Melbourne Cup 2023

The 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup ran at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday the 7th of November, 2023 and was won by Anthony & Sam Freedman’s Caulfield Cup champ Without A Fight ($8) who was ridden to victory by last year’s winning jockey Mark Zahra. 

The Melbourne Cup is the biggest race run in Australia each year and the two mile classic takes place on the first Tuesday of November as Flemington Race 7 each spring. The highlight of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, the Group 1 staying showdown attracts a field of genuine turf stars including a host of international raiders.

Offering an incredible $8.4 million in prize money, the Melbourne Cup is the richest handicap race in the world and is third in prize money only to the $20 million The Everest and $10 million The Golden Eagle held in Sydney when it comes to flat racing in Australia.

Cross Counter (2018) continued the recent dominance of internationals in the Melbourne Cup results. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Key lead-up races into the Melbourne Cup field each season include the Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) and the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m).

In 2022 the Geelong Cup winner Emissary ran a brave second in the Melbourne Cup quinella at a big price.

Makybe Diva (2005) was the last horse to take out the Cox Plate – Melbourne Cup double without a run between the two spring majors. She also saluted in the 2003 and 2004 Melbourne Cup results and is the sole triple champion of the ‘race that stops a nation’.

In 2021 Verry Elleegant became the 14th overall mare and 12th individual female galloper to win the Lexus Melbourne Cup improving on a lead-up third in the Cox Plate.

In 2022 there were five mares that started in the Melbourne Cup field with the best result being a third from High Emocean who finished in the money behind her winning stablemate Gold Trip.

The Geelong Cup – Melbourne Cup double meanwhile was last completed by Dunaden (2011) who was the second French raider in as many years to take out the latter after Americain won the same two races the previous spring.

Held on Turnbull Stakes Day in early October, the Group 3 The Bart Cummings also offers a Melbourne cup ballot exemption.

The Melbourne Cup race runs over 3200m and is one of the few events still contested over this traditional Cups’ distance in Australia. The Melbourne Cup prize money has increased dramatically over the years since the race was first sponsored in 1985 and stakes went up to $1 million.

International horses are making more and more of an impact in the Melbourne Cup results. The first Northern hemisphere-trained Melbourne Cup winners was the Dermot Weld-trained Vintage Crop (1993), while from 2014 – 2020 five of the seven Melbourne Cup winners were from overseas including in 2020 when Twilight Payment defeated fellow raiders Tiger Moth and Prince Of Arran in an all-international Melbourne Cup trifecta.

There were two internationally-trained horses in the 2022 Melbourne Cup with Deauville Legend running fourth as the beaten favourite and Without A Fight running 13th.

Shocking (2009) meanwhile was the last Australian-bred Melbourne Cup winner before Vow And Declare (2019) broke the drought saluting for Australia in the 2019 Melbourne Cup Results.

In 2021 the internationals were again in the Melbourne Cup trifecta with Spanish Mission from the UK running third behind Verry Elleegant and the beaten favourite Incentivise.

The 2022 Melbourne Cup winner, Gold Trip, was French-bred and imported but officially trained in Australia by Ciaron Maher & David Eustace.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup winner, Without A Fight, improved on his 13th as an international the year before with the now Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained galloper backing-up off a Group 1 Caulfield Cup victory. He became the first to do the Spring Cups double since Ethereal in 2001.

There have been many dual Melbourne Cup champions since the first, inaugural winner Archer going back-to-back in 1861-62, but Makybe Diva (2003-05) remains the only triple Melbourne Cup winner in history.

The Melbourne Cup training record is held by former champion horseman Bart Cummings dubbed the “Cup King”. Cummings celebrated his 12th Melbourne Cup victory in 2008 with Viewed.

The closest ever finish in Melbourne Cup history occurred in 2011 when the French-trained Dunaden narrowly held off Red Cadeuax. Dunaden was also the second French galloper in as many years to win top prize after Americain became the first in 2010 for the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup.

From 2022, Sydney runs the $3 million The Big Dance (1600m) race at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day each year.

Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington meanwhile is also host to two Group 3 support races with the running of the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) for two-year-olds and the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m).

