History of the Emirates Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup was born following the quest of the Victoria Turf Club to put
on a "good handicap" which would rival its counterpart, the Victoria Jockey
Club. While 1860s racing administrators were enthusiastic and visionary in many
ways, not in their wildest dreams would they have thought the Cup would become
what we know it today.
The Melbourne Cup was born following the quest of the Victoria Turf Club to
put on a "good handicap" which would rival its counterpart, the Victoria Jockey
Club. While 1860s racing administrators were enthusiastic and visionary in many
ways, not in their wildest dreams would they have thought the Cup would become
what we know it today - the greatest 3200 metre handicap horse-race in the
world.
The history of the Cup dates back to 1861, the resultant brain child of
Captain Frederick Standish, one time VRC Chairman and former Chief Commissioner
of Police in Victoria. As a former member of the Victoria Turf Club he
conceptually founded the great race with the club committed to offering modest
prize-money and a hand beaten gold watch. The conditions for the race would
state "a sweepstakes of 20 sovereigns, 10 sovereigns forfeit or 5 sovereigns if
declared, with 200 sovereigns added money".
The uniqueness of the race stipulated handicap conditions and a distance of
two miles. Whilst this is the discerning and attractive feature of the race as
we know it today, some critics claimed the conditions for the race would promote
mediocrity. "Surely the race demands set weights status at least!" was the cry.
Whilst the conditions of the race are against the grain of other premier
international races, these are the same qualities which make it so unique and
endearing.
The Melbourne Cup has long been lauded as the race that stops a nation and
the race which has become ingrained in the Australian culture. It is a race
built on dreams, on hard luck and triumph. It is a race which is also survived
by tragedy. But while the Cup continues to evolve it will remain the greatest
3200 metre horse race any where in the world and, by the nature of the
conditions, arguably the most challenging to win.
early history
The race created considerable interest from its inception in 1861 and in
front of an estimated crowd of 4000, Archer won the first Melbourne Cup. This
was the time of death of Burke and Wills, two of Australia's daring pioneers who
were the first to track the harsh Australian terrain from North to South.
It is recorded that the local community were in a state of mourning at this
time and understandably the first Melbourne Cup was run under rather subdued
circumstances. Archer's victory in 1861 was the first of two for the horse and
the first of five for aspiring young trainer Etienne de Mestre who would quickly
gain a reputation as a fine horseman from Nowra, located in central New South
Wales.
The Cup is run at Flemington which in 1861 was a recognised venue for
race-meetings conducted by the Victoria Turf Club. It is located on former river
flats adjacent to the Maribyrnong River, 15 minutes by road from the central
business district. Flemington was fairly rough and ready in the early days with
no running rails or recognised course proper, however the Melbourne Cup quickly
caught on as the race on the Australian Racing Calendar and a carnival boasting
garden parties, gaiety and ladies showing off their latest finery. Cup Day was
renowned for its carnival atmosphere with shooting galleries, lawn parties and
social engagements predominantly engaged at the Flemington Racecourse.
It was the place to be seen for the social set, politicians and Australia's
rich and famous as much in the early days as it is today. This reputation was
assisted greatly by an enthusiastic committee of the Victoria Racing Club which
was formed as an amalgamation of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey
Club in 1864. The race gained popularity through the hard-working efforts of
Robert Cooper Bagot, the first Secretary of the VRC and an inherent community
passion for horse racing.
Melbourne was relatively young having been discovered in 1833 and, at the
height of the Cup's inception, was experiencing the Gold Rush with many people
flocking to Melbourne, and subsequently Bendigo and Ballarat, in the hope of a
life changing experience. Gold diggers, who had found much of the gold within
five metres of the surface, discovered fortunes which in turn sparked an
immigration and development boom in Melbourne and the state of Victoria.
While the Cup was first run on a Thursday, the race is always run on the
first Tuesday in November and was first run on a Tuesday in 1875 when Wollomai
won the Cup. During this early period, Mr John Tait - a jeweller from Hobart,
would make a strong impact as trainer of The Barb (1866), Glencoe (1868), The
Pearl (1871) and The Quack (1872). He was considered the first trainer to run
his training operation as a business. He mentored four time Cup winning trainer
Walter Hickenbotham, who trained Carbine, one of the greats of all time.
By 1880, 100,000 people made the journey to Flemington to witness Grand
Flaneur secure Australia's greatest race prize. With a Melbourne population of
only 290,000, this attendance was quite phenomenal. These were flourishing times
for Melbourne as the city continued to grow post gold rush period. Melbourne was
alive and seen as fast and furious compared to its more subdued rivals in
Sydney. There was strong building development with many other services emerging.
the arrival of carbine
The stock market crash of the 1890s rocked the confidence of many, however
this era was greeted also by the emergence of Carbine, one of the grandest
racehorses to grace the Australian turf. He would set a weight carrying record
of 10 stone 5 pounds in the Cup and be revered as a sign of strength and courage
at a time when nearly one third of the Melbourne workforce lost their jobs.
He was owned by the once wealthy Donald Wallace who was a founding partner of
the Broken Hill Mining Company, but was later sold to England after Wallace fell
on hard times. Carbine stood at the Duke of Portland's Welbeck Abbey and proved
most successful. This was not an easy departure as thousands lined the port
docks to see the champion son of Musket head off to his new home. Bred in New
Zealand, he would find himself in the pedigrees of many a Melbourne Cup winner
over the next 50 years. As a sign of the times, there was no trophy presented at
the Melbourne Cup between 1894 and 1898 as Melbourne continued to face what were
grim and dark financial times.
The twentieth century was welcomed in with Melbourne Cup victory going to
Clean Sweep and by Federation in 1901, a new era was about to unfold in
Australian turf history. This was an era which saw the likes of Walter
Hickenbotham (1888, 1890, 1896 and 1905) continue to shine as a leading trainer,
the emergence of a young James Scobie who would also train four Cup winners
(1900, 1922, 1923 and 1927) and the arrival of Bobbie Lewis who would ride in 33
Melbourne Cups for four wins, four seconds and one third. This record would only
be equalled by Harry White who rode four Cup winners in 1974, 1975, 1978 and
1979.
