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 |
 2021 Melbourne Cup odds |
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| 2021 Melbourne Cup betting |
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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 |
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