The 163rd edition of the Melbourne Cup ran on Tuesday November 7, 2023 as Flemington Race 7 and saw Without A Fight ($8) complete the Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double – the 12th horse to do so – with Mark Zahra in the saddle. 

2023 Melbourne Cup Results

• 1st: #3 Without A Fight
  

  2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight was excellent charging home by over two lengths off a lead-up win in the Caulfield Cup. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 2nd: #6 Soulcombe
• 3rd: #14 Sheraz
• 4th: #11 Ashrun

The official Melbourne Cup 2023 results revealing the 2023 Melbourne Cup winner will be published right here once the race is run and won on Tuesday November 7, 2023.

The Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight was given a perfectly-timed ride by Mark Zahra, who opted to come off last year’s champ Gold Trip, to become the 12th horse in history to complete the Spring Cups double.

Zahra made up ground from the back hitting the front on the eventual 2023 Melbourne Cup winner the closing stages as Without a Fight charged strongly down the middle before drawing clear for an impressive two length victory over the Chris Waller-trained Soulcombe who missed the kick by three lengths.

Waller also prepared the third place-getter Sheraz who ran out of his skin as a triple-figure roughie to complete the Melbourne Cup trifecta.

Melbourne Cup Race Info

• Date: Tuesday November 7, 2023
• Edition: 163rd
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 3200m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $8.4 million
• First Run: 1861

2023 MELBOURNE CUP PREVIEW

2023 MELBOURNE CUP BETTING

Melbourne Cup Betting

Melbourne Cup betting markets are available months in advance of the race and these pre-field odds are also known as ante-post or futures markets.

The Melbourne Cup is not only the biggest race in Australian horse racing, but is arguably the most popular event in the country every single year. Even non-racing fans are looking frantically for the best Melbourne Cup odds come race day, with sweeps also occurring in workplaces across the country.

Pre-post betting markets for the Melbourne Cup are available all year round, but the real money is invested in the three days prior to the race. The Melbourne Cup is easily the most popular betting event in Australia and the staggering amount of money wagered on the race means that there is generally great value available for every single runner in the field.

Melbourne Cup favourites have a poor record in the race with the only one to salute for the punters since Makybe Diva (2005) being Fiorente ($7 in 2013). Roughie hopes in Melbourne Cup betting have had plenty of success including most famously in recent years Prince Of Penzance ($101) who scored the upset at triple figures for trainer Darren Weir in 2015.

There were big Melbourne Cup odds on offer for the 2020 winner Twilight Payment who won at 25/1.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant won at odds of $18 improving on her seventh the year before.

There was also value to be found in the 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip who won at $21 defeating fellow outsiders in betting Emissary ($26) and High Emocean ($41), while the 2022 Melbourne Cup favourite Deauville Legend ($4.40) ran fourth.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight was at single-figures saluting as an $8 shot in Melbourne Cup betting. He defeated the Chris Waller-trained Soulcombe ($9.50) and Sheraz ($151).

2023 Melbourne Cup Odds

The latest Melbourne Cup 2023 odds will be updated below as the count down to the iconic two-mile handicap continues.

Melbourne Cup Field

The Melbourne Cup race field has a capacity of 24 horses with no emergencies allowed for the iconic Flemington Race 7 on the first Tuesday of November annually.

In 2020 the Melbourne Cup field ran with just 23 starters following the race day scratching of King Of Leogrance.

There were also 23 horses in the Melbourne Cup 2021 field after the race morning withdrawal of Future Score.

The 2022 Melbourne Cup field ran with 22 horses after Point Nepean and Lunar Flare were scratched from the original line-up of final acceptors.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup final field ran with 23 runners after Cleveland was scratched on the eve of the race.

A host of lead-up races off a ballot exemption for the winners into the Melbourne Cup final field including the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup. Runners may also come into the Melbourne Cup field via a start in a race like the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup or Group 3 Geelong Cup.

Melbourne Cup final acceptances close on Victoria Derby Day the Saturday prior, which is the first meeting of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival, while the early Melbourne Cup nominations are taken way bay in August.

