The Melbourne Cup is gearing up for its full-blown return on Tuesday following two years of heavy restrictions and capped crowds.
Whether you’re headed to the racecourse, hosting your own Melbourne Cup event, or just want to be in the know, see below for your guide to everything you need to know to enjoy the big day of racing.
Jockey James McDonald on last year’s winner of the Melbourne Cup, Verry Elleegant.Credit:Joe Armao
Where is the race held?
Like every year, the Melbourne Cup will be at Flemington Racecourse, located in Melbourne’s inner west. A map of this year’s carnival is available here.
When is the Cup run?
The race is held every year on the first Tuesday in November as part of the Melbourne Cup carnival. The first race of the day will kick off at 10.45am (AEDT). Racegoers will need to wait until 3pm for the Melbourne Cup itself, race seven of the day. The last race of the day, race 10, is scheduled for 5.15pm.
Who can go to the race?
Melbourne Cup Day, along with the other races during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, is a fully ticketed event. Unlike last year, when crowds were capped by the state government to 10,000 people due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Cup is back to full capacity. In 2019, the Cup drew a crowd of 81,408 racegoers.
How can I get tickets?
If you’re keen to snag a last-minute ticket, they can be purchased through Ticketmaster via the Victoria Racing Club website. General admission prices range between $39.50 and $89. Those under 12 attend free of charge.
When did it start?
The Melbourne Cup held its first race back in 1861, and was later declared a public holiday in 1877.
How far is the race?
Originally, the race was 2 miles. It was later shortened to 3200 metres (an 18.688 metre difference) when Australia switched to the metric system in 1972. The race is roughly one-and-a-half times around the Flemington track.
How long does the race take?
The record for the fastest time has been held since 1990 by American-bred racehorse Kingston Rule, with a time of 3 minutes, 16 seconds and 3 milliseconds. The only other runner to finish the race under the 3m, 17s mark was 2002 Cup winner Media Puzzle, with a time of 3:16:97.
Other horses who managed to finish the race under 3 minutes and 18 seconds include last year’s winner Verry Elleegant (3:17:43), Protectionist in 2014 (3:17:71), and Twilight Payment in 2020 (3:17:34).
What will the weather be like?
Bring a warm jacket to the racecourse, as the Bureau of Meteorology anticipates between 10 and 15 millimetres of rainfall and chances of hail on Tuesday. The top temperature for the day is 14 degrees.
How can I get to the Melbourne Cup?
Public transport will run throughout the day to Flemington Racecourse. Between 8.15am and 1.23pm, trains from Flinders Street Station will run express to the racecourse (from platform 8 and 9) around every 10 minutes. After that and until 5pm trains will run to Flemington stopping all stations. Services from Southern Cross Station (platform 8) will depart around every 10 minutes from early morning to early afternoon. After the Melbourne Cup, trains will depart from the racecourse every five minutes until 7pm, then every 10 minutes until the last service at 8.59pm. Other services, including the Route 57a tram and bus route 404 will operate as shuttle services to Flemington.
What is a handicap horse race?
The Melbourne Cup is one of the most prestigious handicap horse races in the world. Essentially, better-performing horses are required to carry a predetermined weight, to give them a disadvantage when racing against slower horses. Handicaps are allocated by analysing a horse’s past performance.
How much will the winning horse get?
A far cry from the gold watch awarded to the race’s first winner in 1861, in 2022 there is a total of $8 million in prize money up for grabs. This money will be distributed between the runners that finish between first and 12th place. First place will take home $4.4 million, second place, $1.1 million; third place, $550,000; and fourth place, $350,000. Those who finish between sixth and 12th place will take home a tidy $160,000.
Which horse is the favourite to win?
Of the 23 runners (down from 24 after horse Point Nepean was scratched on Monday due to elevated blood results) competing in this year’s Melbourne Cup, TAB has tipped Ireland-born horse Deauville Legend to win at $2.90. Other horses tipped to place include Montefilia, Without A Fight, Realm of Flowers, Knights Order and Hoo Ya Mal. You can also check out our complete guide to this year’s Melbourne Cup field, as well as expert tips.
Which jockey looks set to ride the winner?
Kerrin McEvoy, champion jockey and three-time winner of the Melbourne Cup, will ride bookies’ favourite Deauville Legend. The South Australian rode winning horses in 2000, 2016 and 2018. Winning the Cup runs in the family: he is brother-in-law to Michelle Payne, who became the first female jockey to win the race in 2015, and Brett Prebble, who rode Green Moon to victory in 2012. McEvoy spoke to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald on Monday for the weekly Q&A series dedicated to finding out more about the personalities that matter most in the media landscape.
What’s the dress code?
The general rule of thumb is dress up, not down. While those with general admission tickets are not required to dress in any particular way, traditional racing wear is strongly encouraged. In other words, it’s best to leave anything that could be described as loungewear at home. For those over 12 in the members section, the Victoria Racing Club has a strict dress code. Cravats, bright and fluorescent coloured suits as well as untailored leather jackets are strictly banned in member areas. Shorts and garments that show midriffs are also deemed unacceptable. The member areas include the club stand, the grandstand, the members’ front lawn, the betting ring and the members’ reserved car parks and the birdcage.
What is Fashions on the Field?
For some, Fashions on the Field is as important as the race itself. Celebrating its 60th birthday, racegoers will compete for the title of the day’s best dressed. All entrants to the Cup are invited to strut down the runway in their outfit, and the final for both best dressed and best suited are held at midday and 1.40pm, respectively. And it’s not just the glory of being dubbed a fashionista: last year’s best dressed man and woman each won prize packages of more than $90,000. Changing it up this year, the traditional womenswear and menswear categories have been replaced by best dressed and best suited, opening up the categories to men, women and non-binary entrants. A full schedule of the fashion competitions can be found here.
Will there be entertainment?
There sure will. From early afternoon to 6pm, the Cup will feature performances at its live stage from a variety of artists, including Australian DJ Hot Dub Time Machine, New Zealand duo Sweet Mix Kids and ARIA award-winning group Sheppard.
How can I watch the Cup from home?
If the wet weather forecast has put you off standing in soggy grass for the day, there are a bunch of different ways you can follow the day’s races: Channel 10 is the official broadcast partner of the spring racing carnival, and will be broadcasting free-to-air from 10am to 5.30pm, including the feature race at 3pm. It will also be available via its streaming service, 10Play. Foxtel’s streaming service Kayo will also be broadcasting live coverage, as well as Sky Racing via the TAB betting app. Several radio stations, including SEN, RSN and 3AW will also be broadcasting live.
