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Today touted as the greatest racing carnival in the world, the race originates back to 1861 and was the idea of Captain Frederick Standish, who was a Victoria Racing Club Chairman and former Chief Commissioner of Police in Victoria. The prize money on offer was certainly modest by today’s standards at 710 gold sovereigns along with a hand beaten gold watch. The race stipulated handicap conditions and was over a distance of 2 miles. The race today stops the nation, invokes betting, spectator and social involvement all around the country and is well & truly ingrained in Australian culture, as well as drawing interest the world over.

The race is for thoroughbreds three year olds and over, and today is run over a distance of 3,200 metres. It takes place at 3pm on the first Tuesday in November on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Victorian workers get the day off in its honour, the rest of the country wishes it did!

The first Melbourne Cup race was pretty eventful - one horse bolted before the start, 3 horses fell during the race, sadly 2 of these died. The race was won by a stallion named Archer, a Sydney “outsider” who attracted little attention in the betting and easily beat the favourite by six lengths. Interestingly, Archer won another 2 mile race in Melbourne the very next day.

It has become somewhat of a legend that Archer walked over 500 miles from Sydney to Melbourne to take part in the race at Flemington. However, newspaper archives state that he actually travelled by steamboat!

Archer also won the Melbourne Cup the following year, beating a field of twenty starters by eight lengths, a record that has never been beaten, and that was not matched for over 100 years.

Archer travelled to Melbourne by steamboat once more to take part in the 3rd Melbourne Cup, however he was removed from the line up due to a technicality, when his acceptance form was telegraphed and arrived late. To show their protest at this decision, many owners boycotted the race and removed their horses, so the Melbourne Cup ran with just 7 starters, the smallest number ever to run in its history.

More interesting facts on Melbourne Cup Races of yesteryear:

In 1876 a three-year-old filly called Briseis created 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. On top of this her jockey for the Melbourne Cup - Peter St Albans - was not quite yet 13 years old, which is also a record in itself, he being the youngest rider ever to win!

Some very sad history sits behind this race also, when a ship carrying 13 racehorses - some of which were serious contenders for the Cup Race - set sail for Melbourne in September but encountered a vicious storm the 2nd day in which resulted in the loss of 11 horses’ lives and therefore affected the line up taking part in the Melbourne Cup. Briseis however had such a strong race that she probably would still have won it.

In 1882 the first bookmakers were licensed at Flemington

In 1915 the first woman owner wins the Cup.

1958 the first Cup to start from starting stalls

The first “Fashions on the Field” was held at the Carnival in 1962. Today it captivates our attention almost as much as the race itself.

The first Aboriginal jockey to win was Frank Reys in 1973 on a horse called Gala Supreme

1985 was the first million dollar Cup, with $650,000 prize money for the winner.

The first female jockey to ride in the cup was in 1987

The horse to win the Cup the most number of times was Makybe Diva - 3 consecutive years, 2003, 2004 & 2005

Jockeys Bobby Lewis and Harry White both rode their way to victory 4 times each.

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Horse racing in Australia

Tambo Valley Picnic Races, Victoria, Australia 2006

For more details on this topic, see Horseracing in Australia.

Racing in Australia has enjoyed great success with races such as the world famous Melbourne Cup, the so-called race that stops a nation, which has recently attracted many international entries. In Australia, the most famous horse was Phar Lap, who raced from 1928-1932 (though originally bred in New Zealand). Phar Lap carried 9st 12lbs to win the 1930 Melbourne Cup. In 2003-2005 the mare Makybe Diva became the first and only racehorse to ever win the Melbourne Cup three times, let alone in consecutive years. In harness racing, Paleface Adios became a household name during the 1970s, while Cardigan Bay, a pacing horse from New Zealand, enjoyed great success at the highest levels of American harness racing in the 1960s.

Cited from Wikipedia