Everyone is an expert. Everyone reckons they have the winner. Every horse in the field is a chance, depending on who you speak to.

This is the story of the biggest race on the Australian thoroughbred calendar – the Melbourne Cup.

The Melbourne Cup – Flemington Racecourse

When it comes to the Melbourne Cup, you don’t have to be a horse racing expert to have a bet — it is the race that brings a nation together.

Whether its grandma Beryl dropping a fiver on the horse that has the name she likes the most, or hardened punters splurging the big bucks on curious exotics, every one is united on the bet during the three and a half minute, two mile race as they cheer their charge home.

It might actually be inaccurate to call it the race that stops the nation. Perhaps the race that stops the world? The event is broadcast into 120 countries, with an estimated 700 million people tuning in to watch.

What is the Melbourne Cup?

The Melbourne Cup is the world’s richest handicap race, with a prize pool in excess of AUD$7.75 million available to the 24-horse field. It is raced over 3200 metres and open to horses aged three years and older.

Being that it’s a handicap event, the best horses are allocated weight penalties in order to level the playing field. The minimum weight is 49 kilograms, while the top weight must carry 57 kilograms or more. The handicapper declares the weights and then will allocate penalties – i.e., more weight – if any of the nominated runners win further big races in the lead up to the cup.

The Melbourne Cup race is held on the first Tuesday in November at the storied Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. It is the main event of the Melbourne Cup Carnival (the Cup, the Derby, the Oaks and Stakes Day), which is part of the broader Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Entries for the Melbourne Cup close during the first week of August. If there are more than 24 nominees, horses are balloted, with factors such as prize money, results in recent races and handicap weight taken into account to exclude runners.

Direct entry is gained if a horse wins one or more of the following races: Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup, Doncaster Cup (UK), Lexus Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes, Irish St. Leger (Ireland), Victoria Derby, Tenno Sho (Japan), Arlington Million (USA), Sankei Sho All Comers (Japan), San Juan Capistrano Handicap (USA), Australian Stayers Challenge.

2023 Melbourne Cup betting odds

The 2023 Melbourne Cup odds as of September 12 look like this:

• Soulcombe – +700
• Vauban – +700
• Goldman – +1000
• Desert Hero – +1100
• Francesco Guardi – +1100
• Lunar Flare – +1300
• Breakup – +1400
• Absurde – +1600
• Tower Of London – +1600
• West Wind Blows – +1600
• Gold Trip – +1700

Complete Melbourne Cup odds available at Ladbrokes.

Best bookmakers for the 2023 Melbourne Cup

Any bookmaker worth their salt will have a number of bonuses and specials available in the lead up to the Melbourne Cup.

So which online book is going to deliver the best service for you?

Best Bookies for the Melbourne Cup

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The truth of the matter is, the bookmakers we recommend all bring their absolute A-game to the Melbourne Cup.

Whether it’s Ladbrokes, Bet365 or Neds, you’re going to get a quality service, quality bonus offers and more.

So what we recommend is that you have an account with each and every one of them, to ensure you are getting the best odds on your big Melbourne Cup tip.

It costs nothing to open an account at these online bookmakers and once you have one, you’ll be able to compare odds, take advantage of the best specials available to you and make sure that you’re maximising every cent you punt on the big race.

2023 Melbourne Cup Final Field

The final field for the 2023 Melbourne Cup will be released on Saturday, November 4, 2023.