Any horse balloted out of the 24-starter Melbourne Cup field that goes on to win the Group 3 VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) on Champions Stakes Day the following Saturday is eligible for a VRC Bonus.

2023 Melbourne Cup Acceptance Dates

Click here to view the complete 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup race conditions.

• 2023 Melbourne Cup Nominations: Closed on Tuesday September 5, 2023 @ 12:00pm (Melbourne time) attracted 132 entries including 15 internationals.
• 2023 Melbourne Cup Late Entries: Close on Tuesday September 12, 2023 @ 12:00pm (Melbourne time)
• 2023 Melbourne Cup First Declarations: Closed on Tuesday October 3 , 2023 @ 12:00pm (Melbourne time) with 72 first acceptors.
• 2023 Melbourne Cup Handicaps: Weights declared Tuesday September 19, 2023 – Gold Trip 58.5kg topweight.
• 2023 Melbourne Cup Second Declarations: Closed on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @ 12:00pm (Melbourne time) with 51 second acceptors.
• 2023 Melbourne Cup Third Declarations: Close on Monday October 30, 2023 @ 12:00pm (Melbourne time) with 32 third acceptors.
• 2023 Melbourne Cup Final Field: Announced Saturday November 4, 2023 at 4:30pm (Melbourne time) – 24 horse field confirmed with Vauban favourite.
• 2023 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw: Took place Saturday November 4, 2023 at 6:30pm (Melbourne time)

2023 Melbourne Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

The Melbourne Cup 2023 Field & Barriers will be out the Saturday prior to the big $8.4 million classic and will be detailed in the section below when it’s made available by Racing Victoria following the VRC Derby Day races.

The official 24-horse Melbourne Cup 2023 final field has been confirmed with the defending champion Gold Trip looking to go back-to-back with James McDonald coming aboard. Race favourite Vauban will wear the No. 5 Melbourne Cup saddlecloth first-up down under as one of four international raiders in the field.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup barrier draw took place on Saturday evening with the favourite Vauban drawing ideally with barrier three, while Gold Trip will defend his title one closer to the rails jumping from gate two.

• 2023 Melbourne Cup Scratchings Update: No. Cleveland (23) has been withdrawn on Monday evening due to an elevated temperature.

Melbourne Cup Tips

General Melbourne Cup betting tips include looking for international performers, proven two mile horses and gallopers coming off a top four run last start.

From 2009 – 2023 all but two of the Melbourne Cup winners finished first four in their lead-up run including four coming off a victory. In 2022 Gold Trip improved on a lead-up ninth in the Cox Plate to win the 162nd Melbourne Cup.

In 2023 Without A Fight won the Melbourne Cup off a lead-up victory in the Caulfield Cup the month before.

Melbourne Cup tips can be found everywhere in the lead-up to the race, but the big field, handicap conditions and distance of the race make it very difficult to back the winner. The presence of a number of international horses and a variety of different form lines make it even more difficult to back the winner of the Melbourne Cup, which his why upsets Melbourne Cup results are not uncommon.

Other tips for Melbourne Cup punters is to look at several key lead up races that are considered good guides for Melbourne Cup performance.

Pay attention to strong runs in races like the Cox Plate and the Caulfield Cup.

Fiorente (2013) followed by Verry Elleegant (2021) and Gold Trip (2022) are the latest Melbourne Cup winners to back-up off a Cox Plate having run 3rd, 3rd and 9th.

Gold Trip ran 2nd in the 2022 Caulfield Cup before his Melbourne Cup victory with the Cox Plate run in between, while in 2023 Without A Fight did the Melbourne Cup – Caulfield Cup double for the first time since 2001.

Another tip for people who are looking to have some fun with different bets on the day need not fear the exotics. Picking the Melbourne Cup trifecta pays extremely well along with other exotic bets including the quinella and first four. For instance this year there is plenty of value in horses that have genuine chances at double figure odds.

2023 Melbourne Cup Tips

Our expert team of tipsters will provide the 2023 Melbourne Cup betting tips below closer to Melbourne Cup Day so stay tuned for the stayers to back and sack for the two mile classic this spring.

Once the final field has been accepted and finalised we will be placing our top tips and selections for the Melbourne Cup here.

