Skip to main content
Race.com.au
The Melbourne Cup trophy held aloft in front of a roaring Flemington crowd

Feature Race · First Tuesday in November, 3:00pm AEDT

Melbourne Cup

The race that stops a nation. First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup is Australia's most famous race — a two-mile handicap at Flemington that has launched legends from Archer to Phar Lap to Makybe Diva.

When
First Tuesday in November, 3:00pm AEDT
Where
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne VIC
Distance
3200m (2 miles)
Prizemoney
$9.0 million

How to bet on the Melbourne Cup

  • Futures markets open months out and are available on every licensed Australian bookmaker — compare prices, because the same horse is routinely $1–$2 different between operators.
  • The final field of 24 is confirmed on the Saturday before the race; barrier draw morning (the Sunday) historically moves the market more than any other single day.
  • Melbourne Cup day is the busiest promo day of the year: money-back offers for second or third, protest payout and boosted odds on the Cup are standard across bookmakers — see our bonus bets page for what's legal.
  • Exotics are enormous on Cup Day: the trifecta and first four pay life-changing dividends most years, and our exotics guides explain how to structure them.

Recent Winners

  • 2025 — Absurde (J. McDonald, A. de Mieulle)
  • 2024 — Knight's Choice (R. Coffey, J. Lees)
  • 2023 — Without A Fight (M. Zahra, A. & S. Freedman)
  • 2022 — Gold Trip (M. Zahra, C. Maingot)
  • 2021 — Verry Elleegant (J. McDonald, C. Waller)

Full finishing order, margins and dividends for past runnings live in our results archive.

Melbourne Cup legends

Archer (1861, 1862)

The inaugural winner walked to Melbourne from Nowra and won twice — and the Cup has never looked back, becoming the richest handicap in the world within a generation.

Phar Lap (1930)

The 'Red Terror' carried 9st 7lb to an effortless win at 11/8 favourite during the Depression, then became a national icon whose mystery-shrouded death still echoes.

Makybe Diva (2003–2005)

The only three-time winner of the Cup, all with Glen Boss aboard — a feat most judges call the greatest achievement in the race's history.

Winx-era weight story

While Winx never contested the Cup, her contemporary Hartnell (2016 runner-up) and Rekindling (2017) carried the international raid's torch into the modern era.

Recent golden era

Since 2010 the Cup has been won by international raiders (Americain, Dunaden, Protectionist, Rekindling, Twilight Payment) and local heroes (Fiorente, Prince of Penzance, Vow And Declare, Gold Trip, Without A Fight, Knight's Choice) in almost equal measure.

Melbourne Cup records

Most wins (horse)
Makybe Diva — 3 (2003, 2004, 2005)
Most wins (jockey)
4 riders share the record with 4 wins: Harry White, Bobby Lewis, Damien Oliver, Glen Boss
Most wins (trainer)
Bart Cummings — 12 wins, 'The Cups King'
Biggest winning margin
The Quarry (1890) and Archer (1862) — 8 lengths
Longest-priced winner
Prince of Penzance (2015) — $101
Fastest winning time
3:16.30 — Media Puzzle (2002)
Heaviest weight carried to victory
Carbine (1890) — 10st 5lb (66kg)
Youngest winning jockey
Peter St. Albans (1876) — believed 13 years old

Why the Cup stops the nation

Since 1877 the Melbourne Cup has been a public holiday in Melbourne, and by the 20th century the race had become a genuine national ritual: workplace sweeps, fascinators and morning suits at Flemington, and an estimated audience well beyond the 100,000 on course. It's the one race every Australian has an opinion on — which is why the market runs deeper, and the exotics pay bigger, than any other race of the year.

The four-day Flemington carnival builds to it: Derby Day on Saturday, Victoria Oaks on Thursday, and Cup Day itself on the first Tuesday of November, followed by Oaks Day ("Ladies Day") on Thursday. Our racing calendar tracks every Group 1 through the spring, and our Melbourne Cup history guide goes deeper on the great winners and moments.

Melbourne Cup FAQs

Who is the favourite for the 2026 Melbourne Cup?›

The favourite shifts as the carnival unfolds — European horses arriving in October and the Caulfield Cup result traditionally settle the market. Check our odds comparison for the live favourite and full market once bookmakers open their 2026 Cup markets.

What time is the Melbourne Cup run?›

The Melbourne Cup is run at 3:00pm AEDT on the first Tuesday in November, as race 7 of a ten-race card at Flemington. Gates open from late morning, with the main supporting races from around 12:30pm.

How many horses run in the Melbourne Cup?›

The field is capped at 24 starters plus emergencies, chosen by a ballot that weighs prizemoney, Group race wins and international rating. The final field is declared on Victoria Derby Day, four days before the race.

How much is Melbourne Cup prizemoney?›

Total prizemoney is $9.0 million, with $5.1 million to the winner — making it Australia's richest race and one of the richest handicaps in the world.

How do I bet on the Melbourne Cup?›

Open an account with any licensed Australian bookmaker, compare fixed odds on our odds comparison page, and place your bet — win, place, each-way or any exotic. Sign-up bonuses are banned nationally, but Cup-week money-back offers for existing members are standard.