Melbourne Cup 

Melbourne Cup History

First held in 1861 at Flemington race course, and won by Archer, it has run every year since. Through wars and depression, and the good times too, the carnival has been one of the stayers of Australian cultural experience.

The history of the Melbourne Cup is filled with the most compelling of story lines. During the depression it was a horse call Phar Lap, known as ‘Big Red’ that gave people excitement and enjoyment in the toughest or times. There have been triumphs through adversity, none more so than Damien Oliver’s win on Media Puzzle in 2002 having just lost his brother in a riding incident. There have been many great training feats, but one that’s unrivalled is the record of the most famous trainer of them all, J.B Cummings. Better known as Bart, the champion trainer has won an astonishing 12 times.

There have been famous scandals too. In 1969 Bart Cummings had been extremely confident with his runner Big Philou, however on the eve of the race his horse was poisoned and couldn’t take a place in the Cup.   

It also remains the richest handicap race in the world, and attracts a star studded line up of International stayers. If you would like to learn more about Australia's iconic race, simply visit our Cup history page.

Melbourne Cup Forum

Melbourne Cup Fashion

Melbourne Cup day isn’t just about the horses with Melbourne Cup fashion very much the centre of attention as well.

Never has fashion caused more of a stir than in 1965 when British model and actress Jean Shrimpton attended the Melbourne Cup carnival in a dress which finished above the knees and was not accompanied with stockings! It did however begin a trend leading to the Melbourne Cup Carnival becoming very much about glamour and fashion.

Part of the glamour and colour of Melbourne Cup week are the number of international stars and dignitaries invited to enjoy the Carnival. Rivals try to out-do one another in getting the biggest guests in the birdcage. Actors, singers and models are courted by the major sponsors. 

In 2012 the Melbourne Cup will be visited by royalty, with Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, to be guests at Flemington.
 

Melbourne Cup Betting

The Melbourne Cup attracts the serious punters as well as many people who like having their once-a-year bet on the Cup. For Melbourne Cup betting, there are a number of options for punters and we have a variety of recommend bookmakers with fantastic bonuses for new customers looking to have a bet. We also compare the odds for every bookmaker, ensuring you can get the best price for your picks.

For those who don’t normally place a bet it can be confusing to know what the different bet types mean. You can find information on the most popular bet types on our betting page.

Melbourne Cup 2012

The Melbourne Cup is held at Flemington Racecourse, where over 100,000 people attend every year, with the capacity crowd taking up their vantage point well before the race jumps to secure a good view. It is run over a distance of 3200m (two-miles) with the large field of 24 horses thundering down the long straight, and past the winning post before doing a complete circuit of the track. It takes over three minutes to complete, with the fastest Melbourne Cup run in 1990, when Kingston Rule saluted in a time of just over 3min 16sec.

The last two Melbourne Cups have gone the way of the French, Americain in 2010 and Dunaden in 2011, and the international runners are likely to play a major role in the race again in 2012. The Melbourne Cup Odds highlights their potential dominance, occupying the top four lines in the Melbourne Cup Betting. With $6m in prize money on offer in the Melbourne Cup, including $3.6m for the winner, it is no wonder it attracts entrants from far and wide.

This year there is unprecedented interest from foreign stables as they try to win the world's richest handicap race. The 2012 field for the Melbourne Cup will contain one of the largest contigent of 'raiders' (foreign trained horses) in the event's history.

The handicap conditions mean horses are allotted a weight to carry on the basis of their disclosed racetrack form. In theory that means the best horses will always carry the most weight, as opposed to weight-for-age racing where horses are allocated a weight that is based on their sex and age, and not their career history.

Handicap conditions also mean astute trainers will try and get their horse into the Cup with as little weight as possible. However they often tread a tricky path as a horse placed too low in the ratings may be denied a start, if higher weighted horses take all the places in the field. 

The other method of gaining entry is to win a Exemption race. These are races that provide for an automatic ballot, should the horse's connections choose to excercise it. There are a total of seven exemption races for the Melbourne Cup, which are:

Irish St Leger:	(IRE)
Spring Tenno Sho:	(JPN)
Caulfield Cup:	(AUS)
Cox Plate:	(AUS)
Lexus Stakes:	(AUS)
Victoria Derby:	(AUS)
Mackinnon Stakes:	(AUS)

Melbourne Cup Prize Money

The Cup offers prize money totaling $6 million, plus $175,000 in trophies for connections, ensuring it remains the richest handicap race in the world.

First Prize:	$3,600,000
Second:	$900,000
Third:	$450,000
Fourth:	$250,000
Fifth:	$175,000
Sixth:	$125,000
Seventh:	$125,000
Eighth:	$125,000
Ninth:	$125,000
Tenth:	$125,000

Melbourne Cup Celebration: Food and Fun

The Cup is much more than Australia's most watched and revered sporting event, it's also become the destination for extravagant celebrations and festivities. People celebrate the Melbourne Cup with much joy and in a variety of different ways.

Whether at the Flemington racetrack, at the office with colleagues, or a local pub with their mates, people go all out to make it a memorable day.

Celebrate in style with delectable canapés, beer and bubbles. Don't miss the opportunity to sip on exclusive cocktails, like the mango and passion fruit champagne. Specially created for the occasion by very talented bar tenders in Australia. Then treat yourself to oysters Kilpatrick, chicken wings with blue cheese sauce or lamb and mint meat pies.