Winners by Handicap Weight
Winners by Barrier
Winners by Sex
Winners by Horse Age
Winners by Horse Colour
Winners by Saddlecloth Number
Winners by Starting Initial
Winners by Horse Name Word Count
Winners by Odds Starting Price (SP)
Winners by Barrier
Winners by Sex
Winners by Horse Age
Winners by Horse Colour
Winners by Saddlecloth Number
Winners by Starting Initial
Winners by Horse Name Word Count
Winners by Odds Starting Price (SP)
All the facts, figures frequently asked questions (FAQs) you need to be an expert on the Melbourne Cup in 90 seconds. Don’t bet on The Cup without this important information.
What is the Melbourne Cup Race Record?
- The Melbourne Cup race record is 3 minutes 16.3 seconds set by Kingston Rule in 1990.
Who is the slowest Melbourne Cup winner in history?
- The inaugural winner Archer (1861) has the slowest winning time with 3 minutes 52 seconds.
Dunaden beat Red Cadeaux by half a second at the 2011 Melbourne CupWhat is the closest Melb Cup finish?
- The closest finish was seen in the 2011 Melbourne Cup with Dunaden narrowly beating Red Cadeaux by just a short half head; the closest margin declared in Australian horse racing.
Who is the biggest winner of the Melbourne Cup?
- The biggest winning margin in Melbourne Cup history is shared equally by Archer in 1862 and Rain Lover in 1968, who both bolted in by 8 lengths.
What was the smallest Melbourne Cup field to go around?
- The smallest field to run in the Melbourne Cup was seven starters back in the 1863 cup won by Banker.
This is my table
1
What was the biggest Melbourne Cup Field to face the starter?
- The the biggest field was 39 starters in 1890, the year the great Carbine won the Cup. For years now the Melbourne Cup field size has been limited to 24 horses, which is the maximum number of horses in a race that the local TAB pari-mutual totalisator pools can handle.
What is the light weight a Melbourne Cup winner has carried?
- Back in 1863 (the smallest field ever) Banker won carrying a mere 33.5kg. With Australian racing rules now declaring a minimum riding weight of 53kg, this record can never be beaten.
What is the heaviest weight carried by a Cup winner?
- Carbine outraced 38 rivals in 1890 lugging an incredible 65.8kg. The heaviest weight carried to victory in recent times was by the great mare Makybe Diva who carried 58kg to win her third successive Melbourne Cup.
Makybe Diva came in at 58kg at the 2005 CupWhat is the heaviest weight carried by a mare to win The Cup?
- You guessed it – The great immortal mare Makybe Diva holds the winning weight carrying record for a mare lumping 58kgs to her 2005 victory.
This is my table
What is the heaviest weight carried any Melbourne Cup starter?
- The weight carrying record goes to The Barb who carried a grandstand weight of 73kgs in the 1869 Melbourne Cup finishing unplaced.
What is the most successful weight for a Melbourne Cup horse to carry?
- Horses carrying 51.5kg have the best record in the modern age of the cup, winning 10 Melbourne Cups. Next best are horses weighted with 53kgs with nine wins, and horses with 52.5 and 54.5kgs who have both provided eight winners.The all time record though goes to those horses weighted with 45kgs! Horses weighted with 45kgs have carried by 15 Melbourne Cup winners; a sight which will never be seen again. In the modern age, the minimum handicap weight allowed to start in the cup is 49kgs. 2012 winner Green Moon carried 53.5kgs to win, the last horse to win with the same weight was 1988 winner Empire Rose. 2013 winner Fiorente carried 55kgs, Protectionist 56.5kgs, Prince Of Penzance 55kgs, Almandin 53kgs, and 2017 winner Rekindling carried just 51.5kgs. 2018 cup winner Cross Counter carried 51kg, while Vow And Declare won with 52kg, and Twilight Payment 55.5kgs.
