Melbourne Cup
Known as ‘the race that stops a nation’, the Melbourne Cup is the second richest prize in Australian racing following the $15 million The Everest held in Sydney.
Contested over the traditional two-mile Cup distance of 3200m, the Melbourne Cup is run and won on the first Tuesday of November annually at Flemington Racecourse. As of 2022, Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse will host the $2 million The Big Dance (1600m) on Melbourne Cup Day each year.
The world’s richest handicap race, first run in 1861 with Archer taking out the opening two editions of the event, now offers over $8 million in prize money and is the jewel race of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
The Melbourne Cup runs as Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (local time) and has been won by many greats of the turf, including a host of international raiders the first of the Northern-hemisphere champions being Vintage Crop (1993).
There has only been one triple Melbourne Cup winner with the mighty mare Makybe Diva securing her hat-trick from 2003-05.
Verry Elleegant made history winning the 2021 Melbourne Cup as a 57kg weighted mare dominating by four lengths as the first winner from barrier 18.
Find out more about the iconic Melbourne Cup winners throughout history here.
Melbourne Cup 2022 – Quick Information
- Race Day: Tuesday, November 1st, 2022
- Race Starts: 3 PM (AEST)
- Track Location: Flemington Racecourse
- Track Surface: Turf
- Track Direction: Left-handed
- Race Distance: 3,200 metres
- Weight Conditions: Handicap
- Qualification: Three year olds and over
- Type: Thoroughbred
- Grade: Group 1
- Operator: Victoria Racing Club
- Prize Purse: $7,430,000
- Inaugural Race: 1861
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Winner: TBD
Melbourne cup 2022 RESULTS
The official 2022 Melbourne Cup results will be available below once the race takes place on Tuesday November 1, 2022 at 3:00pm (local Melbourne time).
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
Melbourne Cup Betting 2022
There are many different ways to bet on the Melbourne Cup, we’ve included some of the most popular options below:
| Bet Type | How To Place This Type Of Bet In This Year’s Melbourne Cup |
|---|---|
| Win Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Melbourne Cup. |
| Place Bet | Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Melbourne Cup. Pays less than a win bet, but offers safer odds. |
| Each-Way Bet | If your runner finishes 1st in the Melbourne Cup, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend. |
| Quinella Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the Melbourne Cup, in order to win the Quinella. |
| Exacta Bet | You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the Melbourne Cup to win the Exacta. |
| Trifecta Bet | You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Melbourne Cup to win the Trifecta. |
| First Four | You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Melbourne Cup to win the First 4. |
| Quadrella Bet (Quaddie) | You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the Melbourne Cup, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie. |
How To Bet On The Melbourne Cup in 2022
- Log in at neds.com.au
- Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
- Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
- Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Melbourne Cup Betting above).
- Select the horse(s) for the race.
Melbourne Cup field 2022
The official Melbourne Cup 2022 field of final acceptances is announced by the VRC on the Saturday prior to the race following the action of Victoria Derby Day, Saturday October 29, 2022 live from Flemington Racecourse and will be published in full below.
The Melbourne Cup has a field limit of 24 starters and there are no emergency runners.
Which Horse Will Win The Melbourne Cup in 2022
The best way to pick which horse will win the Melbourne Cup in 2022 is to take into account their lead-up spring racing form, assess the Melbourne Cup barriers, consider the Melbourne Cup weights, and look for the proven stayers in the field.
Additional factors to consider when selecting the Melbourne Cup winner include:
- Favourites – The favourites in Melbourne Cup betting have a poor record overall in the event.
- Barrier Hoodoo – Verry Elleegant (2021) became history’s first Melbourne Cup winner from barrier 18, while barrier 11 is considered the luckiest Melbourne Cup gate.
- Internationals Rule – Since the race opened up to contenders outside of Australia and New Zealand, the internationals from the Northern Hemisphere have dominated the Melbourne Cup results including in 2020 when three ran the trifecta: Twilight Payment (1st), Tiger Moth (2nd) and Prince Of Arran (3rd).
- Six Is It – Six-year-olds have the best recent record in the Melbourne Cup with Zed mare Verry Elleegant (2021) the last six-year-old Melbourne Cup winner.
Melbourne Cup Last Place
If you want to place bet on which horse will place last in this year’s Melbourne Cup results, then the table below will be of interest to you, displaying who took last place in the past ten years. Often Melbourne Cup sweeps pay out for the last placegetter, so keeping on the unlucky horse at the tail end of the field is popular.
| Melbourne Cup Race Year | Last Finishing Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ocean Billy | Chris Waller | Damien Thornton |
| 2020* | Avilius | James Cummings | John Allen |
| 2019 | Rostropovich | David Hayes | Dwayne Dunn |
| 2018* | Red Cardinal | Darren Weir | Damien Oliver |
| 2017 | Gallante | Robert Hickmott | Michael Dee |
| 2016 | Rose Of Virginia | Lee & Shannon Hope | Ben E Thompson |
| 2015 | Snow Sky | Ed Dunlop | Gérald Mossé |
| 2014 | Admire Rakti | Tomoyuki Umeda | Zac Purton |
| 2013 | Verema | Alain de Royer-Dupré | Christophe Lemaire |
| 2012 | Ethiopia | Pat Carey | Rhys McLeod |
| 2011 | Modun | Saeed Bin Suroor | Kieran McEvoy |
| 2010 | Zavite | Anthony Cummings | Michael Walker |
| 2009 | Warringah | Chris Waller | Damien Oliver |
| 2008 | Honolulu | Aidan O’Brien | Colm O’Donoghue |
*Note:
- 2020 Anthony Van Dyck was pulled-up 350m out from the line and subsequently euthanised due to fracturing his fetlock.
