The 2010 Melbourne Cup is right around the corner, set to be held on Tuesday November 2 at about 3PM.

As the Melbourne Cup is such a popular event that brings more than just the diehard racing fanatics to the track at Flemington, you should buy your tickets now to guarantee a good view of the race.

Tickets are available from the main Melbourne Cup site, and there are options for restaurant seating and private boxes for those who want more than just general admission. Corporate marquees are also available for those who want to take the usual Cup tradition a little further.

The 2010 Melbourne Cup is looking to be a very good run, with the early nominations for the race suggesting the final field will be truly incredible. It’ll likely be packed full of international runners, too.

While the numbers for 2010 Melbourne Cup nominations are down from 2008, they are up from last year with 253 aspirants hoping to make it into the final field of 24. There were only 230 nominees in 2009, however it included an impressive overseas contingent of 57 foreign horses.

The final Melbourne Cup field will be released on the Saturday October 30 at around 7:30 PM. A lot of casual punters will just start betting then, but the real players are already placing bets right now at online betting sites like SportsBet, which has odds up for all of the Melbourne Cup nominees.