Melbourne Cup Winners by Handicap Weight
| Weight | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| 65.8 | 1 | 1890 |
| 64.5 | 1 | 1861 |
| 63.5 | 1 | 1920 |
| 62.5 | 1 | 1930 |
| 61 | 2 | 1952 |
| 60.5 | 2 | 1969 |
| 59.5 | 3 | 1954 |
| 58.5 | 3 | 1975 |
| 58 | 4 | 2005 |
| 57.5 | 4 | 2022 |
| 57 | 3 | 2021 |
| 56.5 | 3 | 2014 |
| 56 | 6 | 1997 |
| 55.5 | 4 | 2020 |
| 55 | 5 | 2013 |
| 54.5 | 8 | 2011 |
| 54 | 3 | 1989 |
| 53.5 | 3 | 2012 |
| 53 | 9 | 2015 |
| 52.5 | 8 | 2002 |
| 52 | 7 | 2019 |
| 51.5 | 10 | 2017 |
| 51 | 7 | 2018 |
| 50.5 | 4 | 1978 |
| 50 | 4 | 1999 |
| 49.5 | 6 | 1980 |
| 49 | 5 | 2000 |
| 48.5 | 3 | 1939 |
| 48 | 7 | 1972 |
| 47.5 | 2 | 1945 |
| 47 | 7 | 1932 |
| 46.5 | 4 | 1895 |
| 46 | 1 | 1871 |
| 45.5 | 2 | 1848 |
| 45 | 15 | 1963 |
| 44.5 | 3 | 1923 |
| 43.5 | 5 | 1931 |
| 43 | 1 | 1866 |
| 42.5 | 2 | 1908 |
| 42 | 2 | 1921 |
| 41.5 | 1 | 1903 |
| 41 | 1 | 1874 |
| 40 | 1 | 1876 |
| 39.5 | 2 | 1870 |
| 36.5 | 1 | 1881 |
| 33.5 | 1 | 1863 |
Who was the first international horse to win the Melbourne Cup?
- In 1993, Vintage Crop became the first northern hemisphere-trained horse to win the great race. The Irish stayer was trained by Dermot Weld and ridden by Mick Kinanne and won at odds of $15 (14/1).
Who are the international winners of the Melbourne Cup?
- Nine horses trained in the Northern hemisphere have won since Vintage Crop in 1993. Media Puzzle (2002) was the next followed by Japanese raider Delta Blues (2006) while Americain (2010) and Dunaden (2011) were both trained in France.Protectionist became the first German horse to win when he secured the 2014 crown, and Rekindling won the 2017 Melbourne Cup trained by Joseph O’Brien. 2018 winner Cross Counter and 2020 cup winner Twilight Payment were also internationals.
This is my table
How many Caulfield Cup win go on to win the Melbourne Cup in the same year?
- No horse has completed the double in the past 17 years with Ethereal the last to do it in 2001.Overall 11 horses have won the Caulfield/Melbourne Cup Double in the same year. They are: Poseidon (1906), The Trump (1937), Rivette (1939), Rising Fast (1954), Even Stevens (1962), Galilee (1966), Gurner’s Lane (1982), Let’s Elope (1991), Doriemus (1995), Might and Power (1997) and Ethereal (2001). In 2023 Melbourne Cup betting Without A Fight is looking to complete the rare double.
- Comprehensive Melbourne Cup betting guide
- Melbourne Cup futures betting
- Best online bookmakers for Melbourne Cup betting
How many horses have won three Melbourne Cups?
- Makybe Diva is the only horse to have won three Melbourne Cups (2003, 2004 and 2005) and her jockey Glen Boss is the first jockey to have won the race three years in a row.
What is the record of favourites in The Melbourne Cup?
- 36 out of 162 favourites have won the Melbourne Cup; about 1 in 4 favourites. Fiorente was the most recent favourite to score when he won the 2013 Cup starting as favourite. Roughly half of all the favourites have finished in the first three placings.
What is the shortest priced favourite to win the The Cup?
- The immortal Phar Lap is the shortest priced winner of the Melbourne Cup, winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup by 3 lengths at the price of 8/11 (11/8 on in the old or $1.73 in the modern terminology).
Recommended!
Live Betting Odds
Claim a 50% deposit bonus up to the value of USD $250
What are the longest priced Melbourne Cup winners?
