A look at this year’s Melbourne Cup sires

One of the stories of the 2024 Spring Carnival has been the renaissance of Fastnet Rock and it is a chance to continue in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.

The champion Coolmore stallion, who was retired from stud duty earlier this year, will double his number of Melbourne Cup runners.

Absurde last year became just the second Cup runner for the now-23-year-old, and finished seventh as a $9 chance.

The son of Danehill's only other Melbourne Cup runner was Super Cool, who ran ninth at $41 in the 2013 edition won by Fiorente.

Absurde is back for another crack at this year's race, while Fastnet Rock's other runner is Buckaroo, who was Melbourne Cup favourite before drawing barrier 21 and on Monday morning held down the $7 second line of betting.

Both Buckaroo and Absurde, like this year's stunning Cox Plate winner Via Sistina, were bred in Europe and are out of mares by Galileo.

That legendary stallion, who died in 2021, is yet to provide a winner of the Melbourne Cup but has three chances this year.

Interpretation and Okita Soushi, who ran sixth and 11th in last year's race, with Interpretation also having run in 2022, are again a part of this year's field with Group 1 The Metropolitan winner Land Legend his other representative.

The only stallion with more runners than Galileo this year is Almanzor, who has four.

Circle Of Fire has already proven his credentials at 3200m, having won this year's Sydney Cup, while his other runners are Victoria Derby winner Manzoice, last-start Sydney St Leger winner Athabascan and Kiwi mare Positivity.

The other sires with multiple representation in this year's $8.5m Group 1 are Roaring Lion and Sea The Stars with a total of 16 stallions represented in this year's race.

Whoever wins will enshrine their father onto the roll for the first time with none of the stallions represented having previously provided a Melbourne Cup winner.

This year's Melbourne Cup sires

Almanzor (4): Circle Of Fire, Athabascan, Manzoice, Positivity
Galileo (3): Land Legend, Okita Soushi, Interpretation,
Fastnet Rock (2): Buckaroo, Absurde
Roaring Lion (2): Valiant King, Saint George
Sea The Stars (2): Just Fine, Sea King
Alpine Eagle: The Map
Dialed In: Onesmoothoperator
Drefong: Warp Speed
Extreme Choice: Knights Choice
Galiway: Vauban
Harzand: Mostly Cloudy
Kingman: Zardozi
Ocean Park: Kovalica
Pride Of Dubai: Fancy Man
Redwood: Sharp 'N' Smart
Sweynesse: Trust In You