The Melbourne Cup started in 1861 and has since become Australia’s most iconic horse race. Over the years he has produced incredible moments and records. Here’s a look at some key facts, statistics and history from the Cup’s rich history.

When is the 2024 Melbourne Cup?

The Melbourne Cup will start at 15.00 on Tuesday, November 5. This is the seventh race on the 10-race card at Flemington.

Which horse has won the most Melbourne Cups?

Makybe Diva is the most successful horse in this race, winning the Melbourne Cup three times (2003, 2004 and 2005). Meanwhile, four other horses won the Cup twice: Think Big (1974, 1975), Rain Lover (1968, 1969), Peter Pan (1932, 1934) and Archer (1932), winner of the race’s first two races. 1861, 1862).

Who is the most successful jockey in the Melbourne Cup?

Both Bobby Lewis (1902, 1915, 1919, 1927) and Harry White (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979) won the race four times and are the only jockeys to do so.

More recently, retired duo Damien Oliver (1995, 2002, 2013) and Glen Boss (2003, 2004, 2005) have three wins, as does current driver Kerrin McEvoy (2000, 2016, 2018).

Who is the most successful coach in the Melbourne Cup?

Legendary trainer Bart Cummings won the Melbourne Cup 12 times: 1965 (Light Fingers), 1966 (Galilee), 1967 (Red Handed), 1974 (Think Big), 1975 (Think Big), 1977 (Gold and Black), 1979 (Hyperno), 1990 (Kingston Rule), 1991 (Let’s Elope), 1996 (Saintly), 1999 (Rogan Josh) and 2008 (Viewed). He also raced quinella five times in the race (1965, 1966, 1974, 1975, 1991).

How big is the Melbourne Cup venue?

The field is currently limited to 24 runners, making it one of the largest fields in Australian racing. Of course, sometimes there may be less runners due to late scratching. Believe it or not, in 1890 the largest Melbourne Cup field consisted of 39 runners! Smallest field to participate in the race? In 1963 there were only seven.

Has the Melbourne Cup always been held at Flemington?

Yes! The world’s richest two-mile handicap has always been run at the famous Flemington racecourse, but it was not always held on Tuesdays; this did not become a tradition until 1875. Before that, it was actually run on a race track. It was held on Thursday and in three of the five years during World War II (1942, 1943 and 1944) it was held on Saturday.

Which barrier has produced the most Melbourne Cup winners?

Although there were 163 editions of the race, barriers were not introduced until 1924. However, the most successful were barriers 5 and 14, each producing eight winners.

In 2021, Verry Elleegant made history by winning the race from barrier 18, becoming the first horse to triumph from this position.

Currently the longest drought mark is six and there hasn’t been a winner since Light Fingers in 1965.

Since 2000, nine of the 23 winners have come from gates 10-14, and there has not been a gate to produce more than two winners since the turn of the century. Seven barriers are still unwinnable during this time; these are two, six, 15, 16, 20, 23 and 24.

What about Melbourne Cup saddle covers?

While the horses assigned to saddle number 4 were the most successful with 12 wins, the last one was Verry Elleegant horses in 2021. Horses numbered 1 and 12 won 11 each, while horses number 6 won 10 wins. As for the unluckiest numbers – – Seven, 16, 18 and 21 have the fewest wins, with two each.

What is the Melbourne Cup record winning time?

Kingston Rule (1990) holds the current record for the 3200 meter race with a time of 3:16.3. However, the largest winning margin is shared by Archer (1862) and Rain Lover (1968) by eight lengths. By comparison, last year’s winner Without A Fight won the race in 3:18.37, the eighth fastest time on record.

The slowest winning time this century was Makybe Diva’s second of three consecutive wins with a time of 3:28.55 in 2004; However, the track was badly affected by the rain.

Archer and Lantern clocked 3:52.00 in 1961 and 1964 respectively, the slowest winning time on record.

