Following two years of stringent restrictions and capped audiences, the Melbourne Cup is gearing up for its full-fledged comeback on Tuesday. The Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate, the first two significant races on the Spring Racing Calendar, have already been run and won.
Now that we’re approaching the first Tuesday in November, it’s time for the most famous horse race on the Australian sporting calendar. Whether you’re going to the racetrack, throwing your event, or simply wanting to be informed, check below for your comprehensive guide to all you need to know to enjoy the big day of racing.
When does the Melbourne Cup begin?
The Melbourne Cup is planned at 3 pm AEDT – Melbourne time, New South Wales, the ACT, and Tasmania.
The race will begin at 2 pm AEST in Queensland and 2:30 pm ACDT in South Australia. It will be 1:30 pm ACST in the Northern Territory and 12 pm AWST in Western Australia.
How to watch the Live Melbourne Cup 2022?
If you want to watch the race, Channel Ten, which has the rights to this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, will broadcast it.
Live Broadcast: The Melbourne Cup Cup Live (try it free)
Their live coverage will begin at 10 a.m. AEDT (equivalent hours in other states) and will conclude at 5:30 p.m. AEDT following the final race of the day.
Racing.com (digital Channel 78) can also stream the Cup live. Sky Racing on Foxtel will broadcast the event on delay rather than live.
The race will also be broadcast on 10Play and, for those with a subscription, Kayo.
Where Melbourne Cup 2022 will be held?
As in previous years, the Melbourne Cup will be held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne’s inner west.
Where can I Listen to the Melbourne Cup?
The big race will be broadcast live on ABC local radio, the Racing and Sports Network, SEN Radio, and Nine Radio, as well as Triple M in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
You may also follow the action on our live blog throughout the day.
Who may attend the race?
Like the rest of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Melbourne Cup Day is a fully ticketed event. Unlike last year, when the state government limited attendance to 10,000 people owing to COVID-19 limits, this year’s event is back to the total capacity. It drew 81,408 people in 2019.
How do I obtain tickets?
If you need a last-minute ticket, you can get one from Ticketmaster via the Victoria Racing Club website. The general entrance fee ranges from $39.50 to $89. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free of charge.
When did it all begin?
The Melbourne Cup first race was conducted in 1861, and it was named a public holiday in 1877.
How much prize money will be awarded in this year’s race?
The Melbourne Cup has a prize pool of $8.075 million. This comprises $7.75 million in cash and a total of $325,000 in prizes.
These include the iconic “Loving Cup” for the winning owner and awards for the winning jockey, winning trainer, strapper who prepares the winning horse, and breeder.
The first 12 horses to cross the finish line will be awarded prize money.
The breakdown is as follows: first, $4.4 million, second, $1.1 million; third, $550,000; fourth, $350,000; fifth, $230,000; and sixth, through twelfth, $160,000.
3% of every prize money is removed and donated to equine and jockey welfare.
How far has the race progressed?
The race was originally two kilometers long. When Australia adopted the metric system in 1972, it was trimmed to 3200 meters (a difference of 18.688 meters). The race is approximately 112 laps around the Flemington course.
How long will the race last?
Kingston Rule, an American-bred racehorse, has held the record for the quickest time since 1990, with a time of 3 minutes, 16 seconds, and three milliseconds. Media Puzzle, who won the race in 2002, was the only other racer to finish in under 3 minutes and 17 seconds, with a timing of 3:16:97.
Other horses who finished in under 3 minutes and 18 seconds include last year’s champion Verry Elleegant (3:17:43), Protectionist (3:17:71) in 2014, and Twilight Payment in 2020. (3:17:34).
Will the Cup be well-attended this year?
For the first time in three years, average crowds will be permitted to attend the big race at Flemington.
Crowds were limited to 10,000 last year due to the COVID outbreak, and the course was closed the year before.
Flemington was last available to all crowds on Cup Day in 2019, when 81,458 individuals visited the track.
On Saturday, more than 71,000 people attended Victoria Derby Day, the first day of the Melbourne Cup Festival. On Tuesday, a crowd of 80,000 is expected.
Will there be fashion on the Melbourne Cup field?
Cup Day will feature the traditional Fashions on the Field, as well as the return of large crowds.
Racegoers who wish to show off their style can go to The Park’s Fashion Garden, where they can self-register for events.
Entrants can go down the runway or stroll through the grounds.
Best dressed, best matched, and family competition is among the categories.
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Who are the frontrunners?
Two of the top three horses in the betting for this year’s Melbourne Cup are a bit of a mystery because they have never raced in Australia.
The favorite is Deauville Legend, an English thoroughbred trained by James Ferguson. Deauville Legend won the Great Voltigeur Stakes over 2,385m at York in August.
Behind him is another English galloper, the Irish-bred Without A Fight, trained by Simon Balding for owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and prime minister.
Without a Fight has won two races this year over 2,787m but, like Deauville Legend, has not run over 3,200m.
The David Payne-trained local galloper Montefilia, who finished fourth in the Caulfield Cup, separates the two.
Durston, the Caulfield Cup winner, trained by Chris Waller, was high in the Melbourne Cup betting market until he was pulled from the race last Thursday on Racing Victoria’s suggestion. Loft, the then-second favorite, was removed on Friday after tests revealed a problem with the German horse trained by Marcel Weiss.
Other contenders include the Caulfield Cup runner-up, Gold Trip, one of five horses in the Cup trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace; Realm of Flowers, trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman; and multiple Group One winner Duais, trained by Ed Cummings, the grandson of legendary “Cups King” Bart Cummings.
The 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow and Declare, trained by Danny O’Brien, is also returning for a third attempt after finishing sixth in the Caulfield Cup.
The race is wide open, with an underdog having a chance to win the Cup.
With the withdrawal of Point Nepean, the final Field has been reduced to 23.
What kind of weather might we expect?
At this moment, we’re expecting rain up until and including Cup Day.
Cup Day is expected to be cold, with a few showers — up to 15mm of rain — and a high temperature of 14 degrees Celsius.
Given the amount of rain that has already fallen in Melbourne in recent weeks, these top-ups will almost certainly guarantee that the track will be wet for the race.
This could lead to an open race, so consult our comprehensive Cup guide and look for horses that do well in wet conditions.
