Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace, looks like being a major player in the upcoming Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Bartholomeu Dias, Explosive Jack, Floating Artist, Gold Trip, Grand Promenade, Heart Of Pussiance, High Emocean, King's Charisma, Mankavan, Mayfair Spirt, Persan, Sir Dragonet and Tooradin are their nominations for the 3200 metre race.

The Winslow training export said it is the most horses the stable has had as first acceptances.

"There's still a lot of water to go under the bridge before the Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday in November," Maher told The Standard.

"I'm very happy with how well our Melbourne Cup hopefuls are progressing but as I said there's still plenty of things can happen between now and November 2."

Australia's leading trainer Chris Waller is represented with 13 horses as he tries to win his first Melbourne Cup. The 2019 Melbourne Cup hero Vow And Declare is one of five acceptances from the Danny O'Brien stable.

The most notable non-acceptors are the retiring Prince Of Arran, 2019 placegetter II Paradiso and promising local stayer Nonconformist.

Promising Symon Wilde mare Tralee Rose joins other Warrnambool-trained horses Constantinople from the Aaron Purcell yard, the Matthew Williams-trained Darvin and La Boal from the Lindsey Smith stable as first acceptors.

The weights for this years Melbourne Cup will be released on September 14 while the second acceptors close a fortnight later on September 28.

Maher, who trained Jameka to win the prestigious 2016 Caulfield Cup, has 14 first acceptors for this year's race to be run on Saturday, October 16.

Sir Dragonet, the winner of the 2020 Cox Plate is one of three acceptors that the Maher-Eustace stable has in this years race which is on October 23.

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