Were there any fights at the Melbourne Cup?

Not yet! But there were definitely some tight finishes and you don’t have to look back and think too much. In 2011, Dunaden beat Red Cadeaux at home by mere millimeters in an unforgettable, heart-stopping snap. He also had a thriller three years earlier, in which Cummings’ Viewed narrowly edged Bauer, who finished fast in 2008.

The first photo finish was in 1948 when Rimfire perhaps controversially won the Dark Marne, but that’s a story for another day…

What is the base weight a horse needs to carry to have a chance of winning the Melbourne Cup?

There is no ‘base’ weight per se, but weight is still a factor. And even then, the best horses usually win no matter what.

Firstly, because the race is run under handicap conditions, each horse will be allocated a weight by the handicapper based on a number of key factors such as gender, age and past performances, as a way of balancing the field.

The biggest weight carried to victory was 66 kg by Carbine in 1890, while the lightest winner was Banker in 1863 with just 33.5 kg on his back.

The average weight carried by a winning horse since 2010 is just over 54 kg. At that time, he won Gold Trip (2022) with 57.5 kg and Cross Counter (2018) with 51 kg. In fact, in the last four years, 55.5kg has been the lightest weight carried to Melbourne Cup victory.

Which age horse had the most success in the Melbourne Cup?

Four-year-olds have the best record in the race with 45 winners, while five-year-olds have won the race 44 times, accounting for almost 55% of all winners.

Last year’s winner Without A Fight won at seven, while Gold Trip (2022) and Verry Elleegant (2021) were at six. In 2020 Irish raider Twilight Payment became the third eight-year-old to win the race and the first since the 1938 Catalog.

Skipton (1941) was the last three-year-old to win, but both Cross Counter (2018) and Rekindling (2017) were European three-year-olds at the time, although they are officially listed as four-year-olds. to win.

Do mares or stallions have a better record in the Melbourne Cup?

Stallions (or all) dominated the Melbourne Cup with 72 wins, while gelds also had 55 wins. Only 14 mares won the race; last in 2021, Verry Elleegant – and became the first to do so since Makybe Diva’s third Cup. We won in 2005.

Who is the favorite to win this year’s Melbourne Cup?

From 9am (AEDT) on 28 October, Chris Waller’s Via Sistina is the current favorite after her stunning Cox Plate win, which saw her break the record previously set by champion filly Winx, while Jan Brueghel is an exciting runner since trainer Aidan happened. O’Brien announced that Galileo’s inexperienced colt will be his sole contender in this year’s race. Last year’s favorite Vauban, Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo and Geelong Cup winner Onesmooth operator are also among the important chances.

What prize money is on offer?

The Melbourne Cup is worth $8 million, with the winner receiving $4.4 million. 10 percent of the earnings are given to trainers, 5 percent to jockeys, and 85 percent to horse owners. The second-place runner earned $1.1 million, the third-place runner earned $550,000, the fourth-place runner earned $350,000, the fifth-place runner earned $230,000, and the sixth through 12th-place runner earned $160,000.

What is the biggest crowd to attend the Melbourne Cup?

The first edition of the race hosted 4,000 racers, but the record attendance was broken in 2003 when 122,736 spectators came. That figure dropped to 98,161 the next year, and for the next 11 years crowds were seen in the six figures. While there were no patrons at the track in 2020 due to COVID-19, crowd capacity was limited to 10,000 for 2021 only.

Official attendance at Flemington last year was 84,492, up 14.5% on 2022.

How can you watch the race in 2024?

Channel Nine After hitting a home run six, it has free broadcast rights to this year’s Melbourne Cup as well as the rest of the carnival (Derby Day on 2 November, Oaks Day on 7 November and Champions Stakes Day on 9 November). Annual agreement with VRC and tabcorp. It will also be available in the TAB app. Sky RaceAnd racing.com.

Also be sure to follow ESPN.com.au for a complete form guide and Cup day tips.