In 1903, Lord Cardigan would stamp his authority as a great stayer winning
the Melbourne Cup, however it would be the grand mare Wakeful who ran second
that would capture the hearts and minds of the adoring public. With a weight
carrying record of 10 stone for a mare, Wakeful would be beaten in the shadows
of the post by ¾ of a length. The winner would be in receipt of 3 stone four
pounds of the second placegetter yet, in defeat, Wakeful was unusually portrayed
as a winner.
Poseidon won the 1906 Melbourne Cup for trainer Ike Earnshaw, etching his
name as the only horse to win the Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup, AJC and VRC
Derby in the one season. In 1910, leviathan bookmaker Sol Green would win the
Melbourne Cup with the first imported horse in Comedy King. The colt foal would
travel by ship to Australia with his mother Tragedy Queen and not only win
Australia's great race yet sire no less than two other Melbourne Cup winners in
Artilleryman (1919) and King Ingoda (1922). His half sister, Jubilee Queen,
would produce the 1921 Cup winner in Sister Olive.
Leading up to 1914, Melbourne was recovering financially yet would brace
itself for World War I where nearly 120,000 Australians would lose their lives.
The War would continue until 1918.
In 1915 Patrobas and Mrs Edna Widdis would signify the first female owner of
the Melbourne Cup. In 1916 rain postponed the Cup for five days yet this would
see the first gold cup presented to the winning owner. In 1919 the first three
handled "Loving Cup" was presented to the connections of Artilleryman and soon
this design would become an iconic symbol in Australian sport throughout the
country. This was The Cup which everyone wanted to win.
phar lap becomes household name
A new grandstand was built at Flemington in 1924 and by 1930 the name of Phar
Lap was ensconced in the Australian vernacular and arguably acclaimed as the
best race-horse in the world. At least he was the best in Australia since
Carbine (1890). Coincidentally, it would be the inclusion of Carbine in Phar
Lap's pedigree which lured a battling trainer, Harry Telford, to bid 160 guineas
for the plain looking chestnut at the 1928 Trentham, New Zealand Sales. This was
the era of the Great Depression when half the work force were forced into
unemployment. These were hard times and the emergence of Phar Lap was as much a
counter punch to a stagnate economy as it was a sign of a truly amazing
racehorse. He became an Australian symbol for hope, dreams and prosperity.
To put it in perspective, many people would take to the track when Phar Lap
raced and bet what little money they had on the "Red Terror". For those who
could not afford to lose, the prospect of better than bank interest exceeded the
risks that came with it. Phar Lap would start the 11/8 on favourite in the 1930
Melbourne Cup - the shortest priced winner in the 145 year history of the Cup.
The ease with which he won justified the price.
Phar Lap had already escaped death prior to the 1930 Cup when he was shot at
by gangsters, however his death in 1932 in Menlo Park, California would rock the
social fabric of a fragile Australian community. Days before, he won the richest
race in the world. Days later, Australia's greatest ever living racehorse was
dead. The mystery surrounding his sudden death still unearths new theories, even
today, sixty two years later.
In 1931, the first on-course totalisator emerged at a Melbourne Cup and Peter
Pan would win the first of his two Cup victories starting in 1932. His second
was in 1934 recording one of the great Melbourne Cup victories after tracking
wide and having to carry the impost of 9 stone 10 pounds. He was trained by the
"Prince of Trainers" in Frank McGrath, who would record three cup victories. He
would be known as a noted survivor of an infamous race fall when seventeen
horses fell entering the straight in the 1885 Caulfield Cup won by Grace
Darling. McGrath was lucky to be alive.
In 1939 the battling Harry Bamber would provide hope for all dreamers around
the country when his mare Rivette won both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups
double. Modestly bred and in the hands of a trainer who was down to his last
dollar, Rivette became the first mare to win the Cups double and set his trainer
up for life. This feat would be repeated by Let's Elope (1991) and Ethereal
(2001) in later years.
The 1940s saw the arrival and dominance of jockeys Billy Cook (1941 &
1945) and Darby Munro (1944 & 1946) as well as the amazing riding
performance of fifteen year old Ray Neville (1948) who, with only nine previous
rides, would claim a controversial photo finish on Rimfire. The photo finish was
first introduced to Flemington race-meetings in 1946 and as this was the first
Cup decided by the camera, struck immediate controversy with many declaring the
camera was set on the wrong angle. This theory was vehemently denied by
administrators at the time.
a new dawn in cup history
1950 marked a new dawn in Melbourne Cup history as Adelaide trainer Jim
Cummings would win the Cup with Comic Court. Strapping for his father that day
was a youthful Bart Cummings who realised, at that point, he was destined to
make an impact on Australia's greatest race. As trainer of no fewer than 11 Cup
winners including five quinellas, Bart Cummings has left an indelible print on
Melbourne Cup history. As a breeder, owner and trainer of Cup winners and still
a leading Sydney based trainer one feels he still has time to add to this
tally.
In 1954 the amazing Rising Fast would sweep all before him when he broke many
records in winning the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in the one
year. He is the last horse to do this.
Toparoa (1955) would provide Tommy Smith with his first of two Melbourne Cups
yet he was denied victory in 1957 when owner, Mr E.A Haley, decided not to run
his champion 3YO Tulloch in the Melbourne Cup. Up until his death in 1998, Smith
claimed he would have been the greatest certainty in the Cup if his owner
elected to run. Facing a forthright media who lobbied to have the horse
withdrawn on grounds of "fairness to the horse", a frail Mr Haley weakened to
pressure and withdrew the 3YO from final declarations. After Prince Darius
finished ¾ length second in the Cup to Straight Draw (1957), Smith was convinced
a Cup went beckoning. Prince Darius had been beaten by Tulloch the Saturday
before in the Derby by 8 lengths!
