The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s major thoroughbred horse race. There are 24 horses, three years and over, in a handicap race for a distance of 3,200 metres. The race is held in the Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday in November between 10am and 3pm.
The horse race is a handicap contest where the weight of the jockey and riding gear are adjusted to match a set figure. Â Handicap racing relies on weights to make all horses equal and give them all a fair advantage.
The Melbourne Cup originally started in 1861 where it progressively became so popular, people were given the day off to watch and bet. Cup Day, as it’s now termed, became a public holiday in Melbourne where public servants were given time off to celebrate in the race that stops the nation. The modern race has changed since its origins and has now opened up to include foreign horses and women trainers.
| Min Deposit | Min Bet | In-Play Betting | Mobile | Sign-Up Bonus | ||
|
|
$10 | $0.5 |  |
|
Matched first bet bonus up to $150 | Join Now |
|
|
$1 | $0.01 | |
|
100% matched deposit up to $200!! | Join Now |
|
|
$30 | $1 | |
|
100% match on first deposit up to $200 | Join Now |
Many horses in the Melbourne Cup have now become infamous; Phar Lap is perhaps one of the most notable. He won the 1930 Melbourne Cup at 11/8 odds which was the shortest priced favourite in the history of the race. As a result, he went into hiding before the race in case he was shot.
The horse with the fastest record  is Kingston Rule who won the race at 3minutes 17.9seconds in 1990. He was trained by Bart Cummings who won the Melbourne Cup a record 12 times making him one of the most successful racehorse trainers.
Makybe Diva is the only horse to win three Melbourne Cups. The British mare won from 2003 to 2005 and has the prestigious title of being the horse with the highest stakes earned, with winnings of more than $14 million.
