Sir Michael Stoute's Snow Sky handed joint top weight for Melbourne Cup

Snow Sky has been allotted joint top weight along with 2014 Melbourne Cup hero Protectionist in this year's renewal of the Flemington Group One contest.

Sir Michael Stoute's Snow Sky ran out an impressive winner of the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot back in June prompting Racing Victoria's chief handicapper Greg Carpenter to saddle him with 58 kilograms, the equivalent of 9st 2lb, for the November 3 event.

Both Snow Sky and Protectionist, who is now trained by Kris Lees in Australia after winning for Andreas Wohler last year, will have history to overcome as no original top weight has won the race since 1950.

Carpenter told www.racing.com: "There have been 22 original topweights contest the Melbourne Cup since Comic Court's win in 1950 and none have placed, so Protectionist and Snow Sky would rightfully earn their place among the Cup's true greats if they were to be successful.

"The handicap presents a challenge to both Protectionist and Snow Sky, however, they have earned their position at the heads of the weights based on their performances over the past 12 months.

"Protectionist was a dominant winner of last year's Melbourne Cup carrying 56.5kg and rises 1.5kg for this year's renewal, while Snow Sky is the highest-rated horse in the field having won the coveted Hardwicke Stakes in emphatic fashion at this year's Royal Ascot Carnival."

Protectionist will join an elite band of Makybe Diva (2003-05), Think Big (1974-75), Rain Lover (1968-69), Peter Pan (1932, '34) and Archer (1861-62) as the multiple winners of the Melbourne Cup if he can triumph again this year.

Michael Bell's Goodwood Cup hero Big Orange has been allotted 55.5kg while his Lonsdale Cup conqueror, the Willie Mullins-trained Max Dynamite, has been given 55kg.

Ed Dunlop sends Red Cadeaux for his fifth attempt at the prize and he also carries 55kg, the same burden as his Ascot Gold Cup-winning stablemate Trip To Paris. The stable's third entry Manndawi has been given 50kg.

Dunlop believes Red Cadeaux is in the shape of his life and that Trip To Paris has the necessary attributes to run a big race in the 'race that stops a nation'; both have been allotted 55kg.

The evergreen nine-year-old Red Cadeuax has finished second three times in the famous race, as well as finishing eighth in 2012.

He enjoyed a perfectly respectable run last time out at Newbury when third behind Agent Murphy and there are no signs his talent is on the wane.

"Red Cadeaux ran a great prep race at Newbury in the Geoffrey Freer and goes into quarantine in as good a condition as I think we've ever sent him," said Dunlop.

"At the moment Trip To Paris is the best stayer in Britain. The beauty of him is that he has a turn of foot and I'm hoping that will hold him in good stead."

Aidan O'Brien's wide-margin Irish St Leger winner Order Of St George has been allotted 54kg with Carpenter assessing him as the equal of Protectionist and Snow Sky.

He explained: "Order of St George could not have been more impressive winning the Irish St Leger on Sunday by 11 lengths and the 54kg I have allotted him as a northern hemisphere three-year-old is the same as 58kg for an older horse with both being 1.5kg below the weight-for-age benchmark."

Order Of St George is one of four entries for O'Brien with St Leger first and third Bondi Beach and Fields Of Athenry weighted on 52.5kg and 51kg respectively, while Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Kingfisher has 53kg.

Godolphin have a handful of entries with Sky Hunter (54kg), Secret Number (52.5kg), Wadi Al Hattawi (50.5kg), Elhaame (50kg) and Hidden Gold (50kg).

Roger Charlton's Northumberland Plate winner Quest For More is on 53.5kg with the Martyn Meade-trained Forever Now, Mark Johnston's Oriental Fox and Andrew Balding's Havana Beat on 51kg and Alan Swinbank's Libran on 50kg.

Mullins also has Wicklow Brave (52kg), Clondaw Warrior (51kg) and Simenon (51kg) in the reckoning while Dermot Weld's two entries, Manalaplan and Zafayan, have both been given 50kg.

The Queen has a contender in the ex-Stoute-trained Bold Sniper (50kg) who is now based in Australia while the James Cummings-trained Precedence(52kg) would be a popular winner.

His handler is the grandson of the legendary trainer Bart Cummings, who won the Melbourne Cup 12 times and sadly passed away last month.