- 2018 The Cliffsofmoher failed to finish after fracturing a shoulder and sadly having to be subsequently euthanised post-race.
Melbourne Cup Favourites 2022
Early favourites in Melbourne Cup 2022 betting include star Japanese galloper Titleholder, and last year’s Caulfield Cup champ Incentivise who ran second to Verry Elleegant in the Melbourne Cup quinella as the beaten favourite in 2021.
Fiorente ($7 in 2013) was the last Melbourne Cup favourite to win.
The 2021 Melbourne Cup favourite Incentivise ($2.90) finished second to Verry Elleegant ($18).
Melbourne Cup 2022 Form Guide
The final form guide will be available the week prior to the race following the final acceptances for the Melbourne Cup on Derby Day. You can check below for a link to our full 2022 Melbourne Cup Form Guide following final acceptances.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2022 MELBOURNE CUP FORM GUIDE
Melbourne Cup 2022 Tips
The Favourite: TBD
The Danger: TBD
Each Way: TBD
The Best Roughie: TBD
Our insider Melbourne Cup 2022 betting tips will be provided right here the week of the race and a full Melbourne Cup tipping preview available on the Neds Blog.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2022 MELBOURNE CUP PREVIEW & TIPS
Melbourne Cup Race Day 2022
Race day takes place on Tuesday, the 1st of November, 2022. Melbourne Cup Day 2022 is the second of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival. It follows on from Victoria Derby Day and runs on the first Tuesday of November annually. After Cup Day the Carnival continues with VRC Oaks Day on the Thursday and comes to a close with Mackinnon Stakes Day on the Saturday.
The key support races on the 2022 Melbourne Cup Day Race Card are the:
- Group 3 $200,000 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m), and the
- Group 3 $200,000 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1400m).
Melbourne Cup Race Time 2022
The race is scheduled to start at 3 PM Australian Eastern Daylight time. Melbourne Cup start times for various states appear in the table below.
| State | Start Time |
|---|---|
| Western Australia | 12:00 PM |
| Queensland | 2:00 PM |
| Australian Capital Territory | 3:00 PM |
| Tasmania | 3:00 PM |
| Victoria | 3:00 PM |
| New South Wales | 3:00 PM |
| Northern Territory | 1.30 pm |
| South Australia | 2.30 pm |
Melbourne Cup 2022 Barrier Draw
The official 2022 Melbourne Cup barrier draw will be released to the public on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 7.30 pm following the VRC Derby Day racing action at Flemington Racecourse and published in full in our above Melbourne Cup Field section.
Melbourne Cup 2022 Nominations
The 2022 Melbourne Cup nominations close on Tuesday August 2, 2022. You can view the full list of nominations on our Melbourne Cup Nominations page.
Melbourne Cup 2022 first acceptances
Melbourne Cup 2022 second acceptances
Melbourne Cup 2022 third acceptances
Melbourne Cup 2022 fourth acceptances
Melbourne Cup Weights 2022
Handicap conditions apply to this race. The early 2022 Melbourne Cup weights on the nominated horses are announced in September and will be detailed here.
Melbourne Cup 2022 Acceptance Dates
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Nominations: Close on Tuesday August 2, 2022
- 2022 Melbourne Cup First Declarations: Close on Tuesday September 6, 2022
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Second Declarations: Close on Tuesday September 27, 2022
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Third Declarations: Close on Tuesday October 11, 2022
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Fourth Declarations: Close on Monday October 24, 2022
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Final Field: Announced Saturday October 29, 2022 at 4:30pm (local time)
- 2022 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw: Takes place Saturday October 29, 2022 at 7:00pm (local time)
melbourne cup JOCKEYS 2022
The official 2022 Melbourne Cup jockeys must be declared before Friday the 28th of October, 2022 and will be updated in our above Melbourne Cup Field section.
Melbourne Cup 2022 Scratchings
Scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Tuesday, the 1st of November, 2022.
Melbourne Cup Prize Money 2022
The Melbourne Cup prize purse is worth $7,430,000 in total, distributed from places first through to twelfth including $4.4 million going to the Melbourne Cup winner in 2022.
| Place | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $4,400,000 |
| 2nd | $1,100,000 |
| 3rd | $550,000 |
| 4th | $350,000 |
| 5th | $230,000 |
| 6th | $160,000 |
| 7th | $160,000 |
| 8th | $160,000 |
| 9th | $160,000 |
| 10th | $160,000 |
| 11th | $160,000 |
| 12th | $160,000 |
Melbourne Cup Race Number 2022
The 2022 Melbourne Cup runs as Flemington Race 7 on the 1st of November, 2022 part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, the second race day event of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. There are ten races in total that day at Flemington Racecourse.
