Melbourne Cup Horses

2023 Melbourne Cup Results

2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight 

2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight was excellent late winning by two lengths off his Caulfield Cup victory last month. Photo: Steve Hart.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup results will be known when the race runs on Tuesday November 7, 2023. 

  • 1st: #3 Without A Fight ($8)
  • 2nd: #6 Soulcombe
  • 3rd: #14 Sheraz
  • 4th: #11 Ashrun

The Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight was given a perfectly-timed ride by Mark Zahra, who opted to come off last year’s champ Gold Trip, to become the 12th horse in history to complete the Spring Cups double.

Zahra made up ground from the back hitting the front on the eventual 2023 Melbourne Cup winner the closing stages as Without a Fight charged strongly down the middle before drawing clear for an impressive two length victory over the Chris Waller-trained Soulcombe who missed the kick by three lengths.

Waller also prepared the third place-getter Sheraz who ran out of his skin as a triple-figure roughie to complete the Melbourne Cup trifecta.

Click here for the full story and to view the complete 2023 Melbourne Cup finishing order.

2023 Melbourne Cup Results & Finishing Order

Finish No. Horse Trainer Jockey Margin Bar. Weight Penalty Starting Price
1 3 WITHOUT A FIGHT (IRE) Anthony & Sam Freedman Mark Zahra 16 56.5kg 1.0kg $8
2 6 SOULCOMBE (GB) Chris Waller Joao Moreira 2.25L 4 53.5kg $9.50
3 14 SHERAZ (FR) Chris Waller Beau Mertens 2.75L 22 51.5kg $151
4 11 ASHRUN (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Kerrin McEvoy 4.75L 11 51.5kg $26
5 12 DAQIANSWEET JUNIOR (NZ) Phillip Stokes Daniel Stackhouse 4.95L 12 51.5kg $51
6 22 INTERPRETATION (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Teo Nugent 5.35L 17 50kg $41
7 7 ABSURDE (FR) Willie Mullins Zac Purton 5.45L 8 53kg $9
8 24 TRUE MARVEL (FR) Matthew Smith Ben Thompson 6.7L 10 50kg $151
9 9 VOW AND DECLARE Danny O’Brien Billy Egan 7.45L 19 53kg $31
10 17 MILITARY MISSION (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Ms Rachel King 8.2L 5 51kg 0.5kg $26
11 13 OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) Joseph O’Brien Dylan Gibbons (a) 8.4L 20 51.5kg $101
12 20 MORE FELONS (IRE) Chris Waller Ms Jamie Kah 9.15L 23 50.5kg $26
13 15 LASTOTCHKA (FR) Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) Craig Williams 13.15L 21 51kg $26
14 5 VAUBAN (FR) Willie Mullins Ryan Moore 13.35L 3 55kg $5.50F
15 21 FUTURE HISTORY (GB) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Hollie Doyle 14.1L 13 50kg $18
16 4 BREAKUP (JPN) Tatsuya Yoshioka Kohei Matsuyama 14.3L 18 55kg $18
17 1 GOLD TRIP (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace James McDonald 23.3L 2 58.5kg $6.50
18 19 VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ) Liam Howley Craig Newitt 32.3L 6 51kg $151
19 18 SERPENTINE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Jye McNeil 32.4L 1 51kg $41
20 23 KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees Zac Lloyd (a) 32.7L 14 50kg $41
21 2 ALENQUER (FR) Michael Moroney Damien Oliver 33.45L 9 56.5kg $21
22 16 MAGICAL LAGOON (IRE) Chris Waller Mark Du Plessis 43.45L 7 51kg $101
FF 8 RIGHT YOU ARE Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen 15 53kg $31
10 CLEVELAND (IRE) Kris Lees Michael Dee 0 0.5kg

Table Credit: Racing Australia.


The 2023 Melbourne Cup Horses are officially known when final acceptances are announced on the Saturday prior to the race following the VRC Derby Day action.

The Melbourne Cup 2023 field is released on November 4, 2023 with the confirmed Melbourne Cup horses to be detailed below.

The official 24-horse Melbourne Cup 2023 final field has been confirmed with the defending champion Gold Trip looking to go back-to-back with James McDonald coming aboard. Race favourite Vauban will wear the No. 5 Melbourne Cup saddlecloth first-up down under as one of four international raiders in the field.

The 2023 Melbourne Cup barrier draw took place on Saturday evening with the favourite Vauban drawing ideally with barrier three, while Gold Trip will defend his title one closer to the rails jumping from gate two. Click here for the full story.

