Robbie Dolan riding Knight's Choice to win the Melbourne Cup. Photo / Getty Images
Melbourne Cup day is upon us. Here are all the details about what you need to know about the race that stops a nation at Flemington Track, including who are the favourites to win the cup, when the cup runs, who is in the cup, how far and how long the race takes.
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* Today’s newspaper version of the Melbourne Cup sweep chart transposed the field information. The following is the correct version. The error is regretted.
1. Vauban (France)
55.5kg. Barrier 11. Jockey: William Buick. Odds to win: $6.50.
Top Irish stayer showing renewed spark since last year’s Cup flop. Strong Euro form for master $7 trainer Mullins. Better prepared this time around.
2. Buckaroo (Great Britain)
54.5kg. Barrier 21. Jockey: Joao Moreira. Odds to win: $7.
Cup favourite flying high with elite form. Two Group 1 placings from horror runs showcase $5 class. Waller-Moreira combo spells serious threat.
3. Circle Of Fire (Great Britain)
54.5kg. Barrier 24. Jockey: Mark Zahra. Odds to win: $21.
Sydney Cup winner below par lately but gets ace Cup pilot Zahra. Two-mile prowess and Maher’s $26 preparation timing could spark resurgence
4. Warp Speed (Japan)
54.5kg. Barrier 3. Jockey: Akira Sugawara. Odds to win: $26.
Japanese raider’s elite staying record includes 3400m Group placings. Forgive Caulfield flop - wrong conditions. Distance the key to improvement.
5. Kovalica (New Zealand)
53.5kg. Barrier 17. Jockey: Damian Lane. Odds to win: $21
Queensland Derby winner flashing home in Cox Plate suggests staying prowess. Waller’s long- $17 term Cup target now within striking distance.
6. Sharp ‘N’ Smart (New Zealand)
53.5kg. Barrier 15. Jockey: Michael Dee. Odds to win: $41.
Kiwi Derby winner hitting form with strong Valley Cup third. Proven Derby stamina and $71 Rogerson’s Cup expertise boost claims.
7. Just Fine (Ireland)
53kg. Barrier 13. Jockey: Jye McNeil. Odds to win: $51.
Golden Ticket Bart Cummings win earns spot. Valley Cup flop concerning but Gai confident of $51 Flemington improvement. Form shaky
8. Land Legend (France)
53kg. Barrier 18. Jockey: Zac Purton. Odds to win: $12.
Brave Caulfield Cup third despite doing too much. Purton’s mount will relish extra distance. $15 Strong chance if settles
9. Absurde (France)
52.5kg. Barrier 7. Jockey: Kerrin McEvoy. Odds to win: $10.
Led deep into last year’s Cup stretch. Fresh Chester Stakes winner returns stronger - Mullins’ $11 dual-purpose raider is a big chance.
10. Athabascan (France)
Scratched.
11. Knight’s Choice
51.5kg. Barrier 6. Jockey: Robbie Dolan. Odds to win: $151.
Queensland raider lost way badly in Melbourne runs. Kiwi co-trainer Laxon’s Cup magic from $201 Ethereal era needed here
12. Okita Soushi (Ireland)
51kg. Barrier 10. Jockey: Jamie Kah. Odds to win: $14.
Dominant Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner surging for Maher. Last year’s Cup experience plus $21 Kah’s light-weight claim spells danger.
13. Onesmoothoperator (USA)
51kg. Barrier 12. Jockey: Craig Williams. Odds to win: $8.
Geelong Cup winner stormed home like past famous raiders. Williams’ pick for Cup glory after stunning Australian debut.
14. Zardozi
51kg. Barrier 4. Jockey: Andrea Atzeni. Odds to win: $12.
VRC Oaks winner hitting form with strong Caulfield Cup fourth. Light weight and Cummings’ family legacy boost mare’s chances.
15. Sea King (Great Britain)
50.5kg. Barrier 1. Jockey: Hollie Doyle. Odds to win: $14.
Dominant Bendigo Cup romp after solid Ebor sixth. Star rider Doyle booked for late Cup qualifier. English raider timing run perfectly.
16. Valiant King (Great Britain)
50.5kg. Barrier 22. Jockey: Craig Newitt. Odds to win: $101.
Wide-drawn Caulfield Cup ninth better than looked. Waller’s lightly-raced import could surprise at juicy odds.
17. Fancy Man (Ireland)
50kg. Barrier 19. Jockey: Ron Stewart. Odds to win: $81.
Consistent placegetter hitting line well in Herbert Power and Caulfield Cup. Neasham’s import may lack knockout punch at elite level.
18. Interpretation (Ireland)
50kg. Barrier 14. Jockey: Teo Nugent. Odds to win: $19.
Unlucky Cup sixth last year after traffic trouble. Geelong Cup second suggests proven two-miler ready to peak again for Maher
19. Manzoice
50kg. Barrier 8. Jockey: Tyler Schiller. Odds to win: $151.
