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The Lexus Melbourne Cup is the most important race on the Australian horse racing calendar. It isn’t called “The Race That Stops A Nation” for nothing – Australia really does come to a halt for an afternoon to watch the Melbourne Cup, which is the world’s richest handicap.

Held each year on the first Tuesday of November, the Melbourne Cup is a real test of staying power. The Melbourne Cup is raced over a distance of 3200 metres, far longer than any other major event in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, so it is certainly not a race that is easy to prepare for. Two miles is the traditional cup race distance and few races in Australia are still contested over these meters.

Every year the Melbourne Cup captures the attention of race fans around the country and abroad. It has now become a truly international affair too with nearly half of the 2021 Melbourne Cup field being raiders trained outside of Australia and New Zealand. Each year the international raiders are well-fancied in the Melbourne Cup Odds as they are bred to go the distance. That said, in 2019 the locally-trained Vow And Declare held off the raiders for a home town win!

In 2020 the internationals were back on top with three running the trifecta: Twilight Payment (1st), Tiger Moth (2nd) and Prince Of Arran (3rd) in his third Melbourne Cup placing.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup results saw Verry Elleegant defeat fellow Australian galloper Incentivise with the UK raider Spanish Mission third.

The Melbourne Cup is one of the few remaining genuine, two-mile races held in Australia each

year. The only other 3200m race at Flemington Racecourse is the Andrew Ramsden Stakes, while in New South Wales the Sydney Cup is the country’s other Group 1 over the distance. Australia isn’t known for breeding genuine stayers and that is one of the reasons why every year the Melbourne Cup field features more and more both internationally-bred and trained horses.

The race goes for roughly three and a half minutes with the Melbourne Cup race record held by the Bart Cummings-trained Kingston Rule who won in 3:16.30 minutes back in 1990.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup ran on Tuesday November 2, 2021 at 3pm local time as Flemington Race 7 and was won in a powerhouse performance by Verry Elleegant who defeated short-priced favourite Incentivise by four lengths. 

2021 Melbourne Cup Odds

The Melbourne Cup odds are open nearly all year round on the likely stayers set to line-up in the ‘race that stops a nation’ on the first Tuesday of November.

When looking for the best Melbourne Cup 2021 odds, it is best to start early when the first nominations for the race come out. Online betting sites like Ladbrokes.com.au put out early markets on the Melbourne Cup nominations and you can lock in generous prices on your early Melbourne Cup tips in these all-in markets.

If you prefer to leave your betting until later, then you can boost the lower Melbourne Cup odds you receive by taking exotic bets. The highest Melbourne Cup odds always entail an element of risk, but you will feel much better getting paid $1000 for a winning $5 bet than you would getting paid $6.50 just betting on a short Melbourne Cup favourite.

Recent Melbourne Cup history shows favourites have a poor record with the last to salute for the punters at the shortest Melbourne Cup starting price since Makybe Diva (2005) being Fiorente (2013).

The 2015 Melbourne Cup results showed that one of the longest-priced horses in that year’s Melbourne Cup odds was the one to back with Prince Of Penzance scoring an upset at $101.

For more information on analysing the odds as well as the latest odds on the Melbourne Cup, please visit our dedicated Melbourne Cup odds page.

2021 Melbourne Cup Field

The 2021 Melbourne Cup final acceptances close at 4:30pm (local time) on Saturday October 30, 2021, with the field made public and published below soon after.

Click here to read more on the 24 horses in the 2021 Melbourne Cup field led in betting by Incentivise.

