Melbourne Cup Carnival
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the highlight of spring racing in Victoria and features four magnificent days of racing in early November at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne.
The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) administers racing at Flemington and Melbourne Cup week is one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar each year in Australia. The jewel in the crown of the 2017 Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is the time-honoured Melbourne Cup over 3200 metres on the first Tuesday in November.
AAMI Victoria Derby Day on Saturday 4th November 2017 is the first day of the four-day Flemington spring racing carnival. Highlight of the meeting is the Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby for three-year-olds over 2500 metres.
The following Tuesday 7th November 2017 is Melbourne Cup Day, where the 'race that stops a nation' takes centre stage. Held in front of more than 100,000 racing fans at Flemington, the Group 1 Melbourne Cup is the richest handicap race in the world over two miles.
Two days later on Thursday 9th November 2017 is VRC Oaks Day, where the country's best three-year-old fillies gather for the Group 1 VRC Oaks over 2500 metres. Emirates Stakes Day is the final day of the four-day Flemington carnival on Saturday 11th November 2017 with the Group 1 Emirates Stakes over 2000 metres the feature race of the day.
2017 AAMI Victoria Derby Day Program
2017 AAMI Victoria Derby Day - Saturday 4th November 2017
Derby Day takes place on the Saturday before Melbourne Cup Day and is widely recognised as one of the greatest days of racing anywhere in the world. Derby Day features four Group 1 races, two Group 2 races and three Group 3 races on the card, including the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
| # | Time | Purse | Status | Race | Distance | Race Type |
| 1 | 11.45am | $251,500 | Gr3 | Carbine Club Stakes | 1600m | 3yo SW+P |
| 2 | 12.20pm | $302,000 | Gr2 | Wakeful Stakes | 2000m | 3yoF SW+P |
| 3 | 1.00pm | $251,500 | Gr3 | Chatham Stakes | 1400m | Handicap |
| 4 | 1.40pm | $502,500 | Gr1 | Coolmore Stud Stakes | 1200m | 3yo SW |
| 5 | 2.25pm | $251,500 | Gr3 | The Lexus Stakes | 2500m | Quality |
| 6 | 3.05pm | $1,002,500 | Gr1 | Mackinnon Stakes | 2000m | WFA |
| 7 | 3.50pm | $1,510,000 | Gr1 | AAMI Victoria Derby | 2500m | 3yo SW |
| 8 | 4.35pm | $502,500 | Gr1 | Myer Classic | 1600m | F&M WFA |
| 9 | 5.20pm | $302,000 | Gr2 | Linlithgow Stakes | 1200m | Handicap |
2017 Melbourne Cup Day Program
2017 Melbourne Cup Day - Tuesday 7th November 2017
Melbourne Cup Day, on the Tuesday, is the biggest day of the week long carnival at Flemington. It's the social event of the year in the city of Melbourne, with the highlight being the running of the Melbourne Cup at 3pm.
| # | Time | Purse | Status | Race | Distance | Race Type |
| 1 | 10.40am | $151,500 | Gr3 | Ottawa Stakes | 1000m | 2yoF Sw |
| 2 | 11.20am | $101,500 | tab.com.au Trophy | 1700m | Mares Hcp | |
| 3 | 10.00pm | $101,500 | JB Cummings Plate | 2800m | 0-96 Hcp | |
| 4 | 12.40pm | $101,500 | Lavazza Short Black | 1400m | 4&5yo 0-90 | |
| 5 | 1.20pm | $101,500 | Schweppes | 1000m | 3yo SW+P | |
| 6 | 2.00pm | $151,500 | LR | Lexus Hybrid Plate | 1400m | 3yoF SW+P |
| 7 | 3.00pm | $6,200,000 | Gr1 | 2017 Melbourne Cup | 3200m | Handicap |
| 8 | 3.55pm | $151,500 | LR | James Boag's Stakes | 1800m | Handicap |
| 9 | 4.35pm | $101,500 | Mss Security Sprint | 1200m | Handicap | |
| 10 | 5.15pm | $201,500 | Gr3 | Maybe Mahal Stakes | 1400m | Mares SW+P |
2017 Melbourne Cup Info
Melbourne Cup day is the feature event of the spring and more info can be found below, including Melbourne Cup History, Melbourne Cup free bets and Melbourne Cup betting.
We highly recommend Sportsbet for all your spring racing carnival betting.
2017 VRC Oaks Day Program
2017 VRC Oaks Day - Thursday 11th November 2017
VRC Oaks Day celebrates a day of fashion for the females and is known as 'Ladies Day', with the main race of the day being the VRC Oaks for three-year-old fillies.
| # | Time | Purse | Status | Race | Distance | Race Type |
| 1 | 12.15pm | $101,500 | 7News Plate | 1700m | F&M 0-70 Hcp | |
| 2 | 12.55pm | $101,500 | Swisse Wellness Trophy | 1800m | 0-90 Hcp | |
| 3 | 1.35pm | $151,500 | Gr3 | Red Roses Stakes | 1100m | 3yoF SW+P |
| 4 | 2.15pm | $101,500 | Apia Celebrating Greys | 1400m | Greys 0-90 | |
| 5 | 2.55pm | $201,500 | Gr3 | Begonia Belle Stakes | 1100m | Mares SW+P |
| 6 | 3.35pm | $151,500 | LR | TCL 4K UHD TV Stakes | 1800m | 3yo Hcp |
| 7 | 4.15pm | $151,500 | LR | Dilmah Earl Grey Stakes | 1000m | SW+P |
| 8 | 5.00pm | $1,005,000 | Gr1 | VRC Oaks | 2500m | 3yoF SW |
| 9 | 5.45pm | $101,500 | Oaks Resorts Plate | 1600m | Handicap |
2017 Emirates Stakes Day Program
2017 Emirates Stakes Day - Saturday 11th November 2017
Emirates Day is the final day of the carnival and the focus is on families, with the day known as 'Family Day'. The Emirates Stakes is the main event of the day.
| # | Time | Purse | Status | Race | Distance | Race Type |
| 1 | 12.20am | $151,500 | Gr3 | Maribyrnong Plate | 1000m | 2yo SW |
| 2 | 1.00pm | $101,500 | SecondBite Plate | 2000m | 0-90 Hcp | |
| 3 | 1.40pm | $101,500 | Antler Luggage Handicap | 1600m | 0-96 Hcp | |
| 4 | 2.20pm | $151,500 | LR | Hilton Hotels Stakes | 1400m | 3yo Hcp |
| 5 | 3.00pm | $302,000 | Gr2 | Matriarch Stakes | 2000m | Mares SW+P |
| 6 | 3.40pm | $1,002,500 | Gr1 | VRC Sprint Classic | 1200m | WFA |
| 7 | 4.20pm | $1,005,000 | Gr1 | Emirates Stakes | 1600m | Quality |
| 8 | 5.05pm | $251,500 | Gr3 | Queen Elizabeth Stakes | 2600m | Quality |
| 9 | 5.40pm | $101,500 | Emirates Airline Handicap | 1400m | 4yo&up Hcp |
2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival
A whopping 318,854 racing fans flocked to the four days of the 2016 Melbourne Cup carnival, with Cup day alone drawing 97,479 people to Flemington racecourse in Melbourne.
- 2016 Victoria Derby day crowd: 90,136
- 2016 Melbourne Cup day crowd: 97,479
- 2016 VRC Oaks day crowd: 60,888
- 2016 Emirates Stakes day crowd: 70,351
Almandin wins 2016 Melbourne Cup
The 2016 Melbourne Cup was won by Almandin, trained by Robert Hickmott and ridden by Kerrin McEvoy. In second place was the Tony Martin trained international stayer Heartbreak City, while John O'Shea's Hartnell ran third.
2017 Melbourne Cup Free Bet
Fancy a $502 Free Bet on the 2017 Melbourne Cup?
We work very closely with leading online bookmaker William Hill and that partnership means we can pass on to you a $502 Free Bet for the 2017 Melbourne Cup.
To get your bonus bets for Cup day simply open a new William Hill account account, then deposit up to $502 or more. Once your deposit has cleared, William Hill will reward you with bonus bets matching your first deposit up to $502!
*Terms and Conditions apply and they can be found here.
Recommended Bookmakers
* Terms and conditions apply - Excludes NSW, VIC, WA & SA. Turnover and expiry conditions also apply. Full conditions available at each bookmaker.
Where to Bet
Sportsbet Top Tote Plus
Sportsbet is one of Australia's biggest online bookmakers. They offer Top Tote Plus bet type for horse racing plus fantastic special offers. Sportsbet is an official wagering partner of Victorian racing.
William Hill Best Tote Plus
William Hill is a huge name in the bookmaking world and home to Best Tote Plus for horse racing. Take advantage of a massive range of betting markets and member promotions at William Hill.
Luxbet Best of the Best
Luxbet is the online offering from Tabcorp who specialise in fixed priced odds and unique member promotions. Punters can enjoy Best of the Best bet type for Saturday racing and LuxDiv every day of the week!
CrownBet Best Tote Plus
CrownBet is 100% Australian owned and offers a wide variety of betting markets for punters with exciting money back special offers for members. CrownBet offers Best Tote Plus on horse racing and they're an official wagering partner of Victorian racing.
Ladbrokes Best of the Best
Ladbrokes is an innovative online bookie with a great range of racing products for punters including Best of the Best for horse racing. Ladbrokes is committed to providing value for members and they're a wagering parther of the Melbourne Racing Club.
Always gamble responsibly.