Melbourne Cup Information

The Melbourne Cup – affectionately known as ‘the race that stops a nation’ – is the most famous race on the Australian calendar, and one of the biggest spectacles in the world of horse racing.

Race details

Held on the first Tuesday of November, the Melbourne Cup is the centerpiece of the Spring racing carnival at Flemington Racecourse.

The race is run over a distance of 3200m, with its $8million prize pool making it the world’s richest handicap race on turf.

Under handicap conditions, the minimum weight is 49kg for three-year-olds, and 50kg for horses aged four and over. There is no maximum weight.

Ballot exempt races for the Melbourne Cup

There are five races which are ballot exempt races for the Melbourne Cup, meaning the winner gains automatic entry into the race. They are:

– The Andrew Ramsden
– The Bart Cummings
– Hotham Handicap
– Cox Plate
– Caulfield Cup

Melbourne Cup prize money

The Cup often attracts a large contingent of European raiders, who try to take advantage of the inferior Australian stayers and the huge prizemoney on offer.

The winner collects a cool $4.4million, as well as $250,000 worth of trophies, which go to the owner, jockey, trainer, breeder and strapper.

See the breakdown of the prize money below:

1^st          $4,400,000
2^nd         $1,100,000
3^rd          $550,000
4^th          $350,000
5^th          $230,000
6^th          $160,000
7^th          $160,000
8^th          $160,000
9^th          $160,000
10^th        $160,000
11^th        $160,000
12^th        $160,000

Race history

The Melbourne Cup was first run in 1861 when five-year-old entire Archer won the race for trainer Etienne de Mestre. He returned a year later to win the race once more, with jockey John Cutts piloting him to both victories.

The capacity field size is currently 24 runners. The smallest ever field for the race was in 1863 when just seven horses lined up, while the biggest field was when 39 runners competed in the 1890 edition of the race, won by Carbine.

The Cup was traditionally a race for Australasian horses, however that all changed when Vintage Crop won in 1993 for Irish trainer Dermot Weld. Since then, a number of international horses have achieved success in Australia’s greatest race, including Delta Blues (Japan), Americain (France), Protectionist (Germany), Rekindling (Ireland), Cross Counter (GB) and Twilight Payment (Ireland).

Archer, Peter Pan, Rain Lover and Think Big are all dual winners of the race, while Makybe Diva won in three consecutive years between 2003-2005.

Most successful Melbourne Cup winners

Legendary trainer Bart Cummings was known as ‘The Cups King’ and remains the most successful trainer in the history of the race, with 12 victories.

Harry White and Bobby Lewis share riding honours with four victories each, while Michelle Payne created history aboard Prince Of Penzance in 2015 by becoming the first female jockey to win the race.

Leviathan owner Lloyd Williams is the winning-most owner, with seven victories to his name.

Full list of Melbourne Cup winners

Check out our full list of Melbourne Cup winners HERE, where you can see the horses, trainers and jockeys to have won our greatest race, along with weights, barriers, times and more!

2021 Melbourne Cup previews and tips

Here at RacingBet, we cover every race during the Spring racing carnival and offer runner-by-runner previews and tips for every Melbourne Cup!

Check out our early look at 5 Horses to Watch for the 2021 Melbourne Cup!