The Centenary Cup of 1960 saw the New Zealander, Hi Jinx, beat all comers
and, in 1962, Even Stevens not only landed some of the biggest wagers in Cup
history when he took out the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups double, but saw the
first of the New Zealanders fly directly into Melbourne from New Zealand.
The 1965 Melbourne Cup offered connections a healthy $62,000 in prize-money
and was just prior to decimal currency being introduced. This Cup saw the
emergence of Bart Cummings as he would land the quinella with Light Fingers and
Ziema. It also saw the arrival of a freshly faced Roy Higgins who, at 22, would
win the coveted prize after returning from an unsuccessful riding stint in
Europe. This was the start of a long and successful partnership between Cummings
and Higgins which netted another Cup winner for the combination in 1967 (Red
Handed).
Mick Robins surely holds the record for the most inexperienced trainer to win
the Melbourne Cup. After only taking out a licence four months before the race,
he trained Rain Lover to victory in 1968 and then backed up with the same horse
in 1969 to become only the third horse to win two Melbourne Cups. Think Big
would join this elite group in 1974-75. Robins was foreman for Graeme Heagney,
who had elected to take up a training opportunity overseas at the time. Heagney
recommended Robins train the horse and to his credit was equal to the task
training Rain Lover to two Cup wins, the first of which was by 8 lengths.
Rain Lover also highlighted the efforts of the bothers Malcolm and Clifford
Reid who owned four Cups between them. Clifford, who owned Rain Lover (1968-69),
also owned Rainbird (1945) and Malcolm owned 1963 winner, Gatum Gatum.
new zealanders continue to dominate
The 1970s continued the dominance of New Zealand bred horses with five out of
the ten winners in this decade bred in the Shaky Isles. In 1972 the metric
system was introduced and for the first time the Cup was run over the 3200
metres, marginally less than the traditional two mile measurement. One of the
wettest Cups on record was recorded in 1976 when Bob Skelton guided Van Der Hum
through the slush at Flemington. Visibility was so poor race-callers could not
pick up final runners until the closing stages of the race. Some patrons were
aptly attired in snorkel and flippers and seen swimming along the lawns at
Flemington as the heavens opened like never before.
Beldale Ball (1980) was the first of the modern day overseas horses to win
the Cup. Owned by pools millionaire Robert Sangster and his then wife, Susan,
Beldale Ball was formerly trained in Europe and exported to Australia destined
for a Cups campaign. Ridden by dual cup winning jockey, John Letts, Beldale Ball
was the first Cup victory for the Hayes training dynasty which would net three
Cup winners. Colin - or C.S as he was known - won in 1980 and 1986 (At Talaq)
and son David Hayes in 1994 (Jeune).
Master Caulfield trainer, Geoff Murphy would win the 1982 Melbourne Cup with
Gurner's Lane promoting the advent of racing syndicates where the William Street
No.2 Syndicate offered many people the chance to race a subsequent Caulfield and
Melbourne Cup winner. This victory would deny modern day champion Kingston Town
Cup glory when in the shadows of the post Gurner's Lane got up by a long neck.
Like many Melbourne Cups before, it was a case of what might have been, as
jockey Malcolm Johnson admitted to taking off too early on one of the true
greats of the turf.
For sheer amazement Kiwi's victory in 1983 had to be seen to be believed.
After trailing most runners into the long Flemington straight, Kiwi - ridden by
a youthful Jim Cassidy - produced a devastating run to beat all comers to the
line. His trainer Snowy Lupton from New Zealand openly admitted he used Kiwi to
"round up the sheep" when the horse was out spelling. At least he stayed fit.
first million dollar cup
Black Knight (1984) provided legendary trainer, George Hanlon with his third
Melbourne Cup victory and in 1985 a Royal Visit to Flemington by The Prince and
Princess of Wales saw the first million dollar cup run. Under overcast
conditions, a young Victorian in John Meagher would train the Cup winner in What
A Nuisance which in turn provided owner Lloyd Williams with his second Cup
victory. A prolific owner of racehorses in the modern era, Williams would also
part own 1981 winner in Just A Dash and have many Cup runners through the
eighties and nineties.
At Talaq (1986) would provide Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with his
first victory in the race and Empire Rose typified determination in 1988 as in
the previous year she would go down by a narrow margin when second to Kensei.
With the likes of Sheikh Hamdan adding to a growing list of prominent
international owners eyeing the lucrative Cup prize, the Melbourne Cup was well
on the way to becoming an international event.
By the late eighties prizemoney continued to rise and with it brought fresh
young faces on the Melbourne Cup landscape. Shane Dye, the confident and
sometimes cocky New Zealand jockey and Lee Freedman, who depicts the image of a
media savvy and educated trainer, would combine to win the 1989 Cup with
Tawrrific.
Freedman would quickly etch his name as a trainer of some repute winning a
further four Melbourne Cups with Subzero (1992), Doriemus (1995) and Makybe Diva
(2004 and 2005) and be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame at the
young age of 46 years. Interestingly, Freedman is a relation of Midge McLachlan
who rode the Cup winners in 1909, 1910 and 1917. Shane Dye would be listed as
one of the more daring modern day riders who would never doubt his own ability -
at least not in public.
a cummings resurgence
While the Cup started to move more firmly into the sights of the younger
brigade, a man seemingly forgotten in the 1980s burst back onto the scene at the
start of the 1990 season. Bart Cummings, who had broken all records before him,
was on the rise again and produced Kingston Rule to win the Melbourne Cup in
1990. Owned by wealthy merchant banker, David Hains, Kingston Rule would record
the fastest time in Cup history with 3:16.3 and also provide jockey Darren
Beadman with the first of his two Cup victories. He would also ride Saintly to
victory for Cummings in 1996.
Bart Cummings trained Let's Elope to win both the Caulfield and Melbourne
Cups in 1991 and by this stage Cummings was training the best in his career.
Before the decade was out he would add Saintly (1996) and Rogan Josh (1999) to
the list. With 11 Cup victories to his name, if anyone could rightly be called
the Cups King, it was James Bartholomew Cummings.
