Another name has secured a place in November 5th’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup. Ciaron Maher’s Okita Soushi earned his place by winning the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Friday.
The seven-year-old stallion has yet to win a Group 1 race in his long career. The betting sites have Okita Soushi as an outsider to the Melbourne Cup, but he is the second most likely to win out of Ciaron Maher’s potential runners.
Okita Soushi headed to Melbourne Cup after Moonee Valley Gold Cup win

Okita Soushi secures Melbourne Cup spot with Moonee Valley Gold Cup win
Highlights
- Okita Soushi’s Moonee Valley win earned him place in the Melbourne Cup.
- Ciaron Maher seeks to have multiple horses enter the marquee race.
- The 2024 Melbourne Cup is on 5 November at Flemington Racecourse.
Okita Soushi wins Moonee Valley Gold Cup
Okita Soushi entered the Moonee Valley Gold Cup as one of the outsiders to win the Group 2 race with $11 chances from the betting apps.
The son of Galileo looked on track to live up to those odds for most of the race. Okita Soushi was very much among the pack of trailing horses until the final turn on Friday.
Through the final turn, a surging sprint from the Ciaron Maher-trained seven-year-old allowed him to take the lead. Once Okita Soushi had it, he never looked back.
The stallion fought off a late challenge in the final 100m from Epsom Derby winner Serpentine to win the race.
Okita Soushi ended up winning the race by half a length to Serpentine ($2.20). Kiwi three-time Group 1 winner Sharp 'N' Smart ($5) finished in third.
Melbourne Cup redemption
With the win at Moonee Valley on Friday night, Okita Soushi booked a spot in the upcoming Melbourne Cup at Flemington on 5 November.
The seven-year-old moved to Australia last year to race in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. After underperforming in those races, Okita Soushi was transferred to Ciaron Maher’s team.
The Irish stallion finished 12th in the Caulfield Cup and 11th in his first Melbourne Cup run.
Trainer backs horse
Okita Soushi entered Friday night at 34th in the Melbourne Cup order. A strong performance in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup locked in his place. According to Ciaron Maher Racing assistant trainer Jack Turnbull, this was exactly the team’s plan for the seven-year-old.
“It’s always been the long-term plan when he came to us off the back of his last campaign in spring. It’s really good and pleasing when things work out in terms of timing,” Turnbull said.
The assistant trainer also said that he thinks Okita Soushi is in good form and that he has what it takes to do well in the Melbourne Cup next month.
“He’s just a classic stayer that wants twelve furlongs. Once you get him to that level, and at a level of fitness, he excels. He showed that last start, and he’s gone on and done it again today. He’s in really good form,” he said.
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I am an avid horse racing enthusiast and punter. Growing up in Randwick, I have been surrounded by racing through stories from the elderly’s past endeavours to the racecourse and owners that are friends of the family. I am also a data-scientist and am fascinated and intrigued by the algorithmic approach to form. I’ve has become more involved with racing over the past few years due to simultaneously delving deeper into the sport and learning how to apply a data driven approach to punting. Beyond Racing, I am an avid NRL fan and MMA fan, the latter of which I have largely applied the same philosophy of methodical, data driven punting towards and found solid success in the MMA space and I continue to track and improve my strategies.