• 2021 Melbourne Cup Scratchings Update: #20 Future Score (15) has been withdrawn failing a final vet check (lameness, right foreleg) by Racing Victoria.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	1131×33912	TWILIGHT PAYMENT (IRE)	Joseph O’Brien	Jye McNeil	2	58kg		117
2	111111×111	INCENTIVISE	Peter G Moody	Brett Prebble	16	57kg	1.5kg	123
3	17x2513x2x	SPANISH MISSION (USA)	Andrew Balding	Craig Williams	14	57kg		117
4	x3112x2143	VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ)	Chris Waller	James McDonald	19	57kg		118
5	132113×950	EXPLOSIVE JACK (NZ)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	John Allen	4	54kg		115
6	x2606x3420	THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ)	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Damian Lane	5	54kg		114
7	111x6x4210	DELPHI (IRE)	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Damien Oliver	3	53.5kg	1.0kg	112
8	1x610x5059	OCEAN BILLY (NZ)	Chris Waller	Damien Thornton	13	53.5kg		112
9	86541×0840	SELINO (GB)	Chris Waller	Ron Stewart	24	53.5kg		110
10	29431×0090	JOHNNY GET ANGRY (NZ)	Denis Pagan	Lachlan King (a)	22	53kg		113
11	x8511x9097	KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Daniel Stackhouse	9	53kg		107
12	5x1244x373	PERSAN	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Luke Currie	11	53kg		109
13	07422×4747	CARIF	Peter & Paul Snowden	Blaike McDougall	8	52.5kg		108
14	x663x00030	MASTER OF WINE (GER)	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Fred Kersley	6	52.5kg		113
15	x22x722x54	PONDUS (GB)	Robert Hickmott	Ms Rachel King	1	52.5kg		111
16	x221211251	GRAND PROMENADE (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Kerrin McEvoy	21	52kg	1.0kg	108
17	78333×0095	MIAMI BOUND (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	Patrick Moloney	17	52kg		111
18	x1510x0600	PORT GUILLAUME (FR)	Ben & JD Hayes	Harry Coffey	23	52kg		101
19	2324×37197	SHE’S IDEEL	Bjorn Baker	Craig Newitt	20	52kg		111
20	3x6133x086	FUTURE SCORE (IRE)	Matt Cumani	Dean Yendall	15	51.5kg		107
21	12114×3321	TRALEE ROSE (NZ)	Symon Wilde	Dean Holland	12	51kg		106
22	x55x011132	FLOATING ARTIST (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Teodore Nugent (a)	10	50kg		106
23	x132751551	GREAT HOUSE (IRE)	Chris Waller	Michael Dee	7	50kg		107
24	x41x81x248	SIR LUCAN (IRE)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Glen Boss	18	50kg		110

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Already those in the know including the punters are predicting the likely Melbourne Cup field and keeping an eye on the updated Melbourne Cup ballot and order of entry is a good guide to what stayers will make the cut.

The last chance for stayers to make the 2021 Melbourne Cup final field is Derby Day’s Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) – now run as the Lexus Hotham Handicap. The last Melbourne Cup winner to back-up off a run in the Lexus Stakes only three days before was Shocking (2009) who completed the double.

The Melbourne Cup field is restricted to 24 horses with no emergencies, but the race receives dozens more nominations in the lead up to the event. The final Melbourne Cup field for each year is released on the Saturday evening before the race, after the conclusion of Victoria Derby Day, and punters wait impatiently for this information each year as it allows them to lock in their final bets. Even still, many punters bide their time until the morning of the Melbourne Cup, just in case something gets scratched or odds improve.

Following the release of the Melbourne Cup field on Victoria Derby Day, which kicks off the four-meeting Melbourne Cup Carnival each year, the Melbourne Cup barrier draw is then released live form Flemington Racecourse.

The final acceptors then take their places at the track in three days’ time on Melbourne Cup Day for their shot at the major first prize on offer to the Melbourne Cup winner.

The horses that make up the Melbourne Cup field are decided based on a few different conditions, and lesser horses are balloted out based on prize money earned in the last two years, performance in specific lead up races, and handicap weight. Winners of a few select races are exempt from being balloted out, and these races include:

• Tenno Sho (spring)
• Irish St. Leger
• Lexus Stakes
• Caulfield Cup
• Cox Plate

Some of these are overseas races, and the balloting exemptions provided by wins in these events have drawn many incredible foreign race horses to the Melbourne Cup field in recent years. For larger foreign staying events the ballot exemption is more of an invitation extended to those talented horses to come and race in Australia’s most prestigious staying event.

The Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) runs at Flemington on Derby Day and offers a last chance for horses to sneak into the Melbourne Cup field.

