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The Melbourne Cup began in 1861 and has since become Australia’s most iconic horse race. Over the years, it has produced incredible moments and records. Here’s a look at some of the key facts, stats, and history from the Cup’s rich past.
When is the 2024 Melbourne Cup?
The Melbourne Cup will jump at 3pm on Tuesday, Nov. 5. It’s the seventh race on a 10-race card at Flemington.
Which horse has won the most Melbourne Cups?
Makybe Diva is the most successful horse in this race, winning the Melbourne Cup three times (2003, 2004, and 2005). Meanwhile, another four horses have won the Cup twice — Think Big (1974, 1975), Rain Lover (1968, 1969), Peter Pan (1932, 1934), and the winner of the first two editions of the race, Archer (1861, 1862).
Who is the most successful Melbourne Cup jockey?
Both Bobby Lewis (1902, 1915, 1919, 1927) and Harry White (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979) have won the race on four occasions and are the only jockeys to do so.
More recently, retired duo Damien Oliver (1995, 2002, 2013) and Glen Boss (2003, 2004, 2005) each have three wins, as does current rider Kerrin McEvoy (2000, 2016, 2018).
Who is the most successful Melbourne Cup trainer?
Legendary trainer Bart Cummings won the Melbourne Cup on 12 occasions: 1965 (Light Fingers), 1966 (Galilee), 1967 (Red Handed), 1974 (Think Big), 1975 (Think Big), 1977 (Gold and Black), 1979 (Hyperno), 1990 (Kingston Rule), 1991 (Let’s Elope), 1996 (Saintly), 1999 (Rogan Josh), and 2008 (Viewed). He also fielded the quinella of the race five times (1965, 1966, 1974, 1975, 1991).
How big is the Melbourne Cup field?
The field is currently limited to 24 runners, making it one of the biggest fields in Australian racing. Of course, sometimes there are less runners due to late scratchings. Believe it or not, the largest Melbourne Cup field consisted of a whopping 39 runners back in 1890! The smallest field to contest the race? There were just seven in 1963.
Has the Melbourne Cup always been run at Flemington?
Yep! The richest two-mile handicap in the world has always been run at the famous Flemington racecourse, but it wasn’t always held on a Tuesday — that didn’t become a tradition until 1875. Before that, it was actually run on a Thursday, and in three of the five years during World War II (1942, 1943 and 1944) it was held on a Saturday.
Which barrier has produced the most Melbourne Cup winners?
While there have been 163 editions of the race, barriers were not introduced until 1924. Nevertheless, barriers five and 14 have been the most successful, producing eight winners each.
In 2021, Verry Elleegant made history by winning the race from barrier 18, becoming the first horse to triumph from this position.
The barrier now with the longest drought is six, having not produced a winner since Light Fingers in 1965.
Since 2000, nine of the 23 winners have come from barriers between 10-14, with no gate to produce more than two winners since the turn of the century. Seven barriers are still winless in that time, those being two, six, 15, 16, 20, 23, and 24.
What about Melbourne Cup saddlecloths?
Horses that have been assigned with the No. 4 saddle have been the most successful with 12 wins, Verry Elleegant the most recent in 2021. Numbers one and 12 each have 11 wins, while No. 6 has 10. As for the unluckiest numbers — seven, 16, 18, and 21 have the least amount of wins with two each.
What’s the record Melbourne Cup winning time?
Kingston Rule (1990) holds the current record for the 3200m race with a time of 3:16.3. But the biggest winning margin is shared by Archer (1862) and Rain Lover (1968) with eight lengths. For comparison, last year’s winner, Without A Fight, won the race with a time of 3:18.37, the eighth-fastest time on record.
This century, the slowest winning time was the second of Makybe Diva’s three straight wins, running it in 3:28.55 in 2004 — the track was very rain-affected, though.
Archer and Lantern both took 3:52.00 to win in 1961 and 1964 respectively, the slowest winning time on record.
