Jockey Hugh Bowman, who completed in his apprenticeship in Bathurst, has been linked with Metal Bender while former Bathurst pharmacist turned trainer Bjorn Baker and his father Murray will be hoping Harris Tweed can improve on last year’s fifth placing in the Melbourne Cup.

Ahead of the race next Tuesday, four qualified contenders had dropped out leaving Precedence (26th), Mourayan (27th), Linton (30th), Holberg (31st), Above Average (37th) and Moudre (38th) amongst the contenders outside the 24-horse limit.

As of Monday’s third Melbourne Cup declarations Metal Bender was ranked fifth while the New Zealand trained Harris Tweed was in 18th position.

Interestingly the number one ranked horse, Bart Cummings’ So You Think, picked the first two wins of his career with Bowman in the saddle.

The keen competition for a place in the final cup field ensures a vintage day of racing on Saturday, with the Lexus Stakes (2500 metres) offering the winner exemption from the cup ballot.

This was the route into the race taken by 2009 winner Shocking and by Brew in 2000.

In the past 40 years, 24 winners of the Melbourne Cup have raced either the MacKinnon Stakes (2000m, Group 1) or the Leux Stakes on Derby Day.

Prominent owner Lloyd Williams and his son Nick renewed their attack on Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter’s decision to penalise Moonee Valley Cup Precedence one-and-a-half kilograms. It lifted the Cummings trained stayer above Williams hopeful Linton, which soundly defeated Precedence in its last race, the group 2 Herbert Power Handicap at Caulfield.

The Victoria Racing Club has the authority to exclude a poorly-performed horse from the Melbourne Cup, but cannot promote specific horses in the pecking order.

Once a horse satisfied qualifying clauses for the Melbourne Cup, its order of entry is determined by the weight it is allocated by the handicapper.

Precedence has received two penalties for wins this preparation to rise to 53.5kg and above Williams’ chances Linton and Mourayan in order for the great race.

Nick Williams told SEN radio that the handicapping was “disgraceful”, “incompetent” and “mystifying”, saying Carpenter was “choosing to make his own field as he sees fit.”

“This is about turning a great race into a laughing stock,” he said.

Few punters would agree with the aggrieved Williams clan about the 150th running of the race that stops the nation, with interest in the event reaching new heights thanks to the depth of talent in contention for a start and the emergence of a new hero of the turf in dual-Cox Plate winner So You Think.

The middle distance superstar, who has never run beyond the Cox Plate distance of 2000 metres, still appears on target for a Melbourne Cup start.

Jockey Steven Arnold said the “big unknown” and “big question mark” was whether So You Think can stay the Melbourne Cup distance, but said the glamourous entire was bred to make the required distance.