In honour of his achievements the VRC commissioned a bronzed statue of the
outstanding trainer, which is now positioned in the "Birdcage Area" at
Flemington. The club also presented Cummings with his own replica of the Cup,
usually privileged to the owners, in honour of his tenth Cup victory.
The 14½ inch high "Loving Cup" is presented to the owners of each Cup winner
and a 2/3 height miniature is presented to the jockey and trainer. In 2000 the
gold content of the owners' Melbourne Cup trophy was increased to 18 carat and
by 2005 the value of the gold cup trophy had escalated to $80,000. 2003 was also
the inaugural year in which the VRC introduced the Melbourne Cup Tour whereby
the Cup trophy journeyed to over 20 destinations around Australia covering
15,000 kilometres in the process. This opportunity of taking "the people's Cup"
back to the people was an overwhelming success with further tours planned for
New Zealand, England and Ireland in the coming years.
internationalisation of the cup
If there was ever a turning point in the history of the Melbourne Cup then no
doubt it was 1993. For the first time in the history of the race, the winner was
trained off a European preparation. Vintage Crop, who would provide the first
Cup victory for astute Irish trainer Dermot Weld, would ignite a new enthusiasm
for the 3200 metre event. The Cup was no longer an Australian horse race, it was
an international event providing a fitting challenge for the world's most noted
trainers.
It was at this time that the Melbourne Cup Carnival reached new heights.
Attendances continued to climb, overseas media interest grew and by 2000, the
Cup attendance would reach the highest in its history with 121, 015 recorded on
the day. With Derby Day and Oaks Day also reaching the 100,000 crowd figure, it
is no wonder that the Melbourne Cup Carnival was once again touted as the
greatest racing carnival in the world.
One reflects on the carefully chosen words of the great Mark Twain who was
heard to say almost one hundred years earlier, "No where in my travels have I
encountered a festival of the people that has such a magnetic appeal to a whole
nation. The Cup astonishes me!" In light of the ongoing development of the Cup,
one feels that this is still the case today.
first female trainer
With the victory of Ethereal in 2001, Sheila Laxon became the first woman to
train a winner of the Melbourne Cup. The media friendly Laxon, whose former
husband Laurie Laxon trained Empire Rose to win in 1988, would set a new bench
mark for women in racing. As the Cup now boasts a female Cup victory for owner
and trainer, the Cup only waits on the first female jockey to take out the Cup.
One suspects that will not be too far away.
In 2002, jockey Damien Oliver carried the hearts of all Australians as he
secured his second Cup winner only seven days after his brother Jason died
tragically in a track accident in Perth. Oliver relinquished several lucrative
rides at the Derby Day meeting three days earlier and many thought he would step
down from his Cup Day mounts. But in the spirit and legend with which the race
has become associated with, Oliver rode the race of his life winning aboard
Media Puzzle. This was one of those unique occasions where you'd swear history
had a predetermined course. Oliver would bury his brother 24 hours later in
Perth. Tragically both Damien and Jason's father also died in a race fall back
in the 1970s.
The latest chapter in the Cup's history is no less enthralling with Glen Boss
and David Hall combining for Cup victory with Makybe Diva. An import of sorts as
the Desert King filly failed to sell at the yearling sales in England, her owner
Tony Santic is a wealthy tuna fisherman from Port Lincoln, South Australia.
Jockey, Glen Boss, would write his own history as only 16 months earlier he
broke his neck in a race fall in Hong Kong. He was millimetres away from
becoming a paraplegic. David Hall would add to his family history with the race
as his cousin, Greg Hall, rode Subzero to victory in 1992. Glen Boss would
repeat the performance in 2004 and again in 2005 when Makybe Diva would become
only horse to win three Melbourne Cups. Carrying 55.5kgs in 2004, she created a
new weight carrying record for a mare in the race and surpassed that yet again
in 2005 when she carried 58kg.
In 2006 Delta Blues became the first Japanese trained horse to win the
Melbourne Cup opening a new front of competition for the coveted handicap event.
Ridden by Yasunari Iwata, Delta Blues defeated stable-mate Pop Rock (Damien
Oliver). Both horses were trained by Katsuhiko Sumii.
The Cup continues to capture the imagination of an adoring public. It
continues to become the one race which every jockey, trainer and owner wants to
win. It is a race built on aspiration and inadvertently provides inspiration to
so many who feel the challenges of life are grand. It started off as a "good
handicapper's" race yet quickly evolved to be one of the most sought after horse
races in the world. It is the race that stops the nation and the jewel in the
crown on the Australian racing calendar.
In 2007 Efficient became only the sixth grey horse to win the Cup in the 147
year history of the race and the first horse since Phar Lap to win the VRC Derby
- Cup double within twelve months.
Bart Cummings celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first Melbourne Cup
runner (Asian Court, 12th in 1958) by producing Cup winner number 12 with
Viewed. Fittingly, it was also Cummings' 250th Group 1 winner.
Viewed, ridden by Blake Shinn, scored by the barest of margins from Bauer,
trained by Luca Cumani, who was also second the previous year with Purple
Moon.
The win by Viewed saw owner Dato Chin Nam become the first owner to win the
Cup four times, having been successful previously with Think Big (1974, 75) and
Saintly in 1996.
For further details on The History of Australian Thoroughbred
Racing including the history of the Melbourne Cup please go to www.historyofracing.com.au
The Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Billed as
The race that stops a nation, it is a race for three-year-olds and over,
over a distance of 3,200 metres. It is the richest and most prestigious
"two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races in the
world. The event is held at around 3 pm on the first Tuesday in November by the
Victoria
Racing Club, on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
The race has been held since 1861 (see list of Melbourne Cup winners)
and was originally held over two miles (about 3,218 metres) but following
preparation for Australia's adoption of the metric
system in the 1970s, the current race distance of 3,200 metres was
established in 1972. This reduced the distance by 61ft 6in, and Rain Lover's 1968 race record of
3min.19.1sec was accordingly adjusted to 3min.17.9sec. The present record holder
is the 1990 winner Kingston
Rule with a time of 3min 16.3sec. The world record of 3:13.4 over 3,200
metres is held by Japanese horse Deep Impact.
