English trainer Ed Dunlop rates the Melbourne Cup field as the strongest he has come up against.

Dunlop's crowd favourite and three-time runner-up Red Cadeaux is back for the fifth year in a row and has been joined by stablemate Trip To Paris, a five-year-old on his first journey outside England.

Dunlop was impressed with Trip To Paris's second to Mongolian Khan in the Caulfield Cup and believe he has a chance on Tuesday.

"There are a lot of very good horses in this race," Dunlop said on Sunday.

"I think is the best Melbourne Cup I've competed in. There are a lot of horses I think can win, locals and the internationals."

Dunlop won't predict that 2015 will be the year Red Cadeaux finally goes one better in the Cup nor will he say if it will be the horse's final race.

"I don't know. I've said this is it about four times, so we'll wait and see what happens on Tuesday."

The popular British stayer is now 10, although Dunlop is quick to point out that he is nine by English calculations: "It sounds better."

No horse older than eight has won the Cup.

Red Cadeaux has made the long trip out to Australia six times. Earlier this year he came to Sydney where he ran second to Criterion in the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

"He seems to become a different horse around here," he said.

Should Red Cadeaux run second for the fourth time, Dunlop said he would still be very proud.

"If he runs in the top four it would be an astonishing result for a horse of his age to come to this country six times," he said.

Jockey Tommy Berry is confident Trip To Paris can deliver him and Dunlop a first Melbourne Cup win, which is exactly what the gelding's enthusiastic owners in the La Grange Partnership also hope.

Trip To Paris is now the star among the horses owned by Andy Gemmell, who joined the syndicate in September after the horse won the Ascot Gold Cup over 4023m in June.

Owning a Melbourne Cup runner has been a big dream for the blind 63-year-old.

"Ed rang me up and knew that I was desperate to get involved in the Melbourne Cup and asked me if I'd be prepared to be involved," Gemmell told AAP.

"It didn't take much thinking about it."

Gemmell, attending his eighth Melbourne Cup, believes Trip To Paris can do the job.

"He's a stayer that has a great turn of foot and over two miles, 2400m, it's really useful. I think he'll bring it to play on Tuesday.

"I think he's a bit special. I'd love to emulate the great Red Cadeaux, his stablemate."