- 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance saluted at the longest odds in the race’s history, at $101/1. It was the longest-odds horse in the field and made additional history with Michelle Payne becoming the first female jockey to win a Melbourne Cup. Other notable roughies to win the race include The Pearl 100/1 (1871), Wotan 100/1 (1936) and Old Rowley 100/1 (1940). In the modern age Tawriffic $31 and Viewed $41 are the longest price winners in the past 20 years. However over $81 was bet in early markets about the Bart Cummings 1999 Melbourne Cup winner Rogan Josh despite him officially starting at just $5.00 on the day.
What are the most successful draws for Melbourne Cup barriers?
- Since 1958 when the barrier stalls were used in the Cup for the first time, more horses have won from the four outside barriers (21-24) than have won from the four inside barriers (1-4). The most successful barriers in that period is are barriers 11 & 14 which has produced six winners. Barrier 5 has produced five winners.
Melbourne Cup barriersWhat are the worst barriers to draw in the Melbourne Cup?
- In the 162 runnings of the cup, and since barriers were introduced in 1958, barrier 18 had its first winner in 2021 when Verry Elleegant defied history.
Melbourne Cup Winners By Barrier
| Barrier | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1990 |
| 2 | 2 | 1997 |
| 3 | 3 | 2002 |
| 4 | 3 | 2017 |
| 5 | 5 | 2013 |
| 6 | 3 | 1965 |
| 7 | 1 | 2004 |
| 8 | 1 | 2008 |
| 9 | 2 | 2007 |
| 10 | 3 | 2001 |
| 11 | 6 | 2014 |
| 12 | 1 | 2020 |
| 13 | 2 | 2011 |
| 14 | 6 | 2022 |
| 15 | 1 | 1971 |
| 16 | 3 | 1998 |
| 17 | 3 | 2016 |
| 18 | 1 | 2021 |
| 19 | 3 | 2018 |
| 20 | 2 | 1998 |
| 21 | 4 | 2009 |
| 22 | 3 | 2000 |
| 23 | 2 | 2019 |
| 24 | 2 | 1973 |
These figures date from 1958 when barrier stalls were first used in the Melbourne Cup.
What sex of horse has the best record in the Melbourne Cup?
- The most successful horse sexes have been Entires having won 71 Melbourne Cups, the last being 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip. 2017 winner Rekindling is often mistakenly recognised as a Colt winner, but was technically 4 years old at the time making him an Entire or Horse (Stallion). Not surprisingly Geldings have faired the next best with 52 wins, the last being Vow And Declare in 2019. Colts have performed better than Mares when started and Fillies have the poorest record, having not won since 1921 when Sister Olive took out the race.
This is my table
Melbourne Cup Winners by Sex
| Sex | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| Entires | 71 | 2022 |
| Geldings | 54 | 2019 |
| Colts | 19 | 1941 |
| Mares | 15 | 2021 |
| Fillies | 3 | 1921 |
What is the best age to win a Melbourne Cup?
- Four and five year old horses have the best record in the race with 46 and 45 wins each. Six year olds have five of the last eight runnings of The Cup and this year five and six years will comprise half the field.Three year olds had a good record in the race in early years, but a 3 year old has not won the cup now since Skipton won in 1941. Like wise 8 year olds do not have a great record in the cup having won only three with the last being Catalogue in 1938 prior to Twilight Payment in 2021
Melbourne Cup Winners by Horse Age
| Age | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 23 | 1941 |
| 4 | 46 | 2019 |
| 5 | 45 | 2022 |
| 6 | 33 | 2022 |
| 7 | 11 | 2016 |
| 8 | 3 | 2020 |
What colour of horse usually wins the Melbourne Cup?
- Not surprisingly, Bay coloured horses have the most successful record looking through the past winners of the Melbourne Cup having won 74 cups and 18 of the last 21 cups. Brown horses have faired well with 37 wins. Blacks and Brown or Blacks have the worst record with just 3 and 2 wins respectively.
An absolute classic example of a Bay coloured horseMelbourne Cup winners by Horse Colour
| Horse Colour | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| Bay | 74 | 2022 |
| Brown | 38 | 2021 |
| Chestnut | 34 | 2002 |
| Grey | 6 | 2007 |
| Bay Or Brown | 4 | 2010 |
| Black | 3 | 1900 |
| Brown Or Black | 2 | 1931 |
What jockey colours (silks) win more Melbourne Cups?
