The flamboyant Frankie Dettori has snared the ride on defending Melbourne Cup champion Almandin with Damien Oliver losing his appeal against suspension.
Dettori has ridden the winners of most of the world's greatest races but the closest he has come to claiming the Melbourne Cup was his second on Max Dynamite in 2015.
Oliver was outed for improper riding aboard Happy Clapper in Saturday's Cox Plate and will miss the Flemington carnival.