Melbourne Cup 2019: Everything you need to know for race day
Australia’s most recognised horse race is almost upon us.
Here is everything you need to know about the race that stops the nation.
When is the Melbourne Cup?
The Melbourne Cup is held on the first Tuesday of November every year, which falls on 5th November 2019.
While there are numerous races throughout the day, the main race will begin at 3.00pm.
This year’s event will mark the 159th running of the Melbourne Cup.
The Melbourne Cup rounds off a special fortnight of racing. The Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup form the ‘Cups double’. The Cox Plate at Mooney Valley rounds off the special events.
Where is the race held?
The famous race takes place every year at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
The race is over 3200m (two miles) under handicapped conditions for a prize pool of $7.3 million.
Only a handful of races are over this distance in Australia every year.
Past winners
Trainers bring their thoroughbreds from all over the world to compete in the Melbourne Cup. All thoroughbreds must be at least three-years-old to compete in the 3200m race.
The full field includes 24 runners.
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The Australian industry specialises in short distance thoroughbreds, not as accustomed to the 3200m event.
Many overseas trainers bring runners to Flemington who are typically better suited to longer distance racecourses, compared to Australian-bred runners.
Many of the Melbourne Cup starters come from New Zealand, Great Britain, Europe and Japan.
In 2018, Cross Counter emerged victorious at Flemington.
The previous two winners before Cross Counter were Rekindling (2017) and Almandin (2016).
Year | Winner | Second place | Third place |
2018 | Cross Counter | Marmello | A Prince Of Arran |
2017 | Rekindling | Johannes Vermeer | Max Dynamite |
2016 | Almandin | Heartbreak City | Hartnell |
2015 | Prince Of Penzance | Max Dynamite | Criterion |
2014 | Protectionist | Red Cadeaux | Who Shot Thebarman |
2013 | Fiorente | Red Cadeaux | Mount Athos |
Race favourites
Cross Counter is striving to achieve what no international horse has before but connections are bullish about the stayer's prospects of becoming a dual Melbourne Cup winner.
The Charlie Appleby-trained Cross Counter stormed to victory last year at Flemington as a northern hemisphere three-year-old and the Godolphin-owned gelding is back 12 months later to try to join a select list to have won the race more than once.
Only five horses in the Cup's 158-year history have achieved the feat including Makybe Diva with her three-consecutive between 2003-2005.
Cross Counter is among 11 northern hemisphere-trained runners in the 24 horse field with champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien starting three runners - Hunting Horn, Magic Wand, Il Paradiso - as he bids to claim his first Melbourne Cup.
O'Brien's son Joseph is after his second Cup following Rekindling's success two years ago and the young Irish trainer has four runners - Master Of Reality, Latrobe, Twilight Payment and Downdraft who clinched his spot by winning Saturday's Hotham Stakes.
Frankie Dettori flies in to ride Master Of Reality, as the superstar jockey tries to win the Melbourne Cup he craves at his 17th attempt.
English trainer Charlie Fellowes is back for a second attempt with popular horse Prince Of Arran who was third last year and secured his spot in this year's Cup when he won the Geelong Cup 10 days ago.
Raymond Tusk is another of the European challenge but it is Caulfield Cup-winning Japanese horse Mer De Glace who is the $6.50 favourite to give Japan, and Australian jockey Damian Lane, a clean sweep of Melbourne's three feature races, with Lys Gracieux winning the Cox Plate.
Famous thoroughbreds
Since the first race in 1861, the Melbourne Cup has made trainers and their runners household names in Australia.
Phar Lap became Australia’s most famous racehorse after winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup at the shortest-priced favourite in the race’s history. He went on to win 37 of his 51 races.
Makybe Diva went down in Australian folklore becoming the first horse to win three consecutive Melbourne Cups.
Trophy
The Melbourne Cup trophy is made up of 34 pieces of gold metal moulded by the Hardy Brothers.
The trophy now contains 1.65kg of 18-carat gold with an estimated value of more than $250,000.
Owners of the winning horse are presented the real trophy, but the winning trainer and jockey receive a replica design each year.
With AAP