The Melbourne Cup began in 1861 and has since become Australia’s most iconic horse race. Over the years, it has produced incredible moments and records. Here’s a look at some of the key facts, stats, and history from the Cup’s rich past.
When is the 2024 Melbourne Cup?
The Melbourne Cup will jump at 3pm on Tuesday, Nov. 5. It’s the seventh race on a 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, another four horses have won the Cup twice — Think Big (1974, 1975), Rain Lover (1968, 1969), Peter Pan (1932, 1934), and the winner of the first two editions of the race, Archer (1861, 1862).
Who is the most successful Melbourne Cup jockey?
Both Bobby Lewis (1902, 1915, 1919, 1927) and Harry White (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979) have won the race on four occasions and are the only jockeys to do so.
More recently, retired duo Damien Oliver (1995, 2002, 2013) and Glen Boss (2003, 2004, 2005) each have three wins, as does current rider Kerrin McEvoy (2000, 2016, 2018).
Who is the most successful Melbourne Cup trainer?
Legendary trainer Bart Cummings won the Melbourne Cup on 12 occasions: 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 fielded the quinella of the race five times (1965, 1966, 1974, 1975, 1991).
How big is the Melbourne Cup field?
The field is currently limited to 24 runners, making it one of the biggest fields in Australian racing. Of course, sometimes there are less runners due to late scratchings. Believe it or not, the largest Melbourne Cup field consisted of a whopping 39 runners back in 1890! The smallest field to contest the race? There were just seven in 1963.
Has the Melbourne Cup always been run at Flemington?
Yep! The richest two-mile handicap in the world has always been run at the famous Flemington racecourse, but it wasn’t always held on a Tuesday — that didn’t become a tradition until 1875. Before that, it was actually run on a Thursday, and in three of the five years during World War II (1942, 1943 and 1944) it was held on a Saturday.
Which barrier has produced the most Melbourne Cup winners?
While there have been 163 editions of the race, barriers were not introduced until 1924. Nevertheless, barriers five and 14 have been the most successful, producing eight winners each.
In 2021, Verry Elleegant made history by winning the race from barrier 18, becoming the first horse to triumph from this position.
The barrier now with the longest drought is six, having not produced a winner since Light Fingers in 1965.
Since 2000, nine of the 23 winners have come from barriers between 10-14, with no gate to produce more than two winners since the turn of the century. Seven barriers are still winless in that time, those being two, six, 15, 16, 20, 23, and 24.
What about Melbourne Cup saddlecloths?
Horses that have been assigned with the No. 4 saddle have been the most successful with 12 wins, Verry Elleegant the most recent in 2021. Numbers one and 12 each have 11 wins, while No. 6 has 10. As for the unluckiest numbers — seven, 16, 18, and 21 have the least amount of wins with two each.
What’s the record Melbourne Cup winning time?
Kingston Rule (1990) holds the current record for the 3200m race with a time of 3:16.3. But the biggest winning margin is shared by Archer (1862) and Rain Lover (1968) with eight lengths. For comparison, last year’s winner, Without A Fight, won the race with a time of 3:18.37, the eighth-fastest time on record.
This century, the slowest winning time was the second of Makybe Diva’s three straight wins, running it in 3:28.55 in 2004 — the track was very rain-affected, though.
Archer and Lantern both took 3:52.00 to win in 1961 and 1964 respectively, the slowest winning time on record.
Has there ever been a dead heat in the Melbourne Cup?
Not yet! But there have certainly been some tight finishes, and you don’t need to think back too far. In 2011, Dunaden beat home Red Cadeaux by just millimetres in a memorable, heart-stopping photo finish. There was also a thriller three years prior when Cummings’ Viewed held off a fast-finishing Bauer by the barest of margins in 2008.
The first photo finish was back in 1948 when Rimfire won from Dark Marne, perhaps controversially, but that’s a story for another day…
What’s the essential weight a horse needs to carry to be a winning Melbourne Cup chance?
There is no ‘essential’ weight, per se, but weight is still a factor. And even then, the best horses usually still win regardless.
Firstly, because the race is run under handicap conditions, each horse will be allocated a weight by the handicapper which is based on a number of key factors such as sex, age and past performances, as a way of levelling out the field.
The largest weight carried to victory was 66kgs by Carbine in 1890, while the lightest-weighted winner was Banker who had just 33.5kgs on his back in 1863.
Since 2010, the average weight carried by a winning horse is just over 54kgs. In that time, Gold Trip (2022) has won with 57.5kgs, and Cross Counter (2018) has won with 51kgs. In fact, in the past four years, 55.5kgs is the lightest weight carried to Melbourne Cup victory.
What aged horse has 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, together accounting for almost 55% of all winners.
In saying that, last year’s winner, Without A Fight, won as a seven-year-old, while Gold Trip (2022) and Verry Elleegant (2021) were both six. In 2020, Irish raider Twilight Payment became just the third eight-year-old to win the race, and the first since Catalogue in 1938.