To Win: #5 Vauban ($4.20 at time of publish) 

He’s been a dominant favourite in Melbourne Cup betting for a long time now and while we’d like to find some value or be cheering home a local this Willie Mullins-trained raider really does look hard to beat. The classy Galiway gelding is out to be the fifth Irish-trained Melbourne Cup winner in history and Mullins had him pegged for this a long way out with confidence. No horse has jumped under $3.50 in Melbourne Cup betting and won since Makybe Diva for her second in 2004 so the fact he is now out over $4 for the win at time of publish is a plus for the deserving favourite. A seven-time winner from 14 starts his latest was a gutsy effort in a Group 3 at a mile and a half in August. Before that he floored them putting an easy 7.5 lengths on his rivals with a hefty 61kg on his back. He looks extremely well weighted for the Cup with 55kg.  It has been a while between runs but his outstanding lead-up work at Flemington suggests he is fit and ready to fire. He has winning form up to 3382m so the Melbourne Cup distance is no stress and he’ll appreciate the room at the course. Carries big weights to victory in the hurdle races at home but does need to break his Group 1 flat racing duck here. Will take some beating especially with one of the best riders in the world in Ryan Moore on his back.

To Challenge: #4 Breakup ($17 at time of publish) 

Cannot believe you can get this gun Japanese galloper at $17 at time of publish. That is a huge price for a dour stayer that should run out the two miles. Odds went out when he drew barrier 18. Yes, that is wide but there is time to overcome the alley, and let’s not forget that Verry Elleegant (2021) broke the gate 18 hoodoo winning from this gate a couple of years back. Fitter second-up after a Caulfield Cup eighth that was better than it looks on paper and predicting sharp improvement. Gets Japanese hoop Kohei Matsuyama on now in a plus. A nicely-bred Novellist stallion who was good in April’s coveted Group 1 Tenno Sho (3200m) finishing fourth at a big price with 58kg. Back to 55kg here. Definitely one of the forgotten dark horse international Melbourne Cup contenders.

To Feature: Gold Trip ($7 at time of publish) 

Is Gold Trip an outright champion? We’re about to find out! Just looking at what this Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained import has done in the majors over the past two years already suggests he’s a very good horse. Won the race last year with 57.5kg after runs in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate. Same lead-up this year with equally impressive performances. That said, they were tougher runs than last year on firmer going so he’s got to be feeling it. Carries the 58.5kg top-weight and Think Big (1975 for his second) was the last to cart those kilos to a Melbourne Cup win. Mark Zahra coming off could be a worrying sign, but I think he might be reading too much into the weight. James McDonald is a star and won the Cox Plate on Romantic Warrior so makes a perfectly fine replacement. In a Cup field where a lot of the big players still have a 3200m question mark, this dour former French galloper has that over his rivals. Drawn to win with the class to back him up. Back-to-back?

To Improve: #7 Absurde ($12 at time of publish) 

We’ve got money coming in for the stablemate to the favourite with Mullins’ other runner heavily backed since final acceptances on Saturday afternoon. Was as long as $23 but since drawing a treat in gate eight his quote has halved. Zac Purton is over from Hong Kong and takes the ride on 53kg. Was brained by Absurde eight lengths beaten at home in a recent run but think he’ll be improving notable on that. Subsequent win last start in the Ebor Handicap (2816m) at York in late August to win his spot in the Melbourne Cup field. Did that with 60.5kg from barrier 22. Gets a better barrier and will be airborne dropping so many kilos here. Two-miles? No worries!  He has won up to 4023m so is one of the genuine stayers in the race. Rarely misses a spot in the top three and he’ll relish the firm going with an outstanding dry track record. Look out!

To Surprise: #15 Lastotchka ($21) and #21 Future History ($18)

A couple of light weights at good prices for exotics for those chasing the value. Lastotchka looks a little pocket rocket. She’s a French import now with Price & Kent Jnr. racing first-up down under with Craig Williams aboard. A bit of a tough one to gauge the form lines, but she’ll get the 3200m as a last start Group 3 winner with 56kg at Longchamp over 3100m. Needs to be good, but can surprise a few. Future History has a more proven lead-up down under and is one in the Maher/Eustace contingent down in weight and coming off a Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup third. Flemington winner in The Bart Cummings before that. Let’s see how Hollie Doyle goes!

