almandine

Almandin (13/2); Marmelo (8); Humidor (9); Johannes Vermeer (10); Wall Of Fire (12); Red Cardinal (14); Hartnell (50/1) Max Dynamite (20); Rekindling (20); Thomas Hobson (20).

Almandin gave Williams his fifth win in the race with a thrilling victory last year and the eight-year-old will be aiming to become the first horse since the mighty Makybe Diva to win successive Cups.

Dettori has landed the mount on last year's winner Almandin, trained by Robert Hickmott, in the Flemington showpiece on Tuesday week due to Damien Oliver being suspended.

A cut-and-thrust finale ensued, but Almandin found that little bit extra to provide both jockey Kerrin McEvoy and trainer Robert Hickmott with a second taste of Melbourne Cup glory.

It was a second Cup triumph for local trainer Robert Hickmott, who nursed Almandin back to racing health after 18 months out following a tendon injury after acquiring the seven-year-old gelding in Germany.

Almandin, second-favourite despite carring a significantly heavier weight this year, was 12th.

The Melbourne Cup is no different from any other race in that the best handicapped horse can win from any stall as Almandin (17) proved in 2016.

German import Almandin won a thrilling sprint to the line to claim the A$6.2 million Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday.

Johannes Vermeer Word search Almandin (eight lines across, one line down), Fiorente (nine across, seven down), Dunaden (four across, nine down), Viewed (one across, nine down) All mixed up Green Moon

Last year's winner Almandin, the mount of Frankie Dettori, was 12th, with the Hugo Palmertrained Wall Of Fire 16th, and Redkindling's stablemate US Army Ranger 18th of the 23 runners.

HOME TEAM FRANKIE DETTORI has one space left on his chock-a-block CV for a Melbourne Cup win and he will not get many better chances to fill the gap than with defending champion Almandin, writes David Jennings.

I don't think Max Dynamite is a 4lb better horse than him and I would be even more surprised if home birds Humidor and Almandin were able to give him lumps of weight.

The Australian horses, bar Almandin, are a really average bunch.

However, Dettori's worldwide standing is such that yesterday brought the ride on Melbourne Cup favourite Almandin to follow on from a Breeders' Cup book headed by dual Group 1 winner Ulysses in the Turf and last year's heroine Queen's Trust in the Filly and Mare.