The Melbourne Cup began in 1861 and has since become Australia’s most iconic horse race. Over the years, it has produced incredible moments and recordings. Here’s a look at some of the key facts, statistics and history from the Cup’s rich past.

When is Melbourne Cup 2024?

The Melbourne Cup will kick off at 3pm on Tuesday 5 November. It is the seventh race on a 10-race card at Flemington.

Which horse has won the most Melbourne Cups?

Makybe Diva is the most successful horse in this race, winning the Melbourne Cup three times (2003, 2004 and 2005). Meanwhile, four other horses won the Cup twice – Think Big (1974, 1975), Rain Lover (1968, 1969), Peter Pan (1932, 1934) and the winner of the first two editions of the race, Archer ( 1861, 1862) .

Who is the most successful Melbourne Cup jockey?

Both Bobby Lewis (1902, 1915, 1919, 1927) and Harry White (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979) won the race four times and are the only jockeys to do so.

More recently, retired duo Damien Oliver (1995, 2002, 2013) and Glen Boss (2003, 2004, 2005) each have three wins, as does current rider Kerrin McEvoy (2000, 2016, 2018).

Who is the most successful Melbourne Cup trainer?

Legendary trainer Bart Cummings won the Melbourne Cup on 12 occasions: 1965 (Light Fingers), 1966 (Galilee), 1967 (Red Handed), 1974 (Think Big), 1975 (Think Big), 1977 (Gold and Black), 1979 ( Hyperno), 1990 (Kingston Rule), 1991 (Let’s Elope), 1996 (Saintly), 1999 (Rogan Josh) and 2008 (Visualized). He also played the chinella of the race five times (1965, 1966, 1974, 1975, 1991).

How big is the Melbourne Cup field?

The field is currently limited to 24 runners, making it one of the largest fields in Australian racing. Of course, sometimes there are fewer runners due to late scratches. Believe it or not, the largest Melbourne Cup field consisted of 39 runners in 1890! Smallest field to race? There were only seven in 1963.

Has the Melbourne Cup always been held at Flemington?

Yes! The richest two-mile handicap in the world has always been run at the famous Flemington Racecourse, but it has not always been held on a Tuesday — this did not become a tradition until 1875. Before that, it was actually run on a Thursday and in three of the five years during World War II (1942, 1943, and 1944) occurred on a Saturday.

Which barrier has produced the most Melbourne Cup winners?

Although there were 163 runnings of the race, barriers were not introduced until 1924. However, barriers five and 14 were the most successful, producing eight winners each.

In 2021, Verry Elleegant made history by winning the race from barrier 18, becoming the first horse to triumph from this position.

The streak now with the longest drought is six, not having a winner since the Bright Fingers in 1965.

Since 2000, nine of the 23 winners have come from barriers between 10-14, with no gate to produce more than two winners since the turn of the century. Seven barriers are still winless in that time, being two, six, 15, 16, 20, 23 and 24.

How about Melbourne Cup saddle cloths?

Horses assigned saddle no. 4 have been the most successful with 12 wins, Verry Elleegant most recently in 2021. Numbers one and 12 each have 11 wins, while number 6 has 10. As for the unluckiest numbers – – seven, 16 , 18 and 21 have the fewest wins with two each.

What is the record time to win the Melbourne Cup?

Kingston Rule (1990) holds the current record for the 3200m with a time of 3:16.3. But the biggest winning margin is shared by Archer (1862) and Rain Lover (1968) by eight lengths. By comparison, last year’s winner Without A Fight won the race in 3:18.37, the eighth fastest time on record.

In this century, the slowest winning time was the second of three consecutive wins by Makybe Diva, running it in 3:28.55 in 2004 — but the track was badly affected by rain.

Archer and Lantern both clocked 3:52.00 to win in 1961 and 1964, respectively, the slowest winning times on record.

Has there ever been heat in the Melbourne Cup?

Not yet! But there have certainly been some close finishes and you don’t have to think too far ahead. In 2011, Dunaden beat Red Cadeaux home by mere millimeters in a memorable and stunning photo finish. There was also a thriller three years ago when Cummings’ Viewed held off a fast-finishing Bauer by the narrowest of margins in 2008.

The first photo finish was in 1948 when Rimfire won from Dark Marne, perhaps controversially, but that’s a story for another day…

What is the critical weight a horse must carry to be in with a chance of winning the Melbourne Cup?

There is no “essential” weight, per se, but weight is still a factor. And even then, the best horses usually win regardless.

Firstly, as the race is run under handicap conditions, each horse will be allocated a weight by the handicapper, which is based on a number of key factors such as gender, age and past performance as a way of balance the terrain.

The heaviest weight carried to victory was 66kg by Carbine in 1890, while the lightest weight winner was Banker, who carried just 33.5kg on his back in 1863.

Since 2010, the average weight carried by a winning horse is just over 54kg. In that time, Gold Trip (2022) gained 57.5 kg and Cross Counter (2018) gained 51 kg. In fact, over the past four years, 55.5kg is the lowest weight brought to Melbourne Cup victory.

Which aged horse had the most success in the Melbourne Cup?

Four-year-olds have the best record in the race with 45 winners, while five-year-olds have won the race 44 times, together accounting for nearly 55% of all winners.

That said, last year’s winner Without A Fight won at seven, while Gold Trip (2022) and Verry Elleegant (2021) were both six. In 2020 Irish raider Twilight Payment became only the third eight-year-old to win the race and the first since Catalog in 1938.

Skipton (1941) was the last three-year-old to win, but both Cross Counter (2018) and Rekindling (2017), although officially listed as four-year-olds, were both European three-year-olds at the time they won.

Do mares or stallions have a better Melbourne Cup record?

Stallions (or thoroughbreds) dominated the Melbourne Cup with 72 wins, as did geldings with 55. Only 14 mares have won the race, Verry Elleegant in 2021 the most recent — and she was the first to do so since the third Makybe Diva Cup. victory in 2005.

Who is the favorite to win this year’s Melbourne Cup?

As of 9am (AEDT) 28 October, Chris Waller’s Via Sistina is the current favorite after her stunning Cox Plate win, in which she broke the record previously set by champion mare Winx, while Jan Brueghel was an excited runner yet from Coach Aidan. O’Brien revealed that Galileo’s inexperienced colt will be his only contender in this year’s race. Last year’s Vauban favourite, Caulfield Cup runner-up Buckaroo and Geelong Cup winner Onesmoothoperator are also among the key chances.

What cash prizes are on offer?

The Melbourne Cup is worth $8 million, with the winner receiving $4.4 million. Trainers receive 10% of the winnings, jockeys 5%, and 85% goes to the horse’s owners. The second-place runner earns $1.1 million, third takes $550,000, fourth $350,000, fifth $230,000 and sixth through 12th $160,000.

What is the largest crowd attending the Melbourne Cup?

The first edition of the race received 4,000 participants, but the attendance record was set when 2003 attracted 122,736 spectators. This figure dropped to 98,161 the following year, before the next 11 years saw crowds in six figures. Due to COVID-19, there were no ongoing patrons in 2020, while crowd capacity was limited to 10,000 for 2021 only.

Last year, the official attendance at Flemington was 84,492 — up 14.5% from 2022.

How can you watch the 2024 race?

Channel Nine has free-to-air rights to the Melbourne Cup this year as well as the rest of the carnival (Derby Day on November 2, Oaks Day on November 7 and Champions Stakes Day on November 9) after striking a six-year deal with the VRC and Tabcorp. It will also be available in the TAB app, Sky Racingand Racing.com.

Make sure you also stay tuned to ESPN.com.au for a full Cup Day form guide and tips.