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Melbourne Cup Preview

A Melbourne Cup preview for Australia's greatest race held at Flemington racecourse each year on the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne Cup.

Known as 'the race that stops a nation, the Melbourne Cup is a time-honoured Group 1 handicap event run over a distance of 3200 metres during the spring racing carnival in Melbourne, Victoria.

It's the richest 3200 metres event on turf in the world, offering $8,000,000 for entrants.

Vow And Declare won the 2019 Melbourne Cup from Prince Of Arran second and Il Paradiso third.

Melbourne Cup Day brings the nation of Australia to a standstill around 3pm in the afternoon, as racing enthusiasts and once-a-year punters gather around the country in anticipation of our most famous race - the Melbourne Cup.

The four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival is the pinnacle of the Melbourne spring racing carnival and the Melbourne Cup itself has grown to become the richest handicap event in the world over 2 miles.

Visit our Melbourne Cup Day information page for more details including the race schedule for Cup day.

Melbourne Cup info

Date: Tuesday 2nd November 2021
Track: Flemington racecourse, Melbourne
Distance: 3200 metres
Race Type: Open Handicap
Status: Group 1
Prize Money: $8,000,000
2019 Winner: Vow And Declare
2019 Crowd: 81,408
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The Melbourne Cup is a gruelling two mile race that assembles a field of up to 24 local and international horses under handicap conditions. Finding the winner can be difficult affair, due to all the variables that make the race what it is. It's become easier to decipher the field in recent years because of the influx of better class gallopers from overseas competing in the event.

A race such as the Gr3 Hotham Handicap on Derby Day is a traditional lead up race to the Melbourne Cup, while the Gr3 Geelong Cup has provided two recent Melbourne Cup winners in Dunaden (2011) and American (2010).

The Melbourne Cup also combines with the Caulfield Cup to form the major Cup's double of the spring. Punters take advantage of early markets trying to back the winner of both races in an attempt to score a big multiple double result.

A Global Event

Former champion mare Makybe Diva won the Melbourne Cup three years in succession 2003, 2004 and 2005 and is the only thoroughbred to achieve that honour in the long history of the great race. The Group 2 Makybe Diva Stakes is named in the brilliant mare's honour.

Ballarat jockey Michelle Payne became the first female rider to win the Melbourne Cup when she guided Prince Of Penzance (2015) to victory in front of more than 100,000 people.

Danny O'Brien and Craig Williams captured their first Melbourne Cup victory as trainer and jockey when Australian-bred galloper Vow and Declare (2019) scored a popular home grown win.

The Melbourne Cup has become a global event since 1993 with a number of international horses from a variety of countries making the trek to Australia in a hit and run mission to win the big prize money on offer.

The Melbourne Cup Irish Invasion

The Irish owned and trained Vintage Crop won the Cup in 1993 and connections scored again with Media Puzzle in 2002, while the Godolphin's Central Park ran a top second place in 1999.

Other visitors such as English stayers Give The Slip 2nd in 2001 and Persian Punch 3nd in 1998 and 2001 were top efforts.

Star Irish stayer Vinnie Roe was unlucky to run into three time winner Makybe Diva in 2004 when he finished a creditable second.

World class Japanese stayers Delta Blues and Pop Rock finished first and second by a big margin in 2006 and took the Melbourne Cup to new heights on the worldwide racing stage.

English galloper Bauer just missed winning the Cup in 2008 when he flew home late to be beaten by the narrowest of margins.

Twilight Payment (2020) ran second in the Group 1 Irish St Leger over 2816m at The Curragh in Ireland before heading to Australia to score a stylish victory in this event for Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien.

Recent Melbourne Cup winners include Vow And Declare (2019) and Cross Counter (2018).

2020 Melbourne Cup result

1. $26.00 Twilight Payment 55.5 Jye McNeil
2. $6.50 Tiger Moth 52.5 Kerrin McEvoy
3. $9.50 Prince Of Arran 54.5 Ms Jamie Kah

