The famous Godolphin stable are still entering Crime Scene into the $5.65 Melbourne Cup on November 3 despite the six-year-old gelding finishing sixth in Wednesday’s Geelong Cup behind winner Leica Ding.

The Geelong Cup is considered one of the major trials for the Melbourne Cup and Crime Scene was always going to do it tough as he carried the top weight. It was his first race start since a devastating last place in the Glorious Stakes in July.

Although failing to place, Crime Scene showed jockey Kerrin McEvoy that he had the staying ability to keep on pace for the one-and-a-half miles to finish just over two lengths behind Leica Ding. His run suggests the tough two-mile Melbourne Cup will suit him and Godolphin were satisfied with his effort on Wednesday.

Crime Scene, currently at odds of $41 for the Melbourne Cup, will stablemate Kirklees ($31) on the field at Flemington.
Meanwhile Luca Cumani-trained Basaltico has a 50-50 chance to start in the Melbourne Cup after a dreadful run in his Geelong Cup prep-race.

The British raider finished more than 20 lengths back from the winner in a luckless seventh place, after needing a victory in the 2406m race to assure a start in the famous Flemington race.

Wednesday’s disappointment was yet another blow to the spring campaign of the English trainer, as Cumani’s major Melbourne Cup hopeful Cima De Triomphe finished 13th in the Caulfield Cup only five days earlier. Cima De Triomphe needed to place within the top eight to be guaranteed a start in the world’s richest handicap at Flemington next month.

Basaltico is sitting as a $61 chance in the ante-post betting markets for the Melbourne Cup.