Qualifying and race
conditions
The race is a quality handicap for horses 3 years old and over, run over a
distance of 3,200 metres, on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington
Racecourse. The minimum handicap weight is 49 kg. There is no maximum weight,
but the top allocated weight must not be less than 57 kg. The weight allocated
to each horse is declared by the VRC Handicapper in early September.
The Melbourne Cup race is a handicap contest in which the weight of the jockey and riding gear is adjusted with
ballast to a nominated figure. Older horses carry more weight than younger ones,
and weights are adjusted further according to the horse's previous results.
Weight were theoretically calculated to give each horse an equal winning
chance in the past, but in recent years the rules were adjusted to a "quality
handicap" formula where superior horses are given less severe weight penalties
than under pure handicap rules.
Weight penalties
After the declaration of weights for the Melbourne Cup, the winner of any
handicap flat race of the advertised value of AUD$60,000 or over to the winner,
or an internationally recognised Listed, Group, or Graded handicap flat race,
shall carry such additional weight (if any), for each win, as the VRC
Handicapper shall determine.
Fees
Entries for the Melbourne Cup usually close during the first week of August.
The initial entry fee is $600 per horse. Around 300 to 400 horses are nominated
each year, but the final field is limited to 24 starters. Following the
allocation of weights, the owner of each horse must on four occasions before the
race in November, declare the horse as an acceptor and pay a fee. First
acceptance is $960, second acceptance is $1,450 and third acceptance is $2,420.
The final acceptance fee, on the Saturday prior to the race, is $45,375. Should
a horse be balloted out of the final field, the final declaration fee is
refunded.
Balloting conditions
The race Directors retain the absolute discretion to exclude any horse from
the race, or exempt any horse from the ballot on the race, but in order to
reduce the field to the safety limit of 24, horses are balloted out based on a
number of factors which include:
- prizemoney earned in the previous two years,
- wins or placings in certain lead-up races
- allocated handicap weight
The winner of the following races are exempt from any ballot:[1] [2]
Quarantine
International horses (New Zealand not included), which are entered for the
Melbourne Cup, must undergo quarantine in an approved premises in their own
country for a minimum period of 14 days before travelling to Australia. The
premises must meet the Australian Government Standards.
Prizemoney and
trophies
Prize money
The total prize money for the 2010 race will be AUD$6 million, plus trophies valued at
$125,000[4] . The first 10 past
the post receive prizemoney, with the winner being paid $3.3 million, down to
tenth place which receives $115,000.[5] Prizemoney is
distributed to the connections of each horse in the ratio of 85% to the owner,
10% to the trainer and 5% to the jockey.
The 1985 Melbourne Cup became the first race run in Australia with prize
money of $1 million, this was won by "What a Nuisance". The Prince and Princess
of Wales (Charles and Diana) attended that year's Cup race meeting, arriving by
boat via the Maribyrnong River.
The Cup currently carries a $500,000 bonus to the owner of the winning horse
from the group
one Irish St.
Leger, run in September, if it then wins the Melbourne Cup in November.
Trophies
The present trophy is made of 34 pieces of gold metal hand beaten for over
200 hours. Close inspection of the inside of the Cup will reveal small hammer
imprints. As of 2008, the trophy values were increased and the Cup now contains
1.65 kg of 18-carat gold valuing the trophy at $125,000 dollars.
The trophy awarded since 1919 is a three-handled gold loving cup. The winning trainer and jockey also receive
a miniature replica of the cup (a practice which commenced in 1973) and the strapper is awarded the Tommy Woodcock Trophy,
named after the strapper of Phar
Lap.
The trophy has changed in appearance greatly over the years since the first
trophy was awarded in 1861, with several of them featuring model horses. The
first trophy was a gold watch, until a silver bowl manufactured in England, with
two ornate handles with a horse and rider on top, was introduced in 1865. The
following year an ornate silver cup depicting Alexander taming the horse was
presented. There was then a period where a trophy wasn’t presented, until 1876
when Edward
Fischer an immigrant from Austria produced the first Australian-made gold
trophy. It had two handles and an engraving of a horse race set at
Flemington.
A silver plated base sporting three silver horses was added in 1888, but in
1891 the prize changed to being a 15 inch high, 24 inch long trophy showing a
Victory figure offering an olive wreath to a jockey. From 1899 the trophy was in
the form of silver galloping horse embossed on a three foot long plaque,
although it was said to look like a greyhound by some people.
In the Second World War years (1942, 43 and 44) the winning owner received war bonds valued at 200 pounds. A new
trophy is struck each year and becomes the property of the winning owner. In the
event of a dead heat a second cup is on hand. A few years ago an annual tour was
initiated to foster further interest in the event. A replica of the cup is taken
to locations locally and internationally which have some connection to the Cup.
Areas to which the Cup has been taken include the Middle East, New Zealand,
United Kingdom and US.
The last Melbourne Cup trophy manufactured in England was made for the 1914
event. It was a chalice centred on a long base which had a horse at each end. A
large rose bowl trophy was presented 1915-1918 and the current loving cup design
was introduced in 1919.
History
2 mile long distance race, the Melbourne Town Plate.
It has become legend that Archer walked over 800 km (over 500 miles) to
Flemington from de Mestre's stable at "Terara" near Nowra, New South Wales.