Previous Melbourne Cup Fields

• 2022 Melbourne Cup field

  No.	Silks	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
  1		Gold Trip	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Mark Zahra	14	57.5kg	$13
  2		Duais	Edward Cummings	Hugh Bowman	10	55.5kg	$21
  3		Knights Order	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	24	55.5kg	$21
  4		Montefilia	David Payne	Jason Collett	11	55.5kg	$11
  5		Numerian	Annabel Neasham	Tommy Berry	7	55.5kg	$61
  6		Without A Fight	Simon & Ed Crisford	William Buick	18	55.5kg	$11
  7		Camorra	Ben & JD Hayes	Ben Melham	17	55kg	$41
  8		Deauville Legend	James Ferguson	Kerrin McEvoy	9	55kg	$3.80
  9		Stockman	Joseph Pride	Sam Clipperton	2	54kg	$34
  10		Vow And Declare	Danny O’Brien	Blake Shinn	4	54kg	$18
  11		Young Werther	Danny O’Brien	Damian Lane	21	54kg	$26
  12		Hoo Ya Mal	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Craig Williams	15	53.5kg	$21
  13		Serpentine	Robert Hickmott	John Allen	23	53.5kg	$61
  14		Daqiansweet Junior	Phillip Stokes	Daniel Moor	13	53kg	$51
  15		Grand Promenade	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Harry Coffey	1	53kg	$61
  16		Arapaho	Bjorn Baker	Rachel King	19	52.5kg	$101
  17		Emissary	Mike Moroney	Patrick Moloney	3	51.5kg	$21
  18		Lunar Flare	Grahame Begg	Michael Dee	12	51.5kg	$21
  19		Smokin’ Romans	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jamie Kah	16	51.5kg	$21
  20		Tralee Rose	Symon Wilde	Dean Yendall	22	51kg	$101
  21		Point Nepean	Robert Hickmott	Wayne Lordan	20	51kg	$71
  22		High Emocean	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Teo Nugent	8	50kg	$51
  23		Interpretation	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Craig Newitt	6	50kg	$41
  24		Realm Of Flowers	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Damien Thornton	5	50kg	$15

• 2021 Melbourne Cup field

  2021 Melbourne Cup Field
  No.	Silks	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
  1		Twilight Payment	Joseph O’Brien	Jye McNeil	2	58kg	$11
  2		Incentivise	Peter Moody	Brett Prebble	16	57kg	$2.50
  3		Spanish Mission	Andrew Balding	Craig Williams	14	57kg	$9
  4		Verry Elleegant	Chris Waller	James McDonald	19	57kg	$15
  5		Explosive Jack	C Maher & D Eustace	John Allen	4	54kg	$51
  6		The Chosen One	M Baker & A Forsman	Damian Lane	5	54kg	$61
  7		Delphi	A & S Freedman	Damien Oliver	3	53.5kg	$41
  8		Ocean Billy	Chris Waller	Damian Thornton	13	53.5kg	$101
  9		Selino	Chris Waller	Ron Stewart	24	53.5kg	$151
  10		Johnny Get Angry	Denis Pagan	Lachlan King	22	53kg	$101
  11		Knights Order	G Waterhouse & A Bott	Daniel Stackhouse	9	53kg	$201
  12		Persan	C Maher & D Eustace	Luke Currie	11	53kg	$31
  13		Carif	P & P Snowden	Blaike McDougall	8	52.5kg	$201
  14		Master Of Wine	Team Hawkes	Fred Kersley	6	52.5kg	$101
  15		Pondus	Robert Hickmott	Rachel King	1	52.5kg	$41
  16		Grand Promenade	C Maher & D Eustace	Kerrin McEvoy	21	52kg	$21
  17		Miami Bound	Danny O’Brien	Patrick Moloney	17	52kg	$151
  18		Port Guillaume	Ben & JD Hayes	Harry Coffey	23	52kg	$151
  19		She’s Ideel	Bjorn Baker	Craig Newitt	20	52kg	$101
  20		Future Score	Matt Cumani	Dean Yendall	15	51.5kg	SCR
  21		Tralee Rose	Symon Wilde	Dean Holland	12	51kg	$17
  22		Floating Artist	C Maher & D Eustace	Teo Nugent	10	50kg	$18
  23		Great House	Chris Waller	Michael Dee	7	50kg	$31
  24		Sir Lucan	G Waterhouse & A Bott	Glen Boss	18	50kg	$26

