Melbourne Cup Carnival
The 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival features four days of exciting racing at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne, highlighted by the Melbourne Cup!
The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) administers racing at Flemington, and Melbourne Cup week is Australia's biggest racing week on the calendar each year. The jewel in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival crown is is the time-honoured Melbourne Cup over 3200 metres on the first Tuesday in November.
Victoria Derby Day on Saturday 30th October 2021 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 2nd November is Melbourne Cup Day, where the 'race that stops a nation' takes centre stage. A huge crowd of racing fans descend on Flemington for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, the richest handicap race in the world over two miles.
Two days later on Thursday 4th November 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 6th November 2020 with the Group 1 Emirates Stakes over 2000 metres the feature race of the day.
Victoria Derby Day Program
2021 Victoria Derby Day - Saturday 30th October 2021
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 | Hotham Handicap | 2500m | Quality |
| 5 | 2.25pm | $1,000,000 | Gr1 | Coolmore Stud Stakes | 1200m | 3yo SW |
| 6 | 3.05pm | $500,000 | Gr1 | Empire Rose Stakes | 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
2021 Melbourne Cup Day - Tuesday 2nd November 2021
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 | 2019 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 |
2021 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 Unibet for all your spring racing carnival betting.
VRC Oaks Day Program
2021 VRC Oaks Day - Thursday 4th November 2021
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
2021 Emirates Stakes Day - Saturday 8th November 2021
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
The 2020 Melbourne CUp was locked out due to the recent pandemic.
A whopping 276,186 racing fans flocked to the four days of the 2019 Melbourne Cup carnival, with Cup day alone drawing 81,804 people to Flemington racecourse.
- 2019 Victoria Derby day crowd: 80,214
- 2019 Melbourne Cup day crowd: 81,408
- 2019 VRC Oaks day crowd: 57,296
- 2019 Emirates Stakes day crowd: 57,268
Twilight Payment wins 2020 Melbourne Cup
Irish trained galloper Twilight Payment, ridden by Jye McNeil, captured the 2020 Melbourne CUp.
In second place was Tiger Moth, piloted by Kerrin McEvoy, with Prince Of Arran, ridden by Jamie Kah, third.
2021 Melbourne Cup Best Odds
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