- Navy blue and royal blue have been very successful with 21 Melbourne Cup wins, with the last being Jye McNeil on Twilight Payment in 2020. 18 cup winning jockeys have worn black as their main colour. The most recent was Damien Oliver on Fiorente in 2013.
Who are the most successful Melbourne Cup jockeys?
- The most successful Melbourne Cup jockeys are Bobbie Lewis (The Victory 1902, Patrobas 1915, Artilleryman 1919 and Trivalve 1927) and Harry White (Think Big 1974 and 1975, Arwon 1978 and Hyperno 1979) with four wins each. Damien Oliver & Kerrin McEvoy are the most successful Melbourne Cup hoops currently riding with three wins.
- How to bet on the Melbourne Cup
- Best bookmakers to bet on the 2023 Melbourne Cup
- 2022 Melbourne Cup odds
- Melbourne Cup order of entry
- Melbourne Cup free bets
- Melbourne Cup futures
- Melbourne Cup fashions on the field
How many female jockeys have won the Melbourne Cup?
- The Melbourne Cup did not originally allow women to compete, with Kiwi jockey Maree Lyndon becoming the first female to do so with horse Argonaut Style in 1987. The first Australian female jockey to ride in the Melbourne Cup was Claire Lindop who rode Debben in 2003. In 2015, Michelle Payne became the first and only female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup in aboard New Zealand gelding Prince of Penzance who was also one of the longest shot winners of The Cup. She was just the fourth woman to gain a ride in the race.
This is my table
Who are the best Melbourne Cup trainers?
- Bart Cummings is the most successful Melbourne Cup trainer, with 12 victories in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2008. Sheila Laxon and Gai Waterhouse are the only female trainers to win the Melbourne Cup, winning with Ethereal (2001) and Fiorente (2013).
Who are most successful Melbourne Cup female trainers?
- Sheila Laxon and Gai Waterhouse are the only female trainers to win the Melbourne Cup. Laxon won with Ethereal in the 2001, and Waterhouse with Fiorente in 2013.
Gia Waterhouse and Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente Which owners have won the most Melbourne Cups? Owners
- Lloyd Williams (Just A Dash 1981, What A Nuisance 1985, Efficient 2007, Green Moon 2012, Alamndin 2016, Rekindling 2017, Cross Counter 2018 and Twilight Payment 2020) is hands down the most successful owner in Melbourne Cup history, having won four of the last five runnings of the race. The next most successful owners are John Tait (The Barb 1866, Glencoe 1868, The Pearl 1871, The Quack1872), Etienne de Mestre (Archer 1861, Archer 1862, Tim Whiffler 1867, Calamia 1878), and Dato Tan Chin Nam (Think Big 1974, Think Big 1975, Saintly 1996, Viewed 2008) with four wins each.
What are the best Melbourne Cup numbers (saddlecloths)?
- The most successful saddlecloth number in the history of the Cup is saddlecloths #1 & #4 having produced a winner on 12 different occasions. Numbers 2, and 8 having provided the cup winner on 11 occasions each.The least successful saddlecloth number is 21. In 2009, Shocking made Melbourne Cup history by breaking an 86 year drought for saddle cloth number 21. The last horse to wear this number to victory was Bitalli in 1923. Currently, the longest drought is for number 20 – it was last carried by a Cup winner in 1897 (Gaulus) – that’s a losing streak of 114 years! 2014 Cup winner Protectionist carried saddlecloth five to victory for the first time since the great Makybe Diva back in 2004. Remarkably saddlecloth numbers 22 and 23 have produced three of the last four cup winners.
