MELBOURNE, Nov 2: Punters are backing Mamool to produce the powerful Godolphin stable’s first Melbourne Cup victory on Tuesday as local favourite Mummify was eased in the betting following a controversial run.

Mamool was 13-2 favourite in Sunday’s early betting markets for the US$3.2 million race at Flemington and leads a group of five European raiders.

Godolphin head trainer Saeed Bin Suroor will have Italian-born jockey Frankie Dettori aboard Mamool.

Local Patrick Payne will ride stablemate Millstreet which is listed at 40-1 after drawing barrier 23 in the 3,200m Group One event which was first run in 1861.

Mamool has drawn barrier 11 and is aiming to improve on the Dubai-backed Godolphin stable’s two seconds and a third in the past four Melbourne Cups.

Irish trainer Dermot Weld has prepared the only two horses to take the Cup back to the northern hemisphere.

Weld trained race winners Vintage Crop in 1993 and Media Puzzle last year but will not be represented on Tuesday after In Time’s Eye injured a tendon in running 10th in last month’s Caulfield Cup.

Weld’s compatriot Willie Mullins has dominated local headlines this week with his comical efforts to persuade Holy Orders to break into a trackwork gallop and finally saw the 30-1 shot complete a solid session on Sunday morning.

The Alan Jarvis-trained British stayer Jardines Lookout shares topweight of 55.5kg with Mamool and was seventh in last year’s Cup but is also unwanted by punters at 40-1.

The James Given-trained Hugs Dancer followed a third in the 3,621m Doncaster Cup with a seventh in Melbourne’s Caulfield Cup last month and is listed at 16-1 with the light weight of 52kg and ridden by Dean McKeown.

Mamool was 7-1 equal favourite alongside Australia-trained duo Mummify and Makybe Diva after Saturday’s barrier draw.

However punters deserted Mummify which eased to 10-1 after the Caulfield Cup winner appeared out of sorts in running eighth in Saturday’s Mackinnon Stakes over 2,000m at Flemington.—Reuters