What Time Does The Melbourne Cup Run?

All times are for the first Tuesday of November and are local.

• Queensland: 2:00pm
• New South Wales: 3:00pm
• Victoria: 3:00pm
• Tasmania: 3:00pm
• Northern Territory: 1:30pm
• ACT: 3:00pm
• Western Australia: 12:00pm
• UK & Ireland: 4:00am
• New Zealand: 5:00pm
• Japan: 1:00pm
• Hong Kong: 12:00pm
• Dubai: 8:00am

Melbourne Cup Form Guide

The Melbourne Cup form guide is poured over by punters right around Australia and the world in the lead-up to the race.

The Caulfield Cup is generally considered the major lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup, but no horse had completed the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double since Ethereal in 2001 until the 2023 victory in both events by Without A Fight.

The Cox Plate continues to grow as a Melbourne Cup form guide despite the notable difference in distances between the two spring features. Other races that have produced the Melbourne Cup winner in recent years include the Herbert Power Stakes, the Geelong Cup and the Lexus Stakes.

The Melbourne Cup each year attracts an incredible amount of betting activity and people are always looking out for the best tips to give them the winning edge. The Ladbrokes blog provides in depth racing tips and analysis on a daily basis.

Melbourne Cup Form Facts

• From 2010 – 2023 six internationally-trained raiders saluted in the Melbourne Cup most recently Twilight Payment (2020).
• Trainer Robert Hickmott for prolific owner Lloyd Williams prepared three Melbourne Cup winners between 2012 – 2019.
• In 2020 Lloyd Williams celebrated his record seventh Melbourne Cup success as a trainer.
• Fiorente ($7 in 2013) was the last favourite in Melbourne Cup betting to salute.
• Upset Melbourne Cup results are common with blow-out odds on offer for the likes of Viewed ($41 in 2008), Prince Of Penzance ($101 in 2015) and Twilight Payment ($26 in 2020).
• Barrier 11 has been the most successful Melbourne Cup gate in the past 30 years.
• Triple champion Makybe Diva (2003-05) followed by Verry Elleegant (2021) are the last mares to win the Melbourne Cup.
• Six-year-olds have an outstanding recent record in the Melbourne Cup results with seven winning between 2010 – 2023 most recently Verry Elleegant (2021) and Gold Trip (2022).

2023 Melbourne Cup Form Guide

A link to the official Melbourne Cup 2023 Form Guide will be provided below as soon as the final Melbourne Cup field is announced on the Saturday before the race.

2023 Melbourne Cup Field News

Stay tuned for the latest Melbourne Cup 2023 Field news updates.

• The Kris Lees-trained Kalapour has won the Group 3 Lexus Archer Stakes on Derby Day to gain a ballot free ride into the Melbourne Cup field pushing Ladies Man (24th) outside the Top 24 on the latest order of entry. Zac Lloyd has picked up the Cup ride on the Lexus winner after earlier being booked for Valiant King.
• The Joseph O’Brien-trained Irish raider Valiant King is an early 2023 Melbourne Cup withdrawal. Failed Friday’s vet check and owners opted to pull the pin despite being given a chance at a Saturday morning re-examination. Goes for a spell and will stay in Australia with Chris Waller.
• After riding the Ladbrokes Cox Plate winner on October 28 jockey James McDonald has been snapped up by the Maher/Eustace stable to partner reigning Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip.
• The GOAT, Damien Oliver, will have his final Lexus Melbourne Cup ride ahead of his retirement at the end of the spring partnering the Michael Moroney-trained Alenquer.
• After his fifth in the Cox Plate on reigning Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip, jockey Mark Zahra has opted to come off the horse and stick with the Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight for Anthony & Sam Freedman in the November 7 feature.
• A top contender exempt from ballot, the Grahame Begg-trained Lunar Flare, is out of Melbourne Cup contention after being retired with the mare suffering a career-ending injury in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup on October 27.
• One-time favourite Francesco Guardi from the Chris Waller stable will not contest the Melbourne Cup with the import’s spring carnival shelved after a number of disappointing recent runs including his second last when 17th in the Caulfield Cup.