Melbourne Cup Winners by Saddlecloth Number
| Saddlecloth Number | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 2022 |
| 2 | 11 | 2006 |
| 3 | 5 | 2011 |
| 4 | 12 | 2021 |
| 5 | 8 | 2014 |
| 6 | 10 | 2020 |
| 7 | 4 | 1981 |
| 8 | 11 | 2010 |
| 9 | 7 | 1957 |
| 10 | 4 | 2008 |
| 11 | 7 | 1988 |
| 12 | 11 | 2003 |
| 13 | 7 | 2001 |
| 14 | 6 | 2012 |
| 15 | 5 | 1991 |
| 16 | 3 | 1972 |
| 17 | 8 | 2016 |
| 18 | 3 | 1932 |
| 19 | 7 | 2015 |
| 20 | 3 | 1897 |
| 21 | 2 | 2009 |
| 22 | 5 | 2017 |
| 23 | 4 | 2019 |
| 24 | 7 | 2000 |
Since 1955 the field size has been limited to 24 runners. Prior to that, number 25 had provided two winners, number 26 one, number 28 one and number 39 one. Includes all winners (1861-1876 determined by weight order).
What are the best horse name letters to win a Melbourne Cup?
- The most successful Melbourne Cup Letter is “T” having won the cup 17 times including last years winner Twilight Payment. Horse names starting with “P” are the next best after securing wins with Protectionist in 2014 and Prince of Penzance in 2015. “M” and “S” both have 12 wins while in 2013, Fiorente took the “F” wins to 2, breaking a 64 year drought since 1949 winner Foxami. Letters “I”, “Q”, “U”, “X” and “Y” have never won the cup.
This is my table
Winners by Starting Initial Horse Name
| Starting Initial | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| A | 11 | 2016 |
| B | 11 | 2000 |
| C | 9 | 2018 |
| D | 9 | 2011 |
| E | 5 | 2007 |
| F | 2 | 2013 |
| G | 11 | 2022 |
| H | 5 | 1979 |
| I | 0 | |
| J | 3 | 1998 |
| K | 5 | 1990 |
| L | 6 | 1991 |
| M | 12 | 2005 |
| N | 4 | 1929 |
| 0 | 1 | 1940 |
| P | 14 | 2015 |
| Q | 0 | |
| R | 10 | 2017 |
| S | 12 | 2009 |
| T | 17 | 2020 |
| U | 0 | |
| V | 5 | 2021 |
| W | 8 | 1985 |
| X | 0 | |
| Y | 0 | |
| Z | 1 | 1881 |
How many words in winning Melbourne Cup horse names?
The vast majority of Melbourne Cup winning horses have had single word names having won 89 of the 157 cups to be raced. Two word names have won 66 Melbourne Cups and three word names have scored seven times.
Due to letter count restrictions on horses names there has never been a four worded horse name to have won the Melbourne Cup.
Melbourne Cup Winners by Horse Name Word Count
| Words In Name | Wins | Last |
|---|---|---|
| One Word | 89 | 2017 |
| Two Words | 66 | 2022 |
| Three Words | 7 | 2019 |
This is my table
What odds are most Melbourne Cup winners?
- Horses starting at odds of $11 (10/1) have the best record of wining the Melbourne Cup having won on 15 occasions. Horses started at $9 (8/1) are the next most successful, providing the winner of 13 cups. Green Moon is the only horse to have won the cup starting at odds of $19.
Melbourne Cup winners by Horse Odds Starting Price (SP)
| Odds | Wins |
|---|---|
| 1.73 | 1 |
| 2.75 | 1 |
| 3.00 | 1 |
| 3.50 | 3 |
| 4.00 | 4 |
| 4.50 | 5 |
| 5.00 | 12 |
| 5.50 | 2 |
| 6.00 | 10 |
| 6.50 | 4 |
| 7.00 | 7 |
| 7.50 | 2 |
| 8.00 | 7 |
| 8.50 | 2 |
| 9.00 | 14 |
| 10.00 | 4 |
| 11.00 | 15 |
| 12.00 | 2 |
| 13.00 | 9 |
| 15.00 | 6 |
| 16.00 | 5 |
| 17.00 | 11 |
| 18.00 | 2 |
| 19.00 | 1 |
| 21.00 | 7 |
| 26.00 | 7 |
| 31.00 | 1 |
| 34.00 | 6 |
| 41.00 | 3 |
| 51.00 | 3 |
| 81.00 | 1 |
| 101.00 | 4 |