Skipton (1941) was the last three-year-old to win, but both Cross Counter (2018) and Rekindling (2017), although officially listed as four-year-olds, were both European three-year-olds at the time they won.
Do mares or stallions have a better record in the Melbourne Cup?
Stallions (or entires) have dominated the Melbourne Cup with 72 wins, as have geldings with 55. Only 14 mares have won the race, Verry Elleegant in 2021 the most recent — and she was the first to do so since Makybe Diva’s third Cup win in 2005.
Who is the favourite to win this year’s Melbourne Cup?
As of 9am [AEDT] Oct. 28, Chris Waller’s Via Sistina is the current favourite after her stunning Cox Plate win in which she broke the track record previously set by champion mare Winx, while Jan Brueghel has been a hyped runner ever since trainer Aidan O’Brien revealed the inexperienced colt by Galileo would be his sole contender for this year’s race. Last year’s favourite Vauban, Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo, and Geelong Cup winner Onesmoothoperator are also among the key chances.
What prize money is on offer?
The Melbourne Cup is worth $8 million, with the winner receiving $4.4 million. Trainers receive 10% of the winnings, jockeys 5%, and 85% goes to the owners of the horse. The second-placed runner earns $1.1 million, third takes $550,000, fourth $350,000, fifth $230,000, and sixth to 12th $160,000.
What is the biggest crowd to attend the Melbourne Cup?
The very first edition of the race welcomed 4,000 racegoers, but the record attendance was set when 2003 attracted 122,736 spectators. That figure dipped to 98,161 the following year, before the next 11 years saw crowds in six figures. Due to COVID-19, there were no patrons on course in 2020, while the crowd capacity was capped at 10,000 just for 2021.
Last year, the official attendance at Flemington was 84,492 — up 14.5% from 2022.
How can you watch the race in 2024?
Channel Nine has the free-to-air rights to the Melbourne Cup this year, as well as the rest of the carnival (Derby Day on November 2, Oaks Day on November 7, and Champions Stakes Day on November 9), after striking a six-year deal with the VRC and Tabcorp. It will also be available on the TAB app, Sky Racing, and Racing.com.
Make sure to also stay tuned to ESPN.com.au for a complete form guide and Cup day tips.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Thorpedo Anna won Horse of the Year honors at the Eclipse Awards on Thursday night, becoming only the second 3-year-old filly to beat male competition for the top trophy.
Trained by Ken McPeek, she earned six Grade 1 victories last year, including the Kentucky Oaks, and finished second in the Travers to Fierceness. She also claimed 3-year-old filly honors in the 54th annual ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach.
Thorpedo Anna received 193 out of a possible 240 first-place votes. Sierra Leone finished second with 10 votes and Fierceness received five.
Filly Rachel Alexandra was the 2009 Horse of the Year.
Sierra Leone, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, won 3-year-old male honors.
Chad Brown won his fifth career Eclipse as Trainer of the Year. He trains Sierra Leone, who lost a dramatic three-way photo finish to the McPeek-trained Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby and finished third in the Belmont Stakes. Brown was the leading money earner among North American trainers with over $30 million in purses.
“I finally beat Ken McPeek in a photo,” Brown joked. “If you want to trade photos, I’ll take the Derby.”
Flavien Prat, who won two Breeders’ Cup races last year including the Classic, was voted top jockey. The 32-year-old Frenchman broke Jerry Bailey’s record with 56 graded stakes victories in the year.
“It’s a lot of hard work, dedication and it couldn’t have been done without the support of all the owners, the trainers, their dedicated staff and horses, of course,” Prat said.
Erik Asmussen, the youngest son of North America’s all-time leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, earned apprentice jockey honors. The 22-year-old, who is based in Texas, rode his first career winner last January at Sam Houston Park. Asmussen’s uncle, Cash, won the same award in 1979.
“This game means everything to me,” an emotional Asmussen said. “Thank you to my family. I got the best group around me. Most importantly, just thank you to the horses. They’re special.”
Godolphin LLC was honored as outstanding owner for the fifth consecutive year, while Godolphin was voted as top breeder.
Citizen Bull was named the 2-year-old male champion, while 2-year-old filly honors went to Immersive.
Other winners were: National Treasure as older dirt male; Idiomatic as older dirt female; Straight No Chaser as male sprinter; Soul of an Angel as female sprinter; Ireland-bred Rebel’s Romance as male turf horse; Moira as female turf horse; and Snap Decision as steeplechase horse.
The awards are voted on by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki wants to raise a glass with the voter who chose not to check off his name on the Hall of Fame ballot.
“There’s one writer that I wasn’t able to get a vote from,” he said through an interpreter Thursday, two days after receiving 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “I would like to invite him over to my house, and we’ll have a drink together, and we’ll have a good chat.”
Suzuki had been to the Hall seven times before attending a news conference Thursday with fellow electees CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. The trio will be inducted July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, voted in last month by the classic era committee.