2023 Melbourne Cup Jockeys

Stay tuned here for the confirmed 2023 Melbourne Cup jockeys. See what jockeys have locked in a ride aboard one of the 24 Melbourne Cup horses this spring.

CONFIRMED 2023 MELBOURNE CUP RIDES

• James McDonald to ride Gold Trip for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
• Damien Oliver to ride Alenquer for Michael Moroney
• Mark Zahra to ride Without A Fight for Anthony & Sam Freedman
• Kohei Matsuyama to ride Breakup for Tatsuya Yoshioka
• Ryan Moore to ride Vauban for Willie Mullins
• Joao Moreira to ride Soulcombe for Chris Waller
• Zac Purton to ride Absurde for Willie Mullins
• John Allen to ride Right You Are for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
• Billy Egan to ride Vow And Declare for Danny O’Brien
• Michael Dee to ride Cleveland for Kris Lees – SCRATCHED
• Kerrin McEvoy to ride Ashrun for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
• Daniel Stackhouse to ride Daqiansweet Junior for Phillip Stokes
• Dylan Gibbons (a) to ride Okita Soushi for Joseph O’Brien
• Beau Mertens to ride Sheraz for Chris Waller
• Craig Williams to ride Lastotchka for Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr
• Mark Du Plessis to ride Magical Lagoon for Chris Waller
• Rachel King to ride Military Mission for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
• Jye McNeil to ride Serpentine for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
• Craig Newitt to ride Virtuous Circle for Liam Howley
• Jamie Kah to ride More Felons for Chris Waller
• Hollie Doyle to ride Future History for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
• Teo Nugent to ride Interpretation for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
• Zac Lloyd (a) to ride Kalapour for Kris Lees
• Ben Thompson to ride True Marvel for Matthew Smith

2023 Melbourne Cup Nominations

Early Melbourne Cup 2023 Nominations featuring a huge list of potential runners in the two mile classic close in late August and will be detailed in full below as soon as released.

The official 2023 Melbourne Cup Nominations close on Tuesday September 5, 2023 @ 12:00pm (Melbourne time).

The official Melbourne Cup 2023 nominations attracted 132 early entries including Andrew Ramsden winner Lunar Flare who is a daughter of the 2013 champion Fiorente, the defending champion Gold Trip who is one of 17 entries from the Maher/Eustace stable, the Chris Waller-trained son of Frankel Francesco Guardi, and 15 international raiders including the all-in favourite Vauban for leading Irish horseman Willie Mullins.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup weights (handicaps) were declared on Tuesday September 19 with the reigning champion Gold Trip allocated 58.5kg, a kilo more than his winning weight for 2022.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Melbourne Cup Facts & Statistics

Below we have a look at some of the key Melbourne Cup facts and statistics ahead of the next edition of the ‘race that stops a nation’.

Weight:

• The three of the past eight Melbourne Cup winners all carried under 53kg to victory.
• The most successful weight with eight wins overall is 54.5kg.
• Makybe Diva (2005) is the only Melbourne Cup winner to carry 58kgs or more to victory in the past 35 years.
• Gold Trip (57.5kg in 2022) is the last Melbourne Cup top-weight to win.
• Verry Elleegant (2021) carried 57kg to victory; the first winner since Makybe Diva (58kg in 2005) to successfully carry more than 56.5kg.
• The latest Melbourne Cup weight carried to victory was 56.5kg by Without A Fight in 2023.

Name:

• Since 1924 only 10 Melbourne Cup winners had a first name beginning with a vowel (A = 4, E = 5 and 0 = 1).
• Since 1924 only four Melbourne Cup winners had a name starting with ‘A’ (Almandin, Americain, Arwon and At Talaq).
• The only Melbourne Cup winner in history to have a name starting with ‘O’ was Old Rowley (1940).
• The five Melbourne Cup winners since 1924 to have a name starting with ‘E’ are: Efficient, Ethereal, Empire Rose, Even Stevens and Evening Deal.