• 2020 Melbourne Cup field

  2020 Melbourne Cup Field
  No.	Silks	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
  1		Anthony Van Dyck	Aidan O’Brien	Hugh Bowman	3	58.5kg	$8.50
  2		Avilius	James Cummings	John Allen	10	57kg	$51
  3		Vow And Declare	Danny O’Brien	Jamie Mott	4	57kg	$51
  4		Master Of Reality	Joseph O’Brien	Ben Melham	11	56kg	$26
  5		Sir Dragonet	C Maher & D Eustace	Glen Boss	14	55.5kg	$10
  6		Twilight Payment	Joseph O’Brien	Jye McNeil	12	55.5kg	$31
  7		Verry Elleegant	Chris Waller	Mark Zahra	15	55.5kg	$13
  8		Mustajeer	Kris Lees	Michael Rodd	2	55kg	$101
  9		Stratum Albion	Willie Mullins	Jordan Childs	9	55kg	$47
  10		Dashing Willoughby	Andrew Balding	Michael Walker	19	54.5kg	$101
  11		Finche	Chris Waller	James McDonald	6	54.5kg	$19
  12		Prince Of Arran	Charlie Fellowes	Jamie Kah	1	54.5kg	$12
  13		Surprise Baby	Paul Preusker	Craig Williams	7	54.5kg	$9.50
  14		King Of Leogrance	Danny O’Brien	Damian Lane	18	53.5kg	SCR
  15		Russian Camelot	Danny O’Brien	Damien Oliver	16	53.5kg	$13
  16		Steel Prince	A & S Freedman	William Pike	21	53.5kg	$44
  17		The Chosen One	M Baker & A Forsman	Daniel Stackhouse	5	53.5kg	$42
  18		Ashrun	Andreas Wohler	Declan Bates	24	53kg	$23
  19		Warning	A & S Freeman	Luke Currie	8	53kg	$51
  20		Etah James	C Maher & D Eustace	Billy Egan	22	52.5kg	$201
  21		Tiger Moth	Aidan O’Brien	Kerrin McEvoy	23	52.5kg	$8.60
  22		Oceanex	M Price & M Kent jnr	Dean Yendall	17	51.5kg	$101
  23		Miami Bound	Danny O’Brien	Daniel Moor	21	51kg	$41
  24		Persan	C Maher & D Eustace	Michael Dee	20	51kg	$42

Recent Melbourne Cup results

• 2022 Melbourne Cup Results

  PLACE	HORSE	TRAINER	JOCKEY	WIN ODDS	PLACE ODDS
  1st	GOLD TRIP	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Mark Zahra	+2000	+480
  2nd	EMISSARY	Mike Moroney	Patrick Moloney		+640
  3rd	HIGH EMOCEAN	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Teo Nugent		+800
  4th	DEAUVILLE LEGEND	James Ferguson	Kerrin McEvoy
  QUINELLA:					$251.30
  TRIFECTA:					$16,494.00
  FIRST FOUR:					$102,785.00

• 2021 Melbourne Cup Results

  PLACE	HORSE	TRAINER	JOCKEY	WIN ODDS	PLACE ODDS
  1st	VERRY ELLEGANT	Chris Waller	James McDonald	$16.50	$4.50
  2nd	INCENTIVISE	Peter Moody	Brett Prebble		$2.00
  3rd	SPANISH MISSION	Andrew Balding	Craig Williams		$3.30
  4th	FLOATING ARTIST	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Teo Nugent
  QUINELLA:					$18.60
  TRIFECTA:					$356.10
  FIRST FOUR:					$4829.70

• 2020 Melbourne Cup Results

  PLACE	HORSE	TRAINER	JOCKEY	WIN ODDS	PLACE ODDS
  1st	TWILIGHT PAYMENT	Joseph O’Brien	Jye McNeil	$26.00	$6.00
  2nd	TIGER MOTH	Aidan O’Brien	Kerrin McEvoy		$2.75
  3rd	PRINCE OF ARRAN	Charlie Fellows	Ms Jamie Kah		$3.40
  4th	THE CHOSEN ONE	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Daniel Stackhouse
  				QUINELLA:	$97.20
  				TRIFECTA:	$1806.00
  				FIRST FOUR:	$38,939.00

Key Melbourne Cup dates in history

• The first Melbourne Cup in 1861
  The first incarnation of the Melbourne Cup was run on a Thursday way back in 1861. It is now one of the most time-honoured sporting events in Australian history, running every year since. It even survived the two World Wars.
  