then followed
4. $41.00 The Chosen One 53.5 Daniel Stackhouse
5. $41.00 Persan 51.0 Michael Dee
6. $12.00 Sir Dragonet 55.5 Glen Boss
7. $10.00 Verry Elleegant 55.5 Mark Zahra
8. $13.00 Russian Camelot 53.5 Damien Oliver
9. $21.00 Finche 54.5 James McDonald
10. $26.00 Ashrun 53.0 Declan Bates
11. $81.00 Oceanex 51.5 Dean Yendall
12. $41.00 Warning 53.0 Luke Currie
13. $6.00 Surprise Baby 54.5 Craig Williams
14. $41.00 Miami Bound 51.0 Daniel Moor
15. $19.00 Master Of Reality 56.0 Ben Melham
16. $31.00 Steel Prince 53.5 William Pike
17. $101.00 Etah James 52.5 Billy Egan
18. $61.00 Vow And Declare 57.0 Jamie Mott
19. $101.00 Mustajeer 55.0 Michael Rodd
20. $31.00 Stratum Albion 55.0 Jordan Childs
21. $101.00 Dashing Willoughby 54.5 Michael Walker
22. $61.00 Avilius 57.0 John Allen
FF $10.00 Anthony Van Dyck 58.5 Hugh Bowman

Margins: 0.4 len, 0.6 len
Time: 3:17.34

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Melbourne Cup winners & placegetters

Year Winner 2nd 3rd Time
2019 Vow And Declare Prince Of Arran Il Paradiso 3:24.7
2018 Cross Counter Marmelo A Prince Of Arran 3:21.1
2017 Rekindling Johannes Vermeer Max Dynamite 3:21.1
2016 Almandin Heartbreak City Hartnell 3:20.5
2015 Prince Of Penzance Max Dynamite Criterion 3:23.1
2014 Protectionist Red Cadeaux Who Shot Thebarman 3:17.7
2013 Fiorente Red Cadeaux Mount Athos 3.20.3
2012 Green Moon Fiorente Jakkalberry 3:20.4
2011 Dunaden Red Cadeaux Lucas Cranach 3:20.8
2010 Americain Maluckyday So You Think 3.26:8
2009 Shocking Crime Scene Mourilyan 3:23.8
2008 Viewed Bauer C'est La Guerre 3:20.4
2007 Efficient Purple Moon Mahler 3.23.3
2006 Delta Blues Pop Rock Maybe Better 3.21.5
2005 Makybe Diva On A Jeune Xcellent 3.19.1
2004 Makybe Diva Vinnie Roe Zazzman 3.28.5
2003 Makybe Diva She's Archie Jardine's Lookout 3.19.9
2002 Media Puzzle Mr Prudent Beekeeper 3.16.9
2001 Ethereal Give The Slip Persian Punch 3.21.0
2000 Brew Yippyio Second Coming 3.18.6
1999 Rogan Josh Central Park Lahar 3.19.6
1998 Jezabeel Champagne Persian Punch 3.18.5
1997 Might And Power Doriemus Markham 3.18.3
1996 Saintly Count Chivas Skybeau 3.18.8
1995 Doriemus Nothin' Leica Dane Vintage Crop 3.27.6
1994 Jeune Paris Lane Oompala 3.19.8
1993 Vintage Crop Te Akau Nick Mercator 3.23.4
1992 Subzero Veandercross Castletown 3.24.7
1991 Let's Elope Shiva's Revenge Magnolia Hall 3.18.9
1990 Kingston Rule The Phantom Mr Brooker 3.16.3
1989 Tawrrific Super Impose Kudz 3.17.1
1988 Empire Rose Natksi Na Botto 3.18.9
1987 Kensei Empire Rose Rosedale 3.22.0
1986 At Talaq Rising Fear Sea Legend 3.21.7
1985 What A Nuisance Koiro Corrie May Tripsacum 3.23.0
1984 Black Knight Chagemar Mapperley Heights 3.18.9
1983 Kiwi Noble Comment Mr Jazz 3.18.9
1982 Gurner's Lane Kingston Town Noble Comment 3.21.2
1981 Just A Dash El Laurena Flashing Light 3.21.2
1980 Beldale Ball My Blue Denim Lover Bandit 3.19.8
1979 Hyperno Salamander Red Nose 3.21.8
1978 Arwon Dandaleith Karu 3.24.3
1977 Gold And Black Reckless Hyperno 3.18.4
1976 Van Der Hum Gold And Black Kythera 3.34.1
1975 Think Big Holiday Waggon Medici 3.29.6
1974 Think Big Leilani Captain Peri 3.23.1
1973 Gala Supreme Glengowan Daneson 3.19.5
1972 Piping Lane Magnifique Gunsynd 3.19.3
1971 Silver Knight Igloo Tails 3.19.5
1970 Baghdad Note Vansittart Clear Prince 3.19.7