However, newspaper archives of the day reveal that he had travelled south from
Sydney to Melbourne on the steamboat City Of Melbourne, together with de
Mestre, and two of de Mestre’s other horses Exeter and Inheritor. Before being
winched aboard the steamboat for the trip to Melbourne, the horses had arrived
in Sydney in September 1861.[6][14]
Archer travelled to Melbourne by steamboat again the following year (1862) to
run in the second Melbourne Cup. This time he won 810 gold sovereigns (£810)
cash and a gold watch before a crowd of 7000, nearly twice the size of the
previous years large crowd[15] in a time
of 3.47.00, taking to two the number of Melbourne Cup wins by this horse. Archer
had already won the 1862 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes in
Randwick, Sydney, and returned to win his second Melbourne Cup carrying 10 stone
2 pounds. He defeated a field of twenty starters by eight lengths, a record that
has never been beaten, and that was not matched for over 100 years. Mormon again
running second. Winning the Melbourne Cup twice was a feat not repeated until
more than seventy years later when Peter Pan won the race in 1932 and 1934, and
winning the Melbourne Cup two years in a row was a feat not repeated until more
than 100 years later when Rain
Lover won in 1968 and 1969.
Archer travelled to Melbourne by steamboat yet again the next year (1863).
Despite his weight of 11 stone 4 pounds, Archer would have contested the third
cup in 1863, but due to a Victorian public holiday trainer Etienne de Mestre's
telegraphed acceptance form arrived late, and Archer was scratched on a
technicality. In protest of this decision and in a show of solidarity, many of
de Mestre's owners boycotted the third race and scratched their horses in
sympathy.[16] As a result the
Melbourne Cup of that year ran with only 7 starters, the smallest number in the
history of the Cup.
In 1865, Adam Lindsay Gordon wrote a verse in which the Melbourne Cup winner
was called Tim Whiffler. Two years later in 1867 two horses with the name Tim
Whiffler ran in the Melbourne Cup. (The year before in 1866 two horses with the
same name, Falcon, also ran in the Melbourne Cup.) To distinguish between the
two Tim Whifflers they were called "Sydney" Tim Whiffler and "Melbourne" Tim
Whiffler. "Sydney" Tim Whiffler actually won the Cup.[17][18]
He was trained by Etienne de Mestre, and like Archer before him raced in de
Mestre's name but was leased from the "Exeter Farm".[11][12]
The Melbourne Cup was first run on a Tuesday in 1875, the first Tuesday in
that month.
On 7 November 1876 the running of the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in
November saw the three-year-old filly, Briseis, owned and trained by James
Wilson Snr., win in a time of 3.36.25. Briseis then went on to creat a
record that is never likely to be equalled, winning the VRC Derby, the Melbourne
Cup and the VRC Oaks in the space of six days. She was ridden in the Melbourne
Cup by the tiny featherweight figure of jockey Peter St. Albans. In 1876 at the recorded age
thirteen (he was actually twelve, being 8 days short of his thirteenth
birthday)[19], Peter St.
Albans is also the youngest person ever to win a Melbourne Cup. Before 75,000 at
Flemington Briseis, with St Albans in the
saddle, comfortably won by 1 length in the biggest field of all time. "At 4
o'clock the starter released the 33 runners and they swept down the long
Flemington straight in a thundering rush. Briseis, ridden by what one writer
termed a mere child, (in the Cup) captured a rare double, the Victoria Race Club
Derby and the Melbourne Cup. Shouts and hurrahs were heard, hats were thrown in
the air and one excited individual fell on his back in the attempt to do a
somersault. The boy who rode the winner was carried around the pack and is the
hero of the day," reported the "Australasian Sketcher" in 1876. Both Peter St.
Albans and Briseis have now become racing legends, and Briseis is regarded as
one of the greatest mares foaled in Australia.
Briseis wasn't the only sensation surrounding the 1876 Melbourne Cup. Two
months before the event, on Saturday 9 September, the SS City Of Melbourne
sailed for Melbourne from Sydney with a cargo including 13 racehorses, many of
whom were considered serious contenders for the Melbourne Cup. The following day
the ship ran into a savage storm and was hit by several rogue waves, with
Nemesis (the winner of the 1876 AJC Metropolitan Handicap in
Randwick, Sydney and favourite for the Cup, owned by John Moffat) and Robin Hood
(another favourite, owned by Etienne de Mestre) being among the 11 horses that
were killed.[20] Betting on the big
race was paralysed. To the dismay and anger of the public, bookmakers, showing
no feeling, presented a purse (loaded with coins) to the captain as token of
their appreciation for his part in saving them many thousands of pounds in bets
already laid on the favourites who had perished. Perhaps they should have kept
their money, however. The outsider Briseis comfortably won by 1 length in the
biggest field of all time, and in an extremely good time, so it is unlikely that
the horses who perished could have beaten her.
The first Tuesday in November, Melbourne Cup Day, was officially gazetted a
full public holiday in 1877.
1877 is also the year that the trainer Etienne de Mestre won his fourth
Melbourne Cup with Chester owned by Hon. James White. In 1878, as
in previous years De Mestre fielded more than one horse. He entered the
favourite Firebell (owned by W.S. Cox) who finished last, Chester (owned by Hon.
James White) the previous year's winner who fell, and Calamia (owned by de
Mestre) who, though less fancied, won easily[21]
by two lengths. First prize was £1,790, the crowd was 80,000 and there were 30
starters. De Mestre's 1878 win with Calamia brought to 5 the number of Melbourne
Cups he had won.[15] This record
was not to be matched for nearly 100 years when the trainer Bart Cummings won his fifth
Melbourne Cup in 1975. Bart Cummings, regarded as the best Australian horse
trainer of all time, went on to win 12 Melbourne Cups to 2008, and is still
training horses.
In 1883 the hardy New Zealand bred, Martini Henry won the VRC Derby, the
Melbourne Cup and on the following Monday retained his undefeated record by
winning Mares' Produce Stakes.
[22]
Phar Lap, the most famous horse
in the world of his day, won the 1930 Melbourne Cup. He won the Melbourne Cup as
the shortest priced favourite in the history of the race at 11/8 odds on. He had
to be hidden away at Geelong before the race after an attempt was made to shoot
him and only emerged an hour before the race time of the Cup. [23] Phar
Lap also competed in 1929 and 1931, but came 3rd and 8th respectively.