Former Victoria Derby winner hasn’t fired since that peak two years ago. Track specialist angle, $201 but form too patchy. Rank outsider.
20. Mostly Cloudy (Ireland)
50kg. Barrier 16. Jockey: Karis Teetan. Odds to win: $81.
Forgive Bart Cummings run on unsuitable ground. However recent form looks too poor despite Hong Kong ace Teetan booking.
21. Positivity (New Zealand)
50kg. Barrier 20. Jockey: Winona Costin. Odds to win: $71.
Talented Kiwi mare off key after Valley Cup failure. Recent setbacks and inexperience suggest Cup too tough.
22. Saint George (Great Britain)
50kg. Barrier 9. Jockey: TBA. Odds to win: $26.
Lightly-raced import flashing home late in Valley Cup with fastest final splits. Maher timing his peak perfectly. Could surprise at odds.
23. The Map
50kg. Barrier 23. Jockey: Rachel King. Odds to win: $51.
Andrew Ramsden winner secured Cup spot back in May. King’s mount denied clear Geelong Cup run - genuine roughie.
24. Trust In You (New Zealand)
50kg. Barrier 5. Jockey: Mark Du Plessis. Odds to win: $101.
Honest Kiwi battler stepping way up in class. Recent fourths behind Cup rivals show some promise but distance queries loom. Won’t threaten favourites.
* Odds at 7.45am.
Vauban heads in as the race favourite along with Buckaroo. Vauban last raced in September finishing second in Curragh with a victory in August at the York G2 Lonsdale Cup.
1: Onesmoothoperator
2: Sea King
3: Vauban
4: Absurde
NZ$9.4 million total prize pool. Winner earns $4.8 million.
5pm on Tuesday, November 5 at Flemington Track in Melbourne.
Live commentary of the Melbourne Cup on Newstalk ZB and GOLD SPORT at 5pm.
The race used to be two miles but was later shortened to 3200 metres (an 18.66-metre difference) after Australia switched to the metric system in 1972. The race is roughly one-and-a-half times around the Flemington track.
Kingston Rule holds the record for the fastest time around the track, set by the American-bred horse in 1990 at 3 minutes, 16 seconds and 3 milliseconds. The only other runner to finish the race under 3 minutes and 17 seconds was 2002 winner Media Puzzle, with a time of 3:16:97.
You can stream the 2024 Melbourne Cup for free on TVNZ+ or Sky Sports.
The 2024 Melbourne Cup, referred to as the “Race that Stops a Nation”, is one of Australia’s most anticipated sports events. The Melbourne Cup held its first race back in 1861 and was declared a public holiday in 1877.
The race has been competed each year aside from an intermission during the war years.
The winning trophy contains 1.65kg of 18ct Gold estimated at over A$200,000. Each cup takes over 250 hours to complete. W.J. Sanders has produced each Melbourne Cup from 2016 to present.
A filly is a female horse under four years of age. A colt is a male horse under the age of four that has not been castrated.
A foal is a female or male horse under the age of one. A female foal is known as a filly foal and a male is known as a colt foal.
A mare is a horse that is four years or older and a stallion is a male horse four years or older.
A gelding is a male horse of any age that has been castrated.
1883: Martini Henry
1890: Carbine
1907: Apologue
1916: Sasanof (NZ Trained)
1929: Nightmarch (NZ Trained)
1930: Phar Lap
1936: Wotan (NZ Trained)
1938: Catalogue (NZ Trained)
1947: Hiraji
1949: Foxzami
1952: Dalray (NZ Trained)
1954: Rising Fast (NZ Trained)
1955: Toparoa
1957: Straight Draw
1959: Macdougal
1960: Hi-Jinx (NZ Trained)
1962: Even Stevens (NZ Trained)
1964: Polo Prince (NZ Trained)
1965: Light Fingers
1966: Galilee
1967: Red Handed
1970: Baghdad Note (NZ Trained)
1971: Silver Knight (NZ Trained)
1974: Think Big
1975: Think Big
1976: Van der Hum (NZ Trained)
1977: Gold and Black
1978: Arwon
1979: Hyperno
1982: Gurner’s Lane
1983: Kiwi (NZ Trained)
1985: What a Nuisance
1987: Kensei
1988: Empire Rose (NZ Trained)
1989: Tawrrific
1991: Let’s Elope
1995: Doriemus
1997: Might and Power
1998: Jezabeel
2000: Brew (NZ Trained)
2001: Ethereal (NZ Trained)
2007: Efficient
2015: Prince of Penzance
2021: Verry Elleegant
2023: Without A Fight
2022: Gold Trip
2021: Verry Elleegant
2020: Twilight Payment
2019: Vow and Declare
'Amazing result' was 'just a credit to the horse, he’s an absolute weapon of an animal'.