Shamus Award, a $101 shot with Sportingbet Australia immediately following the barrier draw on Tuesday, has become the first maiden to win the Sportingbet Cox Plate.
The Danny O’Brien trained three-year-old firmed into $61 following the shock scratching of pre-post favourite Atlantic Jewel, and was steadily backed throughout the week before starting at $21.
“He might have created history by becoming the first maiden to win the race but punters didn’t miss him,” Sportingbet’s Andrew Brown said.
“Since we’ve been betting on the race, there’s never been a horse at $101 after the final field was declared that’s gone on and won,” Brown said.
“Shamas Award was one of the best backed horses during the week and punters crunched him late,” Brown said.
“It’s fair to say this has been one of the biggest long-shot plunges we’ve ever seen in a Cox Plate,”
Long-time Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune’s odds of winning the Melbourne Cup have drifted dramatically from $11 to $26 at Sportingbet.
“It’s questionable whether he’ll start in the race after that performance and his odds reflect that,”
Other Melbourne cup changes include
$31 -> $26 Puissance De Lune
$6.5 -> $5.5 Fiorente
$17 -> $16 Sea Moon
$35 -> $51 Green Moon
$14 -> $13 Verema
$20 -> $21 Simenon
$13 -> $11 Hawkspur
$301 -> $401 Prince Cheri
$21 -> $19 Seville
$18 -> $23 Masked Marvel
$401 -> $501 Motivado
$601 -> $701 Ghost Protocol
$301 -> $501 Sneak A Peek
$501 -> $601 Bass Strait
$21 -> $26 Fawkner
$21 -> $23 Tres Blue
$14 -> $15 Voleuse De Coeurs