Melbourne Cup 2024
The pinnacle of horse racing or the so-called ‘race that stops the nation’ is the Melbourne Cup, a widely-known Australian race that was inaugurated in 1861 and reached a prize pool of AU$7,750,000.
The Melbourne Cup horse race attracts millions of bettors worldwide, and the big event is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Each November, punters can watch the 3200m long race, place bets on their selections, and wait for the exciting outcome.
In this article prepared by our team at OnlineBettingAUS, you’ll find very detailed information regarding every aspect of the race, get familiar with the selection procedure, and also get a hint of how to determine the winner and place the smartest possible bet.
Melbourne Cup Essential Info
| Date | 5 November 2024 – Tuesday |
| Time | 3:00 pm |
| Place | Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne |
| Distance | 3200 metres |
| Conditions | Handicap |
| Status | Group 1 |
| Prize Pool | AU$7,750,000 |
| Last Winner 2021 | Verry Elleegant |
| Track Surface | Turf |
| Track Direction | Counter-clockwise (Left-Handed) |
What is the Melbourne Cup in Australia
The Melbourne Cup horses racing event is the most prestigious and highly long-awaited racing competition happening on the territory of Australia. Each year, on the first Tuesday of November, spectators pause their activities to watch the challenging race that pushes the limits of the most reputable of mounts.
Thoroughbred horses that made it to the Melbourne Cup race need to endure a distance of 3200 metres, which takes around 3 minutes to pass. As each year passes by, more than half of the race gallopers originate from and are trained outside of Australia or NZ, attracting international punters even more vigorously.
Those who cannot make it to the track in the autumn can always turn to betting on online bookmakers’ websites, and most of them offer various markets and competitive odds for this esteemed event.
Having followed the mounts’ performances prior to the final race, punters engage in the world’s wealthiest handicap and have already decided the course of their horse racing betting endeavours.
If you wish to read coherent and punctual Melbourne Cup news up until the beginning of the race in November 2024, keep visiting our OnlineBettingAUS site and stay in the know.
Changes in Melbourne Cup Security
Following a last-year report by Racing Victoria, which states the passing away of foreign horses, the commission has made 44 recommendations to alter the security and inspection of the participant horses of the Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Cup races.
As a result, a decreased number of horses will be invited to participate in the Victorian Spring Carnival, whereas the Melbourne Cup 2024 won’t suffer any changes in the number of participants. Moreover, Werribee will still act as the quarantine-designed place for all foreign horses, having more detailed inspections taking place this year.
Out of the 44 recommendations made by Racing Victory, 41 were accepted by the Melbourne Cup horses racing committee. Some of them include:
- Werribee won’t host mounts that are known to have prior significant fractures or any kind of orthopaedic intervention.
- Foreign horses are to be inspected in the same race day conditions before departure to the island.
- All foreign horses need to have undergone full-body CT scans.
- All foreign horses need to be subjected to extra RV veterinarian inspections in the first week of quarantine in Australia, with the option of having medical assistance provided by RV vets if needed.
- All participant runners need to have their limbs CT scanned, and the images are to be sent to the RV team of experts.
Melbourne Cup Form & Field
The road to the most prestigious of them all, the Melbourne Cup fields, is paved with additional obstacles for stayers. Nowadays the biggest distinction from the past is the participation of international horses from all over Europe and even Asia, besides the Aussie and Kiwi ones.
The most famous run-up horse race for the Melbourne one is the Caulfield Cup, another major staying event of Victoria’s. The Caulfield Cup was launched in 1879 and is a race run at a distance of 2,400 m on a turf surface. This race is held 16 days prior to the Melbourne Cup; its winner is eligible for an automatic entry at the Melbourne Cup.
Additional ballot-free races whose winner gets immediate entrance into the Melbourne Cup are the following.
Andrew Ramsden Stakes
Boasting a total pool prize of AU$400,000, Andrew Ramsden Stakes is another ballot-free lead-up race that takes place at the Flemington Racecourse in May. The distance thoroughbreds need to pass here is 2800 metres. The race is held for horses that are 3, 4, or 5 years old, and the winner enjoys direct participation in the big Cup.
Cox Plate
This Group 1 WFA (Weight for Age) race is run on a 2040 metres-long turf course, which was established precisely 100 years ago. This popular race is held at Moonee Valley Racecourse, and its last winner was State of Rest. The prize pool of Cox Plate is AU$5,000,000. The weight-for-age preset conditions and the racecourse distance make it different from the Melbourne racing event, which is the result of most Cox Plate winners opting out of participation in the final Melbourne race.
