The Melbourne Cup is a major thoroughbred horse race competition that is run every year in November in the legendary Flemington Racecourse which can be located in Flemington, Melbourne, Australia. The prize money is set at a steady AUD 5.5 million, making it one of the biggest in the horse racing world. It is organized annually by the Victoria Racing Club, a group of horse racing enthusiasts, which was established in 1864. The Melbourne Cup itself, however, predates the Victoria Racing Club as the first race was held in the Flemington Racecourse in 1861, although there have been horse races held in the course since the 1840s.
The Melbourne Cup Results are very important to horse racing fans as well as the citizens of Melbourne alike. Actually, the urban area of Melbourne closes down and goes on holiday on the days of important races, which highlights the size of the event. The Melbourne Cup’s commercial value is also recognized by companies, as it is sponsored, this year, by Emirates, thus changing the whole name of the event to The Emirates Melbourne Cup. The event is also frequented by gambling hobbyists, and thus there is a huge market to be found in bets on the races that happen. Thus it cannot be denied that the Melbourne Cup Results can be massive ones for bettors and fans alike.
Past Winners
Before going onto the heroes that have won the modern version of the Melbourne Cup, or rather, the Emirates Melbourne Cup, it would be good to take a closer look at the history of Melbourne Cup Results, which spans more than a century of great horses and dedicated jockeys.
The first ever winner of the event was a classy thoroughbred named Archer during the competition’s inauguration in 1861. Archer would prove his worth when he would win the Melbourne Cup once again the year after. On their website, the Victoria Racing Club acknowledges other past winners as well as the more ‘famous’ ones. These horses are Carbine (1890), Phar Lap (1930), Peter Pan (1932 & 1934), Comic Court (1951), Rising Fast (1954), Galilee (1966), Rain Lover (1968 & 1969), Kiwi (1983), Vintage Crop (1993), Saintly (1996), Might And Power (1997) and Makybe Diva (2003, 2004 & 2005).
While the modern Melbourne Cup contains less nostalgic value than the ones of past, the winning ways of Makybe Diva cannot be overlooked as no other mare had won more than one Melbourne Cup beforehand. Makybe Diva won three in a row and is considered one of the best female horses in horse racing history.
Results in Australia and the World
The Melbourne Cup has reached legendary status as a major annual thoroughbred horse race. Since 1993, horses from the northern portion of the world have travelled all the way to Melbourne just to get an opportunity to compete in the prestigious Melbourne Cup. This tradition began when an outstanding horse named Vintage Crop (trained and bred in Ireland) won the race despite the long travels.
This pilgrimage would change the Melbourne Cup Results forever. After Vintage Crop won, there came more than a few minor victories in the events before and after the Melbourne Cup. These events happen in order to celebrate the arrival of the great race. To be specific, there are four races that happen during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, the other races aside from the Emirates Melbourne Cup itself are the Victoria Derby, the LKS MacKinnon Stakes and the VRC Oaks Stakes, respectively. Moreover, second and third placings by other thoroughbred horses in the Melbourne Cup more or less invited the rest of the world to the more than friendly shores of Australia to compete in the legendary and historical Melbourne Cup.
The next section covers the exploits of those who have gone to Australia in order to gain glory and fame in the horse racing world.
Recent Winners
From outside Australia, there have been very few winners, but this is exactly what makes their feat more impressive. In 2004, Ireland’s Vinnie Roe was one of the favourites in the entire competition. However, it took a massive effort from Australia’s own Makybe Diva in order to thwart the attempts of the Irish horse for the most prestigious Australian crown. However, in 2006, Australia would fail to protect its crown and a new era in Melbourne Cup Results would rear its head. A Japanese thoroughbred pair of Delta Blues and Pop Rock dominated the competition, winning first place and second place, respectively, in the Emirates Melbourne Cup.
In 2007 and 2008, however, the Japanese would fail to repeat this feat as thoroughbreds named Efficient and Viewed, ridden by world class jockeys such as Michael Rodd and Blake Shinn, would win first place in the massive competition.
Undoubtedly, though, the competition has become fiercer with the emergence of the rest of the world in the Australian landscape. This year, it is unsure whether an Australian horse or a horse from overseas will win, and that is why the speculation, as well as the betting, is piling up in the Australian bookmakers’ circles.
