The Moonee Valley Gold Cup has long been one of the most significant lead-up races to the Melbourne Cup, and this year it could once again play a key role in determining the Cup field.

Although few horses achieve the double, the 2500-metre Group 2 event often provides valuable momentum — and this year offers a crucial reward, with the winner guaranteed a Melbourne Cup start. Together with the Geelong Cup (2400m), the Moonee Valley feature is one of the final ballot-exempt qualifiers before the famous 3200m race at Flemington on November 4.

Connections of Gilded Water and Changingoftheguard have chosen to head to Geelong, leaving 12 contenders for Friday night’s Cup. Only Berkshire Breeze and Hezashocka are ineligible for the Melbourne Cup, while Smokin’ Romans has already secured his spot. Onesmoothoperator currently sits 24th in the entry order, with Athabascan 25th, and Post Impressionist and Scary sitting outside the top 29.

Ciaron Maher, who took out last year’s Moonee Valley Gold Cup with Okita Soushi before that galloper ran third in the Cup, saddles up Smokin’ Romans and Berkshire Breeze this year. Smokin’ Romans, a Turnbull Stakes winner in 2022, has returned to form with a win in the Warrnambool Cup and a strong fourth in the Herbert Power Stakes.

“He just continues to wind back the clock. He’s in as good a form as ever,” Maher said. “He carried a stack of weight last time and ran very well. Again, the race was probably run too slow for him — he just couldn’t get that momentum, even though he was leading. He’s in good order and has good form at Moonee Valley.”

Maher’s other runner, Berkshire Breeze, is out of Melbourne Cup contention but arrives in excellent form after chasing home Half Yours in the Naturalism Stakes and running sixth in The Bart Cummings. “He’s got it there to run well. He needed to draw well and (barrier) six looks ideal,” Maher said.

Updated odds for the Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Melbourne Cup are available now at Australia’s top betting sites.