Hotham Handicap
Hotham Handicap is a Group 3 thoroughbred event happening on Victoria Derby Day. This exciting ballot-free race takes place only three days prior to the Melbourne Cup, and it is run at a distance of 2,500 metres, which comes as a decent preparation prior to the most challenging race. The condition for a horse to race at this race which is also known as Lexus Hotham Stakes is for them to be at least 3 years old and not maidens.
The Bart Cummings
The Bart Cummings is a Group 3 race of thoroughbred horses, having a prize pool of AU$500,000. This event takes place on Turnbull Stakes Day and is also a ballot-free race for the Melbourne Cup. The race, which was known as Banjo Paterson Handicap until 2000, is now named after the reputable trainer Bart Cummings, who proudly stands behind twelve Melbourne Cup winners in his career.
Melbourne Cup Horses
The Melbourne Cup is a spectacle that involves many people, such as jockeys, trainers, and a whole team of organisers. Still, the real show-stealers are the main participants of the race – the Melbourne Cup horses.
The best of the best runners are competing in this glamorous event, which tests their endurance, perseverance, and determination like no other previous race. Melbourne horses are selected based on several criteria, and there really is no room for underdogs. Some of the criteria include the handicap weight of the horses, the minimum being 50kg, and the outcome of the ballot-free races that precede the Cup.
Melbourne Cup Betting
Horse betting is hugely popular among Aussies and the Melbourne Cup races enable placing exciting bets on your selection, regardless of whether you do it online or by buying a ticket at your nearest TAB.
If you can’t make it to Flemington this year, we recommend you to bet on one of the many Aussie bookies’ online sites, where you’ll find an abundance of markets and betting functions to enjoy related to the ultimate race of the year.
Horse betting includes placing standard bets with a less risky outcome, like Win or Place, but experienced punters also go for tougher predictions that involve several horses and many possible outcomes for a payout. These are the so-called exotic bets which are extremely popular among punters who wager on the race that stops the nation. Here are the most common ones.
- Exacta – Predict the correct order of the horses that finish first and second.
- Quinella – Predict which horses will end up as the first and second, without covering the specific order.
- Trifecta – Predict which horses finish first, second, and third place by also guessing the correct order.
- Superfecta – Predict the exact horses that end up first, second, third, and fourth in the correct order.
- Daily Double – Predict the winners of two races on the same day, for instance, the Melbourne Cup and one of the lead-up races on the same day.
- Pick 3 – Pick the winners of three races taking place on the same day; for instance, two lead-ups and the Cup.
- Pick 6 – Same as pick 3, involving six races and six winners. Pick six out of the 10 races on Melbourne Cup day and predict the winners.
How do I guess the winner of the Melbourne Cup?
Deciding to back up a horse and hoping for it to end up as the winner isn’t an easy task, but you can at least try to do it following our advice at OnlineBettingAUS.
The 2024 Melbourne Cup is closer by the day, and if you want to bet on the winner, you’d need to roll up your sleeves and do the necessary research. Another way is to read the Form Guide we have tailored just for you and acquire the vital information for all mounts there.
Also, check our tips and strategies, which are really helpful for bettors who can’t make up their minds.
If you put in a little extra work and follow our advice, you might be able to predict the winner correctly and leave the race day with an extra buck.
Melbourne Cup Weather and Track Conditions
When we were conducting the research for this review, the weather and track conditions in Melbourne showed promising signs for another thrilling Cup race. However, we all know the unpredictability of the weather and the rest of the races held at Flemington might impact the track condition prior to the big day.
The best thing to do is to check the forecast regularly and also follow the news from the previous races to get a hold of how the track is doing in order to acknowledge any possible condition that might influence the Melbourne Cup itself.
| Temperature Range | Wind | Rain Precipitation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 14 – 7°C | 21 km/h | 43% |
| Saturday | 15 – 8°C | 22 km/h | 64% |
| Sunday | 13 – 9°C | 26 km/h | 85% |
| Monday | 13 – 7°C | 29 km/h | 57% |
Melbourne Cup Odds
The horse racing Melbourne Cup event is prevalent and in the spotlight months before the final race takes place. This is because bookmakers provide odds for all the horses predicted to participate in the competition a certain period prior to the event so that bettors can engage in a so-called futures betting.