There is controversy about who was the first Aboriginal
jockey to ride a Melbourne Cup winner. It has been become legend that the first
Aboriginal jockey to win the Melbourne Cup was the jockey who won the first and
second Melbourne Cups in 1861 and 1862 - John Cutts riding Archer. He was not, however, an Aboriginal
stockman born in the area around Nowra where Archer was trained. Instead Johnny
Cutts was John 'Cutts' Dillon, the son of a Sydney clerk, a jockey who rode for
many trainers in his long career, and who was one of the best known, best liked
and most respected jockeys in New South Wales.[24]
Although it would be romantic to believe that an Aboriginal jockey had won the
first and second Melbourne Cups, the most famous horse race in Australia, the
cold hard facts of history do not allow this notion. A competing legend is that
Peter St. Albans
was the first Aboriginal jockey to win the Melbourne Cup on Briseis in 1876. The
legend arose as, not quite 13 years old, St. Albans was too young to ride in the
1876 Melbourne Cup. Thus, to allow him to race Briseis in the Cup, it was argued
his birthdate and parents were unknown, and from this the legend of him being
Aboriginal grew.[25] Both these
legends, however, can definitely be disproved, and history had to wait nearly
another 100 years. The first (and so far only) Aboriginal
jockey to ride a Melbourne Cup winner was Frank Reys in 1973 on Gala
Supreme. There has also been some confusion about this claim as his father
was Filipino. To
further confuse the issue, Frank Reys referred to his background as Filipino in
most interviews of the day. He believed that it would have hindered his
prospects had he admitted openly to his aboriginal heritage.[26]
However, that Frank was not just Filipino but also Aboriginal can be proven.
Frank's maternal grandmother was from the Djiribul
people of Northern Queensland.[27]
[edit]
Recent years
The race has undergone several alterations over the past 10 years, the most
visible being the arrival of many foreign-trained horses to contest the race in
the last decade. Most have failed to cope with the conditions; the three
successful "foreign raids" include two by Irish trainer Dermot K. Weld successful
in 1993 and 2002[28], and one in
2006[29] by Katsumi
Yoshida of Japan's renowned Yoshida
racing and breeding family. The attraction for foreigners to compete was,
primarily, the low-profile change to the new "quality handicap" weighting
system.
The 1910 Melbourne Cup was won by Comedy King, the first foreign bred horse
to do so. Subsequent foreign bred horses to win Cup were Backwood 1924; Belldale
Ball 1980; At Talaq 1986; Kingston Rule 1990; Vintage Crop 1993; Jeune 1994;
Media Puzzle 2002; Makybe Diva 2003, 2004, 2005
The 1938 Melbourne Cup was won by trainer Mrs.
Allan McDonald who conditioned Catalogue.
However, at the time women were not allowed to compete and as such her husband's
name was officially recorded as the winning trainer. The 2001 edition was
won by New Zealand mare Ethereal[30], trained by Sheila Laxon, the first woman
to formally train a Melbourne Cup winner. She also won the Caulfield Cup, a 2,400
metre race also held in Melbourne, and therefore has won the "Cups Double".
In 1973 the first (and so far only) Aboriginal
jockey to ride a Melbourne Cup winner was Frank Reys on Gala
Supreme. There has also been some confusion about Frank's aboriginality as
his father was Filipino. To further confuse the issue, Reys
referred to his background as Filipino in most interviews of the day as he
believed that openly admitting to his aboriginal heritage would have hindered
his prospects. However, the fact that Frank was part Aboriginal can be proven:
his maternal grandmother was from the Djiribul
people of Northern Queensland.
Frank Rey's place in history has also been contested. The first pretender who
history has created is John Cutts on Archer in 1861 and 1862, the first and second
Melbourne Cup. The second pretender who history has created is Peter St. Albans on
Briseis in 1876.
Neither of these jockeys, however, were Aboriginal, despite the legends that
have risen up around them. For a fuller discussion of these points, with
references, refer to the Early Years above.
Maree Lyndon became the first female to ride in the Melbourne Cup, when she
partnered Argonaut Style in 1987, in which she ran second last in the 21 horse
field.[31]
In 2004 Makybe Diva[32][33]
became the first mare to win two cups, and also the first horse to
win with different trainers, after David Hall moved to Hong Kong and transferred her to the Lee Freedman stables.
The 2005
Melbourne Cup was held before a crowd of 106,479. Makybe Diva made history
by becoming the only horse to win the race three times. Trainer Lee Freedman said after the
race, "Go and find the youngest child on the course, because that's the only
person here who will have a chance of seeing this happen again in their
lifetime."
The 2006
Melbourne Cup was won by the Japanese horse, Delta Blues[34]. Delta Blues won
by a nose over a second Japanese horse, Pop Rock.
Due to the 2007 Australian Equine
influenza outbreak, believed to have been started by a horse brought into
Australia from Japan, neither Delta Blues nor Pop Rock participated in the 2007 Melbourne
Cup. Both horses had been stabled in Japan. Corowa, NSW trained " Leica
Falcon " also was not be permitted to race in Victoria, despite Corowa being
close to the Victorian border . Leica Falcon was ordained as the new staying
star of Australian racing in 2005 when he ran fourth in both the Caulfield Cup
and in Makybe Diva's famous third Melbourne Cup victory. But serious leg
injuries saw the horse not race for another 20 months.[35]. Efficient, the
previous year's VRC Derby winner, won the race.
The 2008
Melbourne Cup winner was Viewed[36], ridden by Blake Shinn and trained by
"Cups King" Bart
Cummings. The win was Cummings' twelfth success in the race.[37] Bauer ran second
and C'est La Guerre third.
The 2009
Melbourne Cup winner was Shocking ridden by Corey Brown and Trained by Mark
Kavanagh. Second place went to Crime Scene and third place went to
Mourilyan.Timeline of historical
events
- 1869 - The Victorian Racing Club introduced the four day Spring Racing Carnival
format.[23]
- 1870 - the race was postponed..[38]
- 1876 - the youngest jockey to win was Peter St. Albans on Briseis aged 13 (officially), but actually 12
years 11 months 23 days[39]
- 1882 - the first bookmakers were licensed at Flemington.[23]
- 1888 - the first Gold whip was presented to the winning Cup jockey (Mick
O'Brien).[23]
- 1894 - strand starts were introduced
to Flemington.[23]
- 1896 - The Melbourne Cup was first filmed. This race was won by
Newhaven.[38]
- 1915 - first woman owner to win was Mrs E.A. Widdis with Patrobas.