Has there ever been a dead heat in the Melbourne Cup?
Not yet! But there have certainly been some tight finishes, and you don’t need to think back too far. In 2011, Dunaden beat home Red Cadeaux by just millimetres in a memorable, heart-stopping photo finish. There was also a thriller three years prior when Cummings’ Viewed held off a fast-finishing Bauer by the barest of margins in 2008.
The first photo finish was back in 1948 when Rimfire won from Dark Marne, perhaps controversially, but that’s a story for another day…
What’s the essential weight a horse needs to carry to be a winning Melbourne Cup chance?
There is no ‘essential’ weight, per se, but weight is still a factor. And even then, the best horses usually still win regardless.
Firstly, because the race is run under handicap conditions, each horse will be allocated a weight by the handicapper which is based on a number of key factors such as sex, age and past performances, as a way of levelling out the field.
The largest weight carried to victory was 66kgs by Carbine in 1890, while the lightest-weighted winner was Banker who had just 33.5kgs on his back in 1863.
Since 2010, the average weight carried by a winning horse is just over 54kgs. In that time, Gold Trip (2022) has won with 57.5kgs, and Cross Counter (2018) has won with 51kgs. In fact, in the past four years, 55.5kgs is the lightest weight carried to Melbourne Cup victory.
What aged horse has had the most success in the Melbourne Cup?
Four-year-olds have the best record in the race with 45 winners, while five-year-olds have won the race 44 times, together accounting for almost 55% of all winners.
In saying that, last year’s winner, Without A Fight, won as a seven-year-old, while Gold Trip (2022) and Verry Elleegant (2021) were both six. In 2020, Irish raider Twilight Payment became just the third eight-year-old to win the race, and the first since Catalogue in 1938.
Skipton (1941) was the last three-year-old to win, but both Cross Counter (2018) and Rekindling (2017), although officially listed as four-year-olds, were both European three-year-olds at the time they won.
Do mares or stallions have a better record in the Melbourne Cup?
Stallions (or entires) have dominated the Melbourne Cup with 72 wins, as have geldings with 55. Only 14 mares have won the race, Verry Elleegant in 2021 the most recent — and she was the first to do so since Makybe Diva’s third Cup win in 2005.
Who is the favourite to win this year’s Melbourne Cup?
As of 9am [AEDT] Oct. 28, Chris Waller’s Via Sistina is the current favourite after her stunning Cox Plate win in which she broke the track record previously set by champion mare Winx, while Jan Brueghel has been a hyped runner ever since trainer Aidan O’Brien revealed the inexperienced colt by Galileo would be his sole contender for this year’s race. Last year’s favourite Vauban, Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo, and Geelong Cup winner Onesmoothoperator are also among the key chances.
What prize money is on offer?
The Melbourne Cup is worth $8 million, with the winner receiving $4.4 million. Trainers receive 10% of the winnings, jockeys 5%, and 85% goes to the owners of the horse. The second-placed runner earns $1.1 million, third takes $550,000, fourth $350,000, fifth $230,000, and sixth to 12th $160,000.
What is the biggest crowd to attend the Melbourne Cup?
The very first edition of the race welcomed 4,000 racegoers, but the record attendance was set when 2003 attracted 122,736 spectators. That figure dipped to 98,161 the following year, before the next 11 years saw crowds in six figures. Due to COVID-19, there were no patrons on course in 2020, while the crowd capacity was capped at 10,000 just for 2021.
Last year, the official attendance at Flemington was 84,492 — up 14.5% from 2022.
How can you watch the race in 2024?
Channel Nine has the free-to-air rights to the Melbourne Cup this year, as well as the rest of the carnival (Derby Day on November 2, Oaks Day on November 7, and Champions Stakes Day on November 9), after striking a six-year deal with the VRC and Tabcorp. It will also be available on the TAB app, Sky Racing, and Racing.com.
Make sure to also stay tuned to ESPN.com.au for a complete form guide and Cup day tips.