  • 2023 Melbourne Cup Scratchings Update: No. Cleveland (23) has been withdrawn on Monday evening due to an elevated temperature. Click here for the full story.
No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Probable Weight Penalty Hcp Rating
1 x2570x4135 GOLD TRIP (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace James McDonald 2 58.5kg 122
2 x69x00x059 ALENQUER (FR) Michael Moroney Damien Oliver 9 56.5kg 110
3 1x20x11x61 WITHOUT A FIGHT (IRE) Anthony & Sam Freedman Mark Zahra 16 56.5kg 1.0kg 118
4 x110x340x8 BREAKUP (JPN) Tatsuya Yoshioka Kohei Matsuyama 18 55kg 114
5 11x234211x VAUBAN (FR) Willie Mullins Ryan Moore 3 55kg 114
6 1x682x1437 SOULCOMBE (GB) Chris Waller Joao Moreira 4 53.5kg 115
7 3127x1261x ABSURDE (FR) Willie Mullins Zac Purton 8 53kg 110
8 11121×2505 RIGHT YOU ARE Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen 15 53kg 114
9 x22460x022 VOW AND DECLARE Danny O’Brien Billy Egan 19 53kg 115
10 6x50x49621 CLEVELAND (IRE) Kris Lees Michael Dee 23 52kg 0.5kg 109
11 x22410x762 ASHRUN (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Kerrin McEvoy 11 51.5kg 109
12 706x0x0074 DAQIANSWEET JUNIOR (NZ) Phillip Stokes Daniel Stackhouse 12 51.5kg 105
13 0x11x513x0 OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) Joseph O’Brien Dylan Gibbons (a) 20 51.5kg 109
14 2x295x0808 SHERAZ (FR) Chris Waller Beau Mertens 22 51.5kg 105
15 7x1x23x41x LASTOTCHKA (FR) Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) Craig Williams 21 51kg 106
16 5x0x06x906 MAGICAL LAGOON (IRE) Chris Waller Mark Du Plessis 7 51kg 106
17 319×920141 MILITARY MISSION (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Ms Rachel King 5 51kg 0.5kg 107
18 20x129x243 SERPENTINE (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Jye McNeil 1 51kg 110
19 x8802x0908 VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ) Liam Howley Craig Newitt 6 51kg 112
20 1265x728x5 MORE FELONS (IRE) Chris Waller Ms Jamie Kah 24 50.5kg 106
21 154×721213 FUTURE HISTORY (GB) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Hollie Doyle 13 50kg 109
22 536Px32591 INTERPRETATION (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Teo Nugent 17 50kg 103
23 213x3L7331 KALAPOUR (IRE) Kris Lees Zac Lloyd (a) 14 50kg 106
24 02813×8080 TRUE MARVEL (FR) Matthew Smith Ben Thompson 10 50kg 102

Table Credit: Racing Australia.


As one of the most prestigious horse racing events in the world, and the Melbourne Cup horses that line-up in the world’s richest handicap are the best in the business.

Many Australian trainers go through their entire career with the hope of someday having a horse good enough to enter the $8.41 million race on the first Tuesday of November, and more and more we are seeing imported Melbourne Cup horses bred to stay the testing two mile distance.

It is also becoming very common place to find a strong international charge with Northern Hemisphere-trained Melbourne Cup horses making a raid for the ‘Loving Trophy’.

Melbourne Cup history shows a number of recent internationally-trained Melbourne Cup winners including most recently Rekindling (2017), Cross Counter (2018) and Twilight Payment (2020) who held out two other raiders in an all-international Melbourne Cup trifecta.

In 2019 the locals were back in winning form with the Danny O’Brien-trained Vow And Declare becoming the first Australian-bred Melbourne Cup winner meanwhile since Shocking back in 2009.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup was won by the Chris Waller-trained Verry Elleegant over Queensland-bred Incentivise, while UK raider Spanish Mission ran third.

All three Melbourne Cup horses in the 2021 trifecta carried 57kg.

In 2022 the French-bred but Australian-trained Gold Trip for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace won the Melbourne Cup carrying the 57.5kg top-weight.

With only the very best stayers from around the globe being granted the honour of a start in the capacity 24-horse Melbourne Cup field, you can be assured that each year’s race will possess an incredible amount of talent and staying ability.

In 2023 the Melbourne Cup winner was the Irish-bred but Australian-trained Without A Fight for Anthony & Sam Freedman with the horse become the 12th in history to do the Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double in the same year.

 

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