This week in Winning Post

Your Winning Post Melbourne Cup special will be available here from 8.30pm AEDT Saturday.

Cup week is here and the big race looks as wide-open as ever.

Defiantly leads what looks the strongest overseas challenge in years while Caulfield Cup runner-up Saint George is among the best of the locals.

Or is there a smokey lurking in the field like Knight's Choice in 2024?

While there's plenty of debate on the identity of the Cup winner, there's no doubt your best form guide for Tuesday's action is Winning Post's Melbourne Cup special.

Our full-colour 16-page Flemington guide is the one you need to find all the winners, and there's plenty more reading to keep you entertained through the day.

Shane Templeton, Paul Richards and Joel Marshall are among the writers giving their perspectives on the cup, while our monster Cup crossword will give the memory cells a workout.

And if you're looking to find a winner we've got plenty more than Flemington, with full form guides for Randwick, Morphettville, Eagle Farm, Ascot and Echuca Tuesday, plus fields for all the other Monday and Tuesday TAB meetings.

This year's Melbourne Cup special will be out first thing Monday, or Saturday night online.

... More

Inside Winning Post October 31 edition you'll find liftout form guides for:
Friday:
The Valley @ Cranbourne
Saturday:
Flemington, Rosehill, Morphettville, Eagle Farm, Ascot, Geelong (Vic/SA/Tas edition), Hawkesbury (NSW edition), Gold Coast (Qld edition)
Sunday:
Ararat, Warren
Should the Victoria Derby distance be shortened to 2000 metres?
Eye Catchers
Each week Paul Richards identifies horses from recent race meetings that he believes are ready to win. Here we update you when they are about to have their next start.
Flemington Saturday - R3 N5 Your Colour 11th
Flemington Saturday - R5 N5 Warnie 9th
Flemington Saturday - R5 N10 Hughes 15th
Flemington Saturday - R5 N11 Steparty 7th
Flemington Saturday - R8 N10 Concord Connie
Flemington Saturday - R9 N5 Naifah
Flemington Saturday - R9 N6 Thanks Gorgeous
Results
Letter of the Week

Needs work

As the central economic drivers of thoroughbred racing, punters deserve structural transparency. 
Wagering turnover directly finances massive prizemoney pools and infrastructure. Because punters completely bankroll the operation, they are entitled to just as much information on a horse’s condition and performance as the owners.
Yet a critical data gap remains regarding vital trackwork metrics. Daily morning gallops, sectional splits, and minor physical setbacks are hidden inside private training complexes. 
This information asymmetry compromises integrity. If corporate sports leagues like the AFL or NFL can mandate strict public injury and training disclosures, racing must modernise.
Racing bodies should implement mandatory GPS tracking devices during all official fast gallops, making automated sectional data publicly accessible. 
Standardised fitness logs would ensure a level playing field for the everyday participants who keep the industry solvent. 
It is time to treat comprehensive information equity not as a trainer’s proprietary privilege or an owner’s exclusive luxury, but as a punter’s fundamental right.

John Cooper
Townsville (Qld)
Today's Racing
Saturday 31 October
Sunday 1 November
Monday 2 November
Social Networking

Paul Richards introduces a fun formula each week designed to come up with the odd winner for those looking for a small interest or to see if systems really work. On this page he subjects Saturday's fields to one of those systems: