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 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 3rd November 2018 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 6th November 2018 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 8th November 2018 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 10th November 2018 with the Group 1 Emirates Stakes over 2000 metres the feature race of the day.
Victoria Derby Day Program
2018 AAMI Victoria Derby Day - Saturday 3rd November 2018
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, highlighted by the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
| # | Time | Purse | Status | Race | Distance | Race Type |
| 1 | 11.45am | $200,000 | Gr3 | Carbine Club Stakes | 1600m | 3yo SW+P |
| 2 | 12.20pm | $300,000 | Gr2 | Wakeful Stakes | 2000m | 3yoF SW+P |
| 3 | 1.00pm | $200,000 | Gr3 | Begonia Belle Stakes | 1100m | Mares SW+P |
| 4 | 1.40pm | $300,000 | Gr3 | The Lexus Stakes | 2500m | Quality |
| 5 | 2.25pm | $1,000,000 | Gr1 | Coolmore Stud Stakes | 1200m | 3yo SW |
| 6 | 3.05pm | $500,000 | Gr1 | Myer Classic | 1600m | F&M WFA |
| 7 | 3.50pm | $1,500,000 | Gr1 | AAMI Victoria Derby | 2500m | 3yo SW |
| 8 | 4.35pm | $1,000,000 | Gr1 | Cantala Stakes | 1600m | Quality |
| 9 | 5.20pm | $302,000 | Gr2 | Linlithgow Stakes | 1200m | Handicap |
Melbourne Cup Day Program
2018 Melbourne Cup Day - Tuesday 6th November 2018
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 Melbourne Cup the highlight at 3pm.
| # | Time | Purse | Status | Race | Distance | Race Type |
| 1 | 11.00am | $151,500 | Gr3 | Ottawa Stakes | 1000m | 2yoF Sw |
| 2 | 11.40am | $120,000 | tab.com.au Trophy | 1700m | Mares Hcp | |
| 3 | 12.15pm | $120,000 | Lavazza Short Black | 1400m | 4&5yo 0-90 | |
| 4 | 12.50pm | $120,000 | House Charities Plate | 2800m | 0-96 Hcp | |
| 5 | 1.20pm | $120,000 | Schweppes Fling | 1000m | 3yo SW+P | |
| 6 | 2.00pm | $150,000 | LR | Lexus Hybrid Plate | 1400m | 3yoF SW+P |
| 7 | 3.00pm | $6,000,000 | Gr1 | 2018 Melbourne Cup | 3200m | Handicap |
| 8 | 4.05pm | $150,000 | LR | James Boag's Stakes | 1800m | Handicap |
| 9 | 4.45pm | $$120,000 | Mss Security Sprint | 1200m | Handicap | |
| 10 | 5.20pm | $200,000 | Gr3 | Maybe Mahal Stakes | 1400m | Mares SW+P |
2018 Melbourne Cup Info
Melbourne Cup day is the feature event of the spring and more info can be found below, including Melbourne Cup History and Melbourne Cup betting.
We highly recommend Sportsbet for all your spring racing carnival betting.
VRC Oaks Day Program
2018 VRC Oaks Day - Thursday 8th November 2018
VRC Oaks Day celebrates a day of fashion for the females and it's 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 | $120,000 | Drinkwise Plate | 1700m | F&M 0-70 Hcp | |
| 2 | 12.55pm | $120,000 | Twitter Trophy | 1800m | 0-90 Hcp | |
| 3 | 1.35pm | $120,000 | Subzero Handicap | 1400m | Greys 0-90 | |
| 4 | 2.15pm | $200,000 | Country Final | 1600m | BM90 Hcp | |
| 5 | 2.55pm | $200,000 | Gr3 | Chatham Stakes | 1400m | Handicap |
| 6 | 3.35pm | $150,000 | LR | Dilmah Earl Grey Stakes | 1000m | SW+P |
| 7 | 4.15pm | $150,000 | LR | Seppelt Wine Stakes | 1800m | 3yo Hcp |
| 8 | 5.00pm | $1,000,000 | Gr1 | VRC Oaks | 2500m | 3yoF SW |
| 9 | 5.45pm | $200,000 | Gr3 | Red Roses Stakes | 1100m | 3yoF SW+P |
Emirates Stakes Day Program
2018 Emirates Stakes Day - Saturday 10th November 2018
Emirates Day is the final day of the carnival and the focus is on families spending time together at the races, 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 | $2,000,000 | Gr1 | Emirates Stakes | 2000m | Quality |
| 8 | 5.05pm | $251,500 | Gr3 | Queen Elizabeth Stakes | 2600m | Quality |
| 9 | 5.40pm | $101,500 | Emirates Airline Handicap | 1400m | 4yo&up Hcp |
Melbourne Cup Carnival Crowd Figures
A whopping 310,608 racing fans flocked to the four days of the 2017 Melbourne Cup carnival, with Cup day alone drawing 90,536 people to Flemington racecourse in Melbourne.
- 2017 Victoria Derby day crowd: 87,526
- 2017 Melbourne Cup day crowd: 90,536
- 2017 VRC Oaks day crowd: 63,673
- 2017 Emirates Stakes day crowd: 68,873
Rekindling wins 2017 Melbourne Cup
The Joseph O'Brien trained Rekindling captured the 2017 Melbourne Cup courtesy of a quality Corey Brown ride. Runner-up was Aidan O'Brien stayer Johannes Vermeer, ridden by Ben Melham, with tough William Mullins galloper Max Dynamite third, piloted by Zac Purton.
2018 Melbourne Cup Best Odds
Sportsbet is a great choice for getting the best Melbourne Cup odds. They pay the best return of all three TABs or SP on horse racing, whichever pays more.
Take advantage of the free Sportsbet BlackBook once you become a member. Add any horses to follow to your blackbook and Sportsbet will email or SMS when they are due to go the the races again.
Recommended Bookmakers
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Where to Bet
Sportsbet Bookmaker
Sportsbet is one of Australia's biggest online bookmakers. They offer best of three Australian TABs or Starting Price for horse racing plus fantastic betting products for members. Sportsbet is an official wagering partner of Victorian racing.
Ladbrokes Bookmaker
Ladbrokes is an innovative online bookie with a great range of racing products for punters. They have top odds for horse racing and committed to providing value for members. Ladbrokes is a wagering partner of the Melbourne Racing Club.
Betfair Exchange
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BetEasy Bookmaker
BetEasy offers a wide variety of betting markets for punters including great odds for horse racing. Along with live vision of Sky Channel 1 & 2, BetEasy is an official wagering partner of Victorian racing which includes live streaming.
Ladbrokes Bookmaker
Ladbrokes is an innovative online bookie with a great range of racing products for punters. They have top odds for horse racing and committed to providing value for members. Ladbrokes is a wagering partner of the Melbourne Racing Club.
Unibet Bookmaker
Unibet offers a top racing product with excellent fixed priced odds and unique member promotions. Punters can enjoy more than competitive odds for racing, while racehorse owners can are well catered for too.
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