• Gathering momentum in 1873
  After starting small, the event quickly gathered steam and, by 1873, it was so popular that people were shirking their work and family responsibilities to make sure they were able to watch the race. This led to it being declared a public holiday by authorities in Victoria that year.
• 1882: In come the bookies!
  The first bookmakers were given licences to operate at Flemington in 1882. The TAB first operated that year, although it wasn’t a recognised entity until 1961.
• Finally a foreign invader takes the cup
  The race was dominated by Australian-trained horses until 1993, when Vintage Crop became the first international raider to win the Melbourne Cup. These days, there are often 30 or more nominations from overseas horses.
• Michelle Payne creates history for women
  154 years after the running of the first Melbourne Cup, experienced rider Michelle Payne created history, becoming the first female jockey to ride the winner of the race that stops the nation, aboard Prince of Penzance, paying an astonishing $101 to win. The story of her victory has since been sold to a movie production company.

Tips on how to bet on the Melbourne Cup

We mentioned it’s the biggest single punting event in Australia and we weren’t lying. Australians drop more than $200 million on the race each year – that’s about nine bucks per head of population. It’s an amazing figure, but there are riches to be made.

Because there is rarely a sure-fire winner, win and place odds are superb even at the top end of the market. With outsiders often sneaking into the top four, exotics can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Outside of the major betting companies, there are often cup sweeps, usually at workplaces or gatherings of friends and families, where people can buy in and get random horses drawn out of a hat. Winners and place getters usually get the spoils of the prize pool, and the last place getter will usually get their money back.

Here’s a short list of some of the ways you can bet on the Melbourne Cup:

• Win bets:
  Win bets are fairly self explanatory. You select the horse you want to win, decide how much you want to bet on it and hope it crosses the finish line first. It’s not rocket science. We would advise that you check the form guide and try to make an informed decision, but the usual rules of punting go out the door on Melbourne Cup day.
• Place bets:
  More chances, lower odds. The horse you back with your place bet must run either first, second, or third for you to win cash.
• Each way bets:
  A bit of a hedge, this gives you the enhanced winner’s odds, while also giving you an opportunity to secure a consolation if the horse runs a drum. So if it runs first, you get a dividend for both the win and place bet, while if it comes in second or third, you forfeit the win wager, but still get a pay out on the place.
• Quinella:
  It gets a little harder here. With quinella bets, you need two or more selections and at least two of your picks must finish first and second in the race for you to collect cash. It doesn’t matter what order they come in, provided they are boxed.
• Exacta:
  An exacta is similar to a quinella, except you must select the exact order in which your horses will finish. So your selections must come first and second in the race, in the order that you pick them. You can have more than one selection to finish first and more than one to finish second, but the bet will cost you more.
• Duet:
  Pick two or more horses and provided two of them finish either first, second, or third, your duet is a winner. Long story short, your picks can come first and second, first and third, or second and third, and you still win.
• Trifecta:
  One of the most popular exotics, this is picking the first three horses to finish. A standard trifecta requires you to pick the exact finishing order of each selection; a boxed trifecta, which costs a little extra, has no such requirement. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though, especially when there are 24 horses in the race.
• First Four:
  This of this as a trifecta on steroids. Instead of three, you need four correct finishers – first, second, third and fourth – to collect your bet. It’s near on impossible, but, if you manage it, you can get rich. In 2013, the first four in the cup paid more the $1 million in some states. Not bad juice if you can get it.
• Futures:
  You can bet on the Melbourne Cup all year round. Online bookies will often put out markets for the next race moments after the completion of that year’s run. Odds will fluctuate greatly as more horses nominate and those horses that win big races get direct entry.

