathlon
32 Antonio Giuseppe
33 Rose Of Virginia
34 Aloft
35 Vengeur Masque
36 Pemberley
37 Manndawi
38 Arab Dawn

Not Passed 2016 Emirates Melbourne Cup first ballot clause as at 17 Oct 2016:

Tosen Stardom
Set Square
Dandy Gent
De Little Engine
Foundry
Francis Of Assisi
Master Zephyr
Oceanographer
Qewy
Second Wave
The Bandit
Tom Melbourne
White Dollar Sign

Zanteca, 26th in the Order of Entry has been retired due to a suspensory ligament injury.

Antonio Guiseppe was said to be heading to the paddock, but remains in the Order of Entry in 32nd (now 31st)


Oct 19 - GEELONG CUP (2400m G3 Hcp; 1st-3rd)

Features:

Grey Lion (now 29th in Order of Entry; can jump up to 27th with victory. Almoonquith got a 1kg penalty for winning this race last year. The same result will move Grey Lion to 26th)

Arab Dawn (now 37th; can jump up to 31st with victory. A subsequent 1kg penalty will move Arab Dawn to 27th)

Qewy (needs to finish top 3 to pass ballot clause; thereafter will be in 31st, 34th or 36th - depending on the results of other horses in the field, of course. 27th with victory and a 1kg penalty)

Oceanographer (as above)


To finish any higher they need either further weight penalties or dropouts above them. Tarzino looks a likely candidate to drop out (underwent scans today after leg swelling was detected and remainder of the Spring is in grave doubt). The United States is also rumoured to be giving the Cup a miss after a disrupted campaign.

And now Preferment is gone, meaning all weights will go up 1kg (topweight must be 57kg).

Arab Dawn was scratched. Qewy won and gained a 0.5kg penalty. Grey Lion was only 0.2L back and Oceanographer 3rd @ 1L. That is, the three remaining Cup hopefuls in the field took out the trifecta, which paid up to $75.20.

There's all sorts of rumours about which runners are dropping out of the race. Monday is time for nominees to pay the second declaration fee, so it should be mostly all cleared up by then.

In the meantime we have on Oct 22nd:

• COX PLATE: the winner gets a ballot exemption and 2nd or 3rd pass the first ballot clause.
  
  Features: Hartnell (9th in Order of Entry),
  
  
  
• MOONEE VALLEY GOLD CUP: 1st-3rd pass the first ballot clause.
  
  Features: Gallante (17th), Grand Marshall (16th), Who Shot Thebarman (10th), Excess Knowledge (24th), Master Zephyr (not passed first ballot clause), The Bandit (not passed first ballot clause), Pentathlon (32nd), Second Wave (not passed first ballot clause), White Dollar Sign (not passed first ballot clause)

All runners can increase their prizemoney (which adjusts their position amongst horses with the same weight).

Yep, half-a-kilo penalty for import Qewy for winning the Geelong Cup
Yep, moves him up to 31st in the order of entry
And would you believe most of his recent form has been over the fences

Simenon was 4th in 2013 and much of his preceding season was over hurdles. Max Dynamite, 2nd last year, was predominately in jumps races leading into the Cup. 2016's Wicklow Brave did a few last year also. Seems to be becoming a bit of a trend...

And we also have Fanatic,,rank outsider quoted 125/1
She won the NZ Oaks in March on protest,,running on well
Bit of a setback since coming to Oz
Scratched from the Caulfield Cup due to an infection in her leg caused by a spider bite
Not seen since so Cup start possibly in doubt

Came 2nd by 8 lengths. But it's unfair to compare the performance with that of Winx.... Though he was 10.4L behind Winx in this race last year, so perhaps he's gotten better! I expect the form in this race will be hard to match up and handicappers may instead look back to Hartnell's run in the Turnbull Stakes (where Hartnell beat Jameka by 3 lengths)



Grand Marshall 1st, narrowly ahead of Who Shot Thebarman in 2nd. Then a bit of a gap to Pentathlon. The horses that needed to place (Master Zephyr, The Bandit, Second Wave and White Dollar Sign), didn't (8th, 6th, 9th and 5th respectively). Excess Knowledge was 4th. Gallante was 7th.

The second declaration fee is due on Monday and I daresay there will be a fair few that will be dropping out. Acceptances for the Group 3 2400m Bendigo Cup will also be released.