- 1916 - the race was postponed.[38]
- 1925 - The first radio broadcast of the Melbourne Cup was made by the
Australian Broadcasting Company.[38]
- 1931 - the first year the totalisator operated at the Melbourne Cup. The
Totalisator Agency Board was introduced in 1961. [23]
- 1942-44 - The Melbourne Cup was run on Saturdays during the war years.[38]
- 1948 - The photo finish camera was first used Melbourne Cup. Rimfire beat
Dark Marne. However, many on-course punters believe the result should have been
reversed, and it was later found that the camera was incorrectly aligned.[38]
- 1958 - The first Cup start from starting stalls.[23]
- 1962 - “Fashions on the Field” was first held at the Carnival.[23]
- 1973 - first Aboriginal jockey to win was Frank Reys on Gala
Supreme.
- 1985 - the first sponsored Melbourne Cup, and the first million dollar Cup,
with $650,000 for the winner.[23]
- 1987 - first female jockey to ride in the cup was Maree Lynden on Argonaut
Style.
- 2001 - Sheila Laxon, was the first woman trainer to officially win the
Melbourne Cup. However Mrs. A. McDonald (1938) with Catalogue was really the
first woman trainer to win. Women then could not be registered as trainers, and
it was her husband who was the registered trainer.[40] Mrs. A.
Macdonald's win was as a female trainer of a female owned horse.
- 2003 - first Australian female jockey to ride in the cup was Clare Lindop on
Debben.
- 2003 - the first Melbourne Cup Tour was conducted around Australia, and the
biggest crowd, of 122,736, is recorded at Flemington.[23]
Public holiday
Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday for all working within metropolitan Melbourne and some parts of regional
Victoria,
but not for some country Victorian cities and towns which hold their own spring
carnivals. For Federal Public Servants it is also observed as a holiday in the
entire state of Victoria, and since 2007 also in the Australian Capital Territory known
as Family and Community Day replacing Picnic Day.[41].
Results and records
Most wins by a horse
Most wins by a
jockey
Most wins by a
trainer
- 12 - Bart Cummings
(1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2008)
- 5 - Etienne de Mestre (1861, 1862, 1867, 1877,
1878)
- 5 - Lee Freedman
(1989, 1992, 1995, 2004, 2005)
Most wins by an
owner
Other records
- Record winning time – 3.16.30 Kingston Rule (1990)
- Widest winning margin – 8 lengths by Archer in 1862 and Rain Lover in
1968.[42]
- Heaviest weight carried by winner – Carbine in 1890 with 10 stone 5lbs (65.5 kg)
Makybe Diva holds the record for a mare with 58 kg in 2005.[43] The horse to
carry the heaviest weight of all time was Phar Lap (10 stone 10 pounds) in 1931
when he ran 8th.[44]
- Longest odds winners – Three horses have won at 100-1: The Pearl
(1871), Wotan (1936) and Old Rowley (1940).[38]
- Shortest odds winner – Phar Lap at 8/11 in 1930.
- Favourites record – 34 of 149 favourites (23%) have won the Melbourne
Cup.[40]
- Most runners – 39 (1890)
- Fewest runners – 7 (1863)
- Most attempts – Shadow King made six attempts to win the cup in seven
years between 1929 and 1935. He ran 6th, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd and 4th.[38]
Attendance
The event is one of the most popular spectator events in Australia, with
sometimes over 110,000 people, some dressed in traditional formal raceday wear
and others in all manner of exotic and amusing costumes, attending the race. The
record crowd was 122,736 in 2003. The 1926 running of the Cup was the first time
that the 100,000 mark had been passed. Today the record at Flemington is held by
the 2006 Victoria
Derby when almost 130,000 attended.[45]
In 2007 a limit was placed on the Spring Carnival attendance at Flemington
Racecourse and race-goers are now required to pre-purchase tickets.[46].
- 2009 - 102,000
- 2008 - 107,000[47]
- 2007 - 102,411[48]
- 2006 - 106,691
- 2005 - 106,479
- 2004 - 98,181
- 2003 - 122,736 (record)
Off the track
'Fashions On The Field' is a major focus of the day, with substantial prizes
awarded for the best-dressed man and woman. The requirement for elegant hats, and more recently the alternative of a fascinator, almost single-handedly
keeps Melbourne's milliners in
business.[citation needed] Raceday
fashion has occasionally drawn almost as much attention as the race itself, The
miniskirt received worldwide
publicity when model Jean
Shrimpton wore one on Derby Day during Melbourne Cup week in 1965.[49][50]
Flowers, especially roses are an important component of the week's racing at
Flemington. The racecourse has around 12,000 roses within its large expanse.
Over 200 varieties of the fragrant flower are nurtured by a team of up to 12
gardeners. Each of the major racedays at Flemington has an official flower.
Victoria Derby Day has the Corn Flower, Melbourne Cup Day is for the Yellow
Rose, Oaks Day highlights the Pink Rose and Stakes Day goes to the Red Rose.
In the Melbourne metropolitan area, the race day has been a gazetted public holiday since
1877, but around both Australia and New Zealand a majority of people watch the
race on television and gamble, either through direct betting or participating in
workplace cup "sweeps". As of April, 2007 the ACT also recognises Melbourne Cup
Race Day as a holiday.[41] In 2000
it was estimated that 80 percent of the adult Australian population placed a bet
on the race that year.[51] In New Zealand the
Melbourne Cup is the country's single biggest betting event, with carnival
race-days held at several of the country's top tracks showing the cup live on
big screens. [52]
It is commonly billed as The race that stops a nation, but it is more
accurately The race that stops two nations [53][54], as many people in
New Zealand, as well as Australia, pause to watch the race.
See also