This can also be done at various online sports betting sites that allow futures betting, and hunting for the highest odds is a delicate process that punters go through every year.
Odds offered at multiple online bookies are carefully thought through before being offered to the public, and these numbers come as a result of observing previous lead-up races that happen before the main Cup.
The best possible way to ensure that you place a rational bet is always being informed about the Melbourne Cup fields, especially as the big day approaches. This is because you should be aware of any fluctuations that might happen related to the Melbourne Cup odds.
Melbourne Cup Results and Replay
The results of every Melbourne Cup racing event are published hours after the completion of the race, with all the important details surrounding this annual spectacle. The results of a race, acknowledging the winner and the runner ups can sometimes take some time, due to the conditions in which the race was finished.
One factor that can directly influence the announcement of a winner is a photo finish, which we witnessed in the case of Dunaden and Red Cadeaux that took place in 2011. In such cases, the official team behind the event can take some time to deliberate and announce the irrevocable winner.
The results of each year make up the opulent history of the Melbourne Cup races, and all horse participants, together with their jockeys and a team of trainers, strive to engrave their names into the numerous pages of the history of this exquisite Australian race.
All the fans and enthusiastic horse racing spectators and punters can visit our OnlineBettingAUS site for the Melbourne Cup results after the race, but you can also get essential information for the 2024 race prior to the big day.
Melbourne Cup Winner 2021
The winner of the 2021 Melbourne Cup was Verry Elleegant, which has won the AU$7,75 million worth of race, outrunning another punters’ favourite, Incentivise.
As a six-year-old horse, Verry Elleegant broke the chain, and it’s the first horse of that age that had turned out victorious since 2005 when Makybe Diva took the victory home. Moreover, Verry Elleegant was also the first horse since 2014 that won with a weight of 57kg, which is only close to the victory of Protectionist in 2014 which weighed 56.5kg.
Verry Elleegant, along with its jockey James McDonald, seemed to have dominated the race starting from a three-wide position from the 18th barrier. When it came to the 300m mark, the horse was already at ease and unstoppable, acquiring the victory in only a 3:17.43 period of time.
Melbourne Cup Past Winners
You have the opportunity to view all the details regarding the past winners of the Melbourne Cup only on our site. Check the table below and get all the vital info.
| Year | Winner | Age /Gender | Jockey | Trainer | Barrier | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Verry Elleegant | 7 y.o./M | James McDonald | Chris Waller | 18 | 57 | AU$18 |
| 2020 | Twilight Payment | 8 y.o./G | Jye McNeil | Joseph O’Brien | 12 | 55.5 | AU$26 |
| 2019 | Vow And Declare | 4 y.o./G | Craig Williams | Danny O’Brien | 21 | 52 | AU$11 |
| 2018 | Cross Counter | 4 y.o./G | Kerrin McEvoy | Charlie Appleby | 19 | 51 | AU$9 |
| 2017 | Rekindling | 4 y.o./H | Corey Brown | Joseph O’Brien | 4 | 51.5 | AU$15 |
| 2016 | Almandin | 7 y.o./G | Kerrin McEvoy | Robert Hickmott | 17 | 52 | AU$11 |
| 2015 | Prince Of Penzance | 6 y.o./G | Michelle Payne | Darren Weir | 1 | 53 | AU$101 |
| 2014 | Protectionist | 5 y.o./H | Ryan Moore | Andreas Wohler | 10 | 56.5 | AU$8 |
| 2013 | Fiorente | 6 y.o./H | Damien Oliver | Gai Waterhouse | 5 | 55 | AU$7 |
| 2012 | Green Moon | 5 y.o./H | Brett Pebble | Robert Hickmott | 5 | 53.5 | AU$20 |
| 2011 | Dunaden | 5 y.o./H | Christophe Lemaire | Mikel Delzangles | 13 | 54.5 | AU$8.5 |
| 2010 | Americain | 6 y.o./H | Gerard Mosse | Alain de Royer Dupre | 11 | 54.5 | AU$13 |
| 2009 | Shocking | 4 y.o./H | Corey Brown | Mark Kevanagh | 21 | 51 | AU$10 |
| 2008 | Viewed | 4 y.o./G | Blake Shinn | Bart Cummings | 8 | 53 | AU$41 |
| 2007 | Efficient | 4 y.o./G | Michael Rodd | Graeme Rogerson | 9 | 54.5 | AU$17 |