Favourites:

• Only 34 Melbourne Cup favourites have won throughout history for a strike rate of just under 21%.

Age:

• Four-year-olds have the best strike rate (46 wins) followed by five-year-olds (44 wins).

Saddlecloth:

• Saddlecloth numbers 4 has produced 12 Melbourne Cup winners following Verry Elleegant in 2021.
• No. 12 is the next best with 11 Melbourne Cup winners.
• The most successful Melbourne Cup saddlecloth number in the last 35 years with 6 wins in Number 6 – most recently carried to victory by Twilight Payment in 2020.

Colour:

• 12 of the past 17 Melbourne Cup winners were coloured bay most recently Twilight Payment (2020) and Gold Trip (2022).

Mares:

• There has only been 17 female Melbourne Cup winners with Makybe Diva (2003-2005) accounting for three and Verry Elleegant (2021) the latest.

2023 Melbourne Cup Horses: As The Field Takes Shape

Click here for our full Melbourne Cup Horses 2023 Profiles

The Melbourne Cup 2023 horses will be detailed on the dedicated Melbourne Cup Horses page accessible above as we draw closer to the great race.

Melbourne Cup Favourites

• From 2006 – 2023 just one favourite in Melbourne Cup betting saluted for the punters with Fiorente ($7 in 2013).
• Makybe Diva (2004-05) was the last back-to-back Melbourne Cup favourite to salute; she also won her first ‘Loving Trophy’ as an $8 chance in 2003.
• Before Makybe Diva the last time Melbourne Cup favourites won back-to-back was Might And Power (1997) and Jezabeel (1998).
• Since 2006 the worst result from a beaten Melbourne Cup favourite was the ill-fated Admire Rakti (22nd of 22 horses) in 2014.
• Since 2006 only three Melbourne Cup favourites have finished in the money: So You Think (3rd in 2010), Fiorente (1st in 2013) and Hartnell (3rd in 2016).
• The 2022 Melbourne Cup favourite, Deauville Legend, ran fourth.
• The 2023 Melbourne Cup favourite, Vauban, ran a disappointing 14th.

Melbourne Cup Bet Types

Win – The most basic type of bet. Put your money straight up on the runner that you think will win the Melbourne Cup.

Place – Pick the horse that you think will finish in the top three positions but at lower odds.

Each-Way – Put equal amounts on a horse for the win and a place, the equivalent of two bets and you get paid out for both if it wins.

Quinella – Bet on the horses you think will finish first and second in either order. You can also pick for example one horse to finish 1st and then a combination The fewer horses you pick the greater the dividend.

Exacta – An exacta also involves choosing horses that you think will finish first and second but it differs from a quinella in that it has to be the exact order you specify in the bet.

Trifecta – Very similar to an Exacta, but for the first, second and third placings in the correct finishing order. You can also Box Trifecta to finish in any of the first 3 combinations.

First Four – A First Four bet works the same as an Exacta and Trifecta but for the first four runners in finishing order.

Melbourne Cup Results

The Melbourne Cup results will be available at just after 3pm (AEDT) on the first Tuesday of November every year. The first three horses across the line draw the largest amount of interest from most punters, but due to the popularity of sweeps there is always interest in the final finishing position of all 24 runners.

Notable Past Melbourne Cup Results

1862: Archer became a back-to-back Melbourne Cup winner defending his title from the inaugural Melbourne Cup of 1861

1930: Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup – the shortest priced favourite to salute at 8/11 ($1.70)

1941: Skipton saluted in the Melbourne Cup as a three-year-old

1990: Kingston Town set the current Melbourne Cup record time of 3:16.3

1993: Vintage Crop prepared in Ireland by Dermot Weld became the first Northern hemisphere-trained Melbourne Cup winner

2005: Makybe Diva became the first three-time Melbourne Cup winner

2011: Dunaden won in the closest Melbourne Cup result in history defeating fellow international Red Cadeaux

2017: Rekindling became the first international Melbourne Cup winner to salute first-up without a lead-up run in Australia since Vintage Crop (1993)

2019: Vow And Declare (Danny O’Brien) became the first Australian-bred Melbourne Cup winner since Shocking in 2009

2020: Twilight Payment (Joseph O’Brien) handed owner Lloyd Williams with his seventh success

2021: Verry Elleegant (Chris Waller) won the Melbourne Cup as a mare with 57kg from barrier 18 – the first in history from that gate – with a four length success

2022: Gold Trip (Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) became the latest top-weight in a Melbourne Cup field to salute carrying 57.5kg to victory

2023: Without A Fight (Anthony & Sam Freedman) became the 12th horse in history and first since 2001 to complete the Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double.

