Will this be Godolphin's year Down Under?

Dubai: Godolphin and trainer Saeed Bin Surour look likely to be double-handed with Kirklees and Crime Scene in this year's Emirates Melbourne Cup on November 3.

Sponsored by Emirates, Godolphin has had 12 runners since 1998 in Australia's most famous race, and came close to victory in both 1999 and 2001 with the second places of Central Park and Give The Slip.

Kirklees, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori, has already had an outing in Australia when finishing seventh, behind 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup winner Viewed in the Caulfield Cup on 17th October, a race won last year by Godolphin's All The Good.

Crime Scene, the mount of Kerrin McEvoy, had been off the track for almost three months, before finishing a respectable sixth in the Geelong Cup on 21st October, in his first Australian run.

Emirates Melbourne Cup training legend, Bart Cummings will be looking for his 13th victory in the ‘race that stops a nation'. He already has two live chances in Viewed, current race favourite, and Cox Plate winner So You Think.

Away from the racing action, the focus of this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival, which begins on Saturday with Derby Day, will be the Emirates Marquee located in the famed Birdcage at Flemington Racecourse.

Vibrant colours

Throughout the Carnival, Emirates will be hosting its guests in its destination-themed marquee, which is based on the vibrant colours; cosmopolitan culture and the rich heritage of India.

Flemington Racecourse's Birdcage Enclosure features an array of unique hospitality marquees lining the narrow walkways. This world famous enclosure is known for being an international celebrity hub during the Carnival.

This year, Emirates will be hosting Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, and the reigning World Champion in Eventing.

Miss Phillips said: "I am thrilled to be heading to Melbourne to join Emirates and the Victoria Racing Club as part of the exciting celebrations.

The Emirates Melbourne Cup is a world renowned event and horses are such a big part of my life. I can't wait."

Following her trip to Melbourne, Miss Phillips will relax at Emirates' new luxury conservation-based resort, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, located between two of Australia's most prominent national parks and bordering the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

Amongst the celebrities joining Miss Phillips in the Emirates Marquee will be Australian cricket team vice-captain Michael Clarke and his fiancé Lara Bingle.