There is always a tense wait as the predicted Melbourne Cup field takes shape the Saturday before the classic with the winner of the Lexus Stakes – registered as the Hotham Handicap – capable of pushing out the horses sitting 24^th on the Melbourne Cup ballot if they are further down the order of entry.

The winner of the Melbourne Cup is invited by the Japanese Racing Association to compete in the following Spring Tenno Sho in Japan, with many expenses covered. If a horse is a final acceptor but is subsequently balloted out of the final field, it will win a bonus if it can win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Mackinnon Stakes Day.

The link between the Melbourne Cup and Japan has been growing since the Japanese-trained stable mates Delta Blues and Pop Rock ran the Melbourne Cup quinella finishing first and second in the great race back in 2006.

That was one year after the three year reign of the magnificent mare Makybe Diva ended following her victories in 2003 – 2005.

Makybe Diva remains the only triple Melbourne Cup winner in history with jockey Glen Boss riding her to victory in all three of her successes.

For the current race field and more on how it is decided, please visit our Melbourne Cup field page.

Melbourne Cup Race Time

Every year the Melbourne Cup runs at the same time, 3:00pm in Melbourne on the first Tuesday in November. Here are the start times for when the Melbourne Cup will jump around the country. Don’t miss out on the ‘race that stops a nation’ by checking the Melbourne Cup start time in your state.

• Melbourne: 3:00pm
• Sydney: 3:00pm
• Brisbane: 2:00pm
• Adelaide: 2:30pm
• Perth: 12:00pm
• Canberra: 3:00pm
• Hobart: 3:00pm
• Darwin: 1:30pm

Wherever you are in the country, make sure you schedule a few minutes aside to watch the spectacle that is the Melbourne Cup. And don’t forget to head to a trusted Melbourne Cup betting agency like Ladbrokes.com.au to back your favourite to join the list of Melbourne Cup winners before race jumps!

As well as holding the same start time, the Melbourne Cup race number remains the same each Cup Day – Flemington Race 7. Many people have their once-a-year bet on the Melbourne Cup results so when you want to place your bets, remember it is Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (AEDT) on the first Tuesday of November.

Interestingly, the Melbourne Cup is the only Group 1 race on the Melbourne Cup Day schedule. There are still plenty of other exciting support races on the Melbourne Cup Day card so why not enjoy a full day of Melbourne Cup betting!

There are more choices now than ever before when it comes to Melbourne Cup betting.

Whether you are a once a year punter picking the Melbourne Cup winner based on a gut feeling or lucky number, a seasoned professional taking advantage of the generous Melbourne Cup odds available at the online bookmakers or you just pick a horse in your office Melbourne Cup sweep – there really is a way for everyone to get in on this iconic race.

2021 Melbourne Cup Fourth Acceptances

The 2021 Melbourne Cup fourth acceptances were taken on Monday October 25, 2021 leaving 35 stayers including the defending champion Twilight Payment who is one of three internationals still in the mix and the hot all-in favourite Incentivise coming off a big Caulfield Cup victory.

Click here to view the full 2021 Melbourne Cup fourth acceptances.

2021 Melbourne Cup Third Acceptances

The 2021 Melbourne Cup third acceptances were taken on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 leaving 60 stayers including a trio of internationally-trained raiders. Last year’s champion Twilight Payment is among the small international contingent this season, while all-in Melbourne Cup betting remains led by the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise.

Click here to view the full 2021 Melbourne Cup third acceptances. 

2021 Melbourne Cup Second Acceptances

The Melbourne Cup second acceptances are the second round of declarations taken the Monday before the final field is released on the Saturday before Melbourne Cup Day. The Melbourne Cup second acceptances stage is the final step in the process before the announcement of the final field on Victoria Derby Day and traditionally attract around 30 – 40 hopefuls.

The 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup second acceptances close on Tuesday September 28, 2021.

2021 Melbourne Cup First Acceptances

Melbourne Cup first acceptances are the first round of declarations helping narrow down the original bumper crop of nominees for the classic ahead of the official Melbourne Cup final field of 24 being released on the Saturday before Melbourne Cup Day.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup first acceptances close in early late September or early October and can be viewed on our Melbourne Cup field page.