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Quick tips for betting on the Melbourne Cup

• First and foremost, make sure you’re punting within your means, even if it is the Melbourne Cup. Don’t spend the rent money on a Cup runner in the hopes of getting it back. It’s bad business. Make sure all your obligations are met and then use your disposable income.
• Make sure you have multiple betting accounts. This is how you find the best odds on your Melbourne Cup runner – and take advantage of the best betting conditions you will find.
• Check the form! Yes, we know said this is out the door, because, for many people, it’s the only time they will bet in the season, but even finding out how the horse has fared over distance races and in recent outings can help inform your decision.

Notable Melbourne Cup runners and champions

Winning the Melbourne Cup does not guarantee legend status. Some horses, for whatever reason, become household names. Others win the race and then fade into obscurity. It’s all about the story in most cases. The tear jerkers or the super winners often make their way into the nation’s collective heart.

Here are some of our best and brightest winners:

• Mighty Phar Lap, whose name transcends the race, won the Melbourne Cup in 1930, during the Great Depression.

  

• Archer was the first ever winner of the Melbourne Cup in 1861. It went back to back a year later.
• Only five horses have won the race more than once. Perhaps the most memorable of those was the superstar Makybe Diva, which took home the cup three years in a row from 2003 to 2005.
• Kingston Rule won the race in 1990 with a record time of 3.16.3.
• Martini-Henry was the first internationally bred horse to win the cup, way back in 1883. More than 100 years later, in 1993, Irish stayer Vintage Crop became the first overseas-based runner to win it. Since then, the influence of horses from the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Japan has grown significantly.
• Sheila Laxon became the first woman to officially win the Melbourne Cup when her horse Ethereal won the 2001 race. We say ‘officially’ because Mrs Allan McDonald was credited as her husband for Catalogue’s 1938 at a time when women were not allowed to attain horse training licences in Australia.
•  Phar Lap was a hero of the people in very dark times.
• Fighting through the loss of his brother, fellow jockey Jason Oliver, top Melbourne hoop Damien Oliver steered his mount, Media Puzzle to victory in 2002, fighting back tears as he remembered his brother moments after the race.
• One trainer stands above all in Melbourne Cups. That is the great Bart Cummings, who has won the race a record 12 times, his first in 1965 and most recent in 2008. The next best are Lee Freedman and Etienne de Mestre, with five each.

Interesting Melbourne Cup facts

• Just how long is the Melbourne Cup?
  
  The race isn’t exactly two miles (3219 metres). It used to be, but was shortened in 1972 to 1.988 miles (3200 metres) when Australia adopted the metric system.
• The great Mark Twain giving us a compliment
  While these days it attracts the most glamorous pap from across the spectrum of the sporting and entertainment world, the Melbourne Cup was once visited by the great American author Mark Twain. His 1895 visit prompted him to muse: “Nowhere in the world have I encountered a festival of people that has such a magnificent appeal to the whole nation. The Cup astonishes me.” That’s a pretty good review, in any one’s language.
• The introduction of fashion
  In a bid to encourage more women to attend the cup, the first Fashions on the Field was held in 1962. These days the fine frocks and fancy suits are all the rage at the cup, with both men and women buying into the competitions, with big prizes for best dressed available.
• What is the biggest Melbourne Cup field?
  The limit for runners is 24, but that wasn’t always the case. We would not have wanted to be a jockey when the largest field of 39 runners trotted onto the track in 1890.
• What about the Melbourne Cup trophy itself?
  While the prize money is what winners really want, the Melbourne Cup trophy is actually worth an amazing $175,000. It’s made out of 18 carat gold every year, has three handles and is known as ‘The Loving Cup’.

List of Melbourne Cup winners

Melbourne Cup Guides:

• Melbourne Cup Freebets
• Melbourne Cup Futures
• Cup Betting Guide
• Where To Bet On The Cup
• Melbourne Cup Odds
• Cup Order Of Entry
• Melbourne Cup field
• Melb Cup Sweep
• Cup Form Guide
• Cup Race Day
• Race Program
• Fashions On The Field

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