Past Melbourne Cup Winners

Recent Melbourne Cup winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Melbourne Cup Quick Facts

Makybe Diva has recorded a record 3 consecutive Melbourne Cup wins.

• The Melbourne Cup was first contested in 1861 and was won by the Etienne de Mestre-trained Archer, who successfully defended his crown the following year.
• Alongside Archer, only four other horses have won the Melbourne Cup more than once; Peter Pan (1932,34), Rain Lover (1968,69), Think Big (1974,75) and Makybe Diva (2003,04,05).
• The Melbourne Cup was originally contested over a distance of two miles (3219m) but was shortened to 3200m in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric system.
• Kingston Rule holds the record for the fastest time in Melbourne Cup; taking out the race’s 1990 edition in 3:16.30.
• The 2015 edition of the Melbourne Cup was won by the Darren Weir-trained Prince Of Penzance; a rank outsider having left at odds of $101 for success. The race also figured as the first time a female jockey was triumphant, in the form of Michelle Payne.

Melbourne Cup Trainer Profiles

Several trainers from around the world have enjoyed success in the Melbourne Cup throughout its rich history and their names have been etched into Australian race history and folklore as a result.

Bart Cummings is the most successful Melbourne Cup trainer.

Bart Cummings

Undoubtedly the name most synonymous with the Melbourne Cup is that of the late, great Bart Cummings, who secured a record and incredible 12 wins in the race over a long and illustrious career. Cummings saddled his first Cup winner through Light Fingers in 1964 and it fast became clear the trainer was on his way to stardom when defending his crown with Galilee and Red Handed in 1965 and 1966 respectively. Cummings’ record will likely never been eclipsed and he will always be the toast of the Race That Stops a Nation.

Lee Freedman

Prominent Australian trainer Lee Freedman has won the second-most amount of Melbourne Cups having so-far saddled five winners. The trainer’s first triumph came when Tawriffic won in 1989, but his biggest impact on the race undoubtedly came in preparing equine superstar Makybe Diva to two of her three-consecutive successes in 2004 and 2005. Freedman currently trains in partnership with brother Anthony and the pair prepared Our Ivanhowe in the 2015 edition of the race, who was unlucky to be hampered for a run in the final straight.

Dermot Weld

A number of international trainers have made their mark in Australia on the first Tuesday of November, but perhaps none more than two-time winner Dermot Weld. Weld claimed his first Melbourne Cup success via popular stayer Vintage Crop in 1993 but is most famous for preparing Media Puzzle in 2002; partnered by champion hoop Damien Oliver in the wake of his brother Jason’s sudden passing from a fall in track work.

Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival

Undoubtedly considered Australia’s major series, the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival as the name suggests runs through the season of spring each year; officially beginning in early August and concluding in the late stages of November.

The Melbourne Spring Carnival boasts black type racing each weekend and often through the week and is headlined by the Group 1 races that take place over four days during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

There are also what are known as the ‘Big 3’ Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival races or majors.

The Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) is the first of these contested over a mile-and-a-half (2400m) in mid-October. Won by some of the country’s best staying horses, the Caulfield Cup often figures as the final turning point for horses both local and international ahead of the Melbourne Cup.

The Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) is the country’s premier weight-for-age race and boasts an impressive $5 million purse. Contested just over a week prior to the Melbourne Cup, the Cox Plate has been won by everything from locals to internationals and even three-year-olds since the turn of the century. Winx is the most famous Cox Plate champion winning a record four straight editions of the WFA feature from 2015-18.

The ‘Big 3’ spring majors finish with the Melbourne Cup over the two miles run as Flemington Race 7 on the first Tuesday of November annually.