Suzuki struggled to process being the first player from Japan elected to the Hall.
“Maybe five, 10 years from now I could look back and maybe we’ll be able to say this is what it meant,” he said.
BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell recalled Suzuki was at the Hall in 2001 when he called to inform the Seattle star he had been voted American League Rookie of the Year. Suzuki received 27 of 28 first-place votes, all but one from an Ohio writer who selected Sabathia.
“He stole my Rookie of the Year,” Sabathia said playfully.
Sabathia remembered a game at Safeco Field on July 30, 2005. He had worked with Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis in a bullpen session on a pitch he could throw to retire Suzuki, which turned out to be a slider.
“I get two strikes on Ichi and he hits it off the window,” Sabathia said of the 428-foot drive off the second-deck restaurant in right field, at the time the longest home run of Suzuki’s big league career. “Come back around his next at-bat, throw it to him again, first pitch he hits it out again.”
Suzuki’s second home run broke a sixth-inning tie in the Mariners’ 3-2 win.
As the trio discussed their favorite memorabilia, Suzuki mentioned a mock-up Hall of Fame plaque the Hall had created — not a design for the real one — that included his dog, Ikkyu.
“Our dog and then Bob Feller’s cat are the only animals to have the Hall of Fame plaque. That is something that I cherish,” Suzuki said, referring to a mock-up with the pitcher’s cat, Felix.
Sabathia helped the New York Yankees win the World Series in 2009 after agreeing to a $161 million, seven-year contract as a free agent. Sabathia started his big league career in Cleveland, finished the 2008 season in Milwaukee and was apprehensive about signing with the Yankees before he was persuaded by general manager Brian Cashman.
“Going into the offseason, I just heard all of the stuff that was going on, the turmoil in the Yankees clubhouse,” Sabathia said. “Pretty quick, like two or three days into spring training, me and Andy [Pettitte] are running in the outfield, I get a chance to meet [Derek] Jeter, we’re hanging out, and the pitching staff, we’re going to dinners, we’re going to basketball games together. So it didn’t take long at all before I felt like this was the right decision.”
Sabathia was on 342 ballots and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%. While Suzuki and Sabathia were elected in their first ballot appearance, Wagner was voted in on his 10th and final try with the writers.
Even two days after learning of his election, Wagner had tears streaming down his cheeks when he thought back to the call. His face turned red.
“It’s humbling,” he said, his voice quavering before he paused. “I don’t know if it’s deserving, but to sit out 10 years and have your career scrutinized and stuff, it’s tough.”
Wagner, who is 5-foot-10, became the first left-hander elected to the Hall who was primarily a reliever. He thought of the words of 5-foot-11 right-hander Pedro Martínez, voted to Cooperstown in 2015.
“I hope kids around see that there is a chance that you can get here and it is possible, that size and where you’re from doesn’t matter,” Wagner said. “I think Pedro said it first, but if I can get here, anyone can get here.”
Outfielder Jurickson Profar and the Atlanta Braves agreed on a three-year, $42 million contract Thursday, uniting the veteran coming off a career year with a team that has struggled in recent years to find a suitable left fielder.
Profar, 31, was a revelation for the San Diego Padres last year, hitting .280/.380/.459 with a career-high 24 home runs and 85 RBIs. Once the top prospect in all of baseball, Profar made his first All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger — all on a one-year, $1 million deal.
He cashed in with the Braves, who outbid a number of teams interested in Profar’s on-base skills as well as his energy that invigorated Padres supporters and infuriated rival fan bases.
Profar will join center fielder Michael Harris II and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., the former National League MVP coming off a torn left ACL just three years after tearing the ligament in his right knee. Without Acuña for most of last season, the Braves’ offense suffered a deep regression from 2023, when they set a single-season team record with a .501 slugging percentage.
The switch-hitting Profar can slot almost anywhere in the lineup, though he figures to begin the season toward the top as Acuña continues to rehab his knee. Beyond Harris and Acuña, Atlanta’s lineup includes All-Star third baseman Austin Riley, second baseman Ozzie Albies and first baseman Matt Olson. Profar will receive $12 million this year and $15 million in 2026 and 2027.
Atlanta is typically one of the most aggressive teams in baseball, striking early in free agency and with trades. After trading slugger Jorge Soler in late October, the Braves dabbled in minor league deals and watched as starter Max Fried went to the New York Yankees, starter Charlie Morton went to the Baltimore Orioles and reliever A.J. Minter went to the New York Mets.
Profar is Atlanta’s first real addition this winter after sneaking into the postseason at 89-73 and promptly getting swept by San Diego. He has spent all 11 years of his major league career in the West divisions, debuting at 19 with the Texas Rangers. Profar never fulfilled his potential there and went to Oakland in 2019 before settling with the Padres, where he became a full-time outfielder. Over 1,119 games in his career, Profar has hit .245/.331/.395 with 111 home runs and 444 RBIs in 4,291 plate appearances.