Melbourne Cup Live 2022
You can watch or listen to the 2022 Melbourne Cup live, across the following mediums.
Telecast: Channel 10
Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)
Radio: Radio Sport National
Melbourne Cup Sweep
All around the country, workplaces participate in putting together a Melbourne Cup sweep, allotting a horse (usually at random) to each person that decides to join the sweep. Please note that sweeps are a casual gambling environment organised among peers. You can learn more about sweeps here.
Melbourne Cup Tickets 2022
Tickets for the Melbourne Cup Carnival are available through Ticketek.
Melbourne Cup Carnival 2022
The 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival is from October 29th until the 5th of November, 2021.
The first race day is the Penfolds Victoria Derby Day on Saturday the 29th of October, followed by the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday the 1st of November. The next race meet is Kennedy Oaks Day on the Thursday the 3rd of November, followed by the final race meet for the carnival, Mackinnon Stakes Day held on Saturday the the 5th of November, 2022.
Australian Horses In The Melbourne Cup
Australian horses dominated the Melbourne Cup 2021 field with COVID-19 restrictions and the early withdrawal of a number of internationals.
22 of the 23 horses in the 2021 Melbourne Cup field were officially Australian-trained.
Vow And Declare in 2019 beat out a host of international fancies to become the last Australian horse to win the Melbourne Cup.
New Zealand-bred Verry Elleegant (1st) prepared in Sydney by Chris Waller defeated the Queensland-bred Incentivise (2nd) who is trained in Victoria by Peter Moody defeated the UK raider Spanish Mission (3rd) in the 2021 Melbourne Cup results.
International Horses In The Melbourne Cup
International horses dominate the Melbourne Cup field each year. From 2010 – 2021 six internationally-trained raiders prepared from outside of Australian / New Zealand saluted in the Melbourne Cup most recently Cross Counter (2018) for Godolphin followed in 2020 by Twilight Payment (Joseph O’Brien) who beat fellow internationals Tiger Moth (2nd) and Prince Of Arran (3rd).
There were just two internationally-trained horses in the 2021 Melbourne Cup field from outside of Australia and New Zealand: Twilight Payment (Joseph O’Brien) and Spanish Mission (Andrew Balding). They finished 11th and 3rd respectively.
Grey Horse In The Melbourne Cup
Grey horses which have seen success in the Melbourne Cup include Subzero (first place in 1992), Gunsynd (third place in 1972) Manighar (fifth place in 2010). A total of six grey horses have won the Melbourne Cup throughout history.
Melbourne Cup Winners
Winners of the Melbourne Cup going back to 1999 displayed in the table below. If you would like to view the full list of Melbourne Cup winners, going all the way back to 1861, please visit our Melbourne Cup Winners page.
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2021 | Verry Elleegant | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 3:17.43 |
| 2020 | Twilight Payment | Joseph O’Brien | Jye McNeil | 3:17.34 |
| 2019 | Vow And Declare | Danny O’Brien | Craig Williams | 3:24.76 |
| 2018 | Cross Counter | Charlie Appleby | Kerrin McEvoy | 3:21.17 |
| 2017 | Rekindling | Joseph O’Brien | Corey Brown | 3:21.19 |
| 2016 | Almandin | Robert Hickmott | Kerrin McEvoy | 3:20.58 |
| 2015 | Prince Of Penzance | Darren Weir | Michelle Payne | 3:23.15 |
| 2014 | Protectionist | Andreas Wohler | Ryan Moore | 3:17.71 |
| 2013 | Fiorente | Gai Waterhouse | Damien Oliver | 3:20.30 |
| 2012 | Green Moon | Robert Hickmott | Brett Prebble | 3:20.45 |
| 2011 | Dunaden | Mikel Delzangles | Christophe Lemaire | 3:20.84 |
| 2010 | Americain | Alain de Royer Dupre | Gerald Mosse | 3:26.87 |
| 2009 | Shocking | Mark Kavanagh | Corey Brown | 3:23.87 |
| 2008 | Viewed | Bart Cummings | Blake Shinn | 3:20.40 |
| 2007 | Efficient | Graeme Rogerson | Michael Rodd | 3:23.34 |
| 2006 | Delta Blues | Katsuhiko Sumii | Yasunari Iwata | 3:21.42 |
| 2005 | Makybe Diva | Lee Freedman | Glen Boss | 3:19.79 |
| 2004 | Makybe Diva | Lee Freedman | Glen Boss | 3:28.55 |
| 2003 | Makybe Diva | David Hall | Glen Boss | 3:19.90 |
| 2002 | Media Puzzle | Dermot K Weld | Damien Oliver | 3:16.97 |
| 2001 | Ethereal | Sheila Laxon | Scott Seamer | 3:21.08 |
| 2000 | Brew | Michael Moroney | Kerrin McEvoy | 3:18.68 |
| 1999 | Rogan Josh | Bart Cummings | John Marshall | 3:19.64 |