The Melbourne Cup 2021 first acceptances closed on Tuesday the 7th of September attracting 124 stayers including the Peter Moody-trained all-in favourite Incentivise and well-backed UK raider Spanish Mission.

2021 Melbourne Cup Nominations & Weights

The 2021 Melbourne Cup nominations closed on Tuesday August 3, 2021 and attracted 174 early entries. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL 2021 MELBOURNE CUP NOMINATIONS.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup Weights are then declared in September. 

The 2021 Melbourne Cup Nominations close on a Tuesday in August at midday, along with those for the Caulfield Cup.

Get a good look at the 2021 Melbourne Cup nominations, because the impressive amount of talent nominated for this year’s edition will surely make picking the winner a challenging task. Not long after, the Melbourne Cup weights are also released. First Declarations will be announced in early October. Second Declarations will occur in late October.

The final Melbourne Cup field will be declared on Victoria Derby Day.

Each year of Melbourne Cup nominations feature more international competitors than previous editions, the race being “internationalised” in 1993 when Dermot Weld won with Irish raider Vintage Crop.

The 2021 Melbourne Cup nominations and weights can also be viewed on the Melbourne Cup field page as soon as announced by Racing Victoria.

Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw

The 2021 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw will take place on Victoria Derby Day after the racing action on the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup runs on the first Tuesday of November.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2021 MELBOURNE CUP BARRIER DRAW: INCENTIVISE IN 16

An interesting statistic that can impact betting is the 2021 Melbourne Cup barrier draw. While theoretically the distance of the race should make the Melbourne Cup barrier draw meaningless to the overall result, there have historically been a few barriers that have done particularly well and barriers that have performed poorly.

Every year the Melbourne Cup barrier draw is conducted live from the home of the great race, Flemington Racecourse, which is Victoria’s premier race track.

The Melbourne Cup barrier draw is an event in itself with the connections of the 24 horses engaged in the Melbourne Cup field invited up to select a gate for their runner to jump from the following Tuesday afternoon.

Barrier 11 is historically the most successful Melbourne Cup barrier producing nine wins over the years.

Barrier 5 follows with seven winners.

Other barriers with good numbers producing six winners each are 10 and 14.

In 2021 Verry Elleegant became the first Melbourne Cup winner from Barrier 18 since the current starting system was introduced in 1925.

Most recently barrier five has been the best barrier producing back-to-back winners with Green Moon (2012) and Fiorente (2013).

That said, the wider gates have not been a total disadvantage either with the three runners before that jumping from double figure barriers with Vow And Declare (21 of 24 in 2019), Cross Counter (19 in 2018), Shocking (21 in 2009), Americain (11 in 2010), Dunaden (13 in 2011) and Protectionist (10 in 2014).

To find out all about how the barrier draw can affect your betting, be sure to read our Melbourne Cup barrier draw page.

Melbourne Cup Tips

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2021 MELBOURNE CUP TIPS

The Favourite: #2 Incentivise ($2.50 at time of publish) 

This horse is something special. He put the writing on the wall with the 12-length romp home in Brisbane’s Group 3 Tatt’s Cup in the winter and proved that was no fluke this prep winning three straight Group 1 races. He has been improving each run and was simply outstanding in the Caulfield Cup producing a bullish 3.5 length win from barrier 18. Brett Prebble is going just as good as this Peter Moody-trained star and the duo will need to produce a similar effort after drawing barrier 16. Moody knows what it feels like to be in the history books (Black Caviar!) and after Tuesday, it looks more than likely that this horse will too. BACK DON’T SACK!

The Danger: #1 Twilight Payment ($12 at time of publish) 

COVID and bad luck sees just two internationals make a bid at the ‘Loving Trophy’ this year and one of those is the reigning champion Twilight Payment. True he carries the 58kg top weight and will need to stay out of trouble early from barrier two, but this is far from a vintage edition of the Melbourne Cup. He has his third start in the event so is well-accustomed to Flemington and his lead-up form in Europe this time in has been excellent. Stays all day and has been carrying some big weights back home for some pretty big efforts. He led all-the-way to win last year and it takes a pretty special stayer to do that in a 24-horse two-mile race. Will Jye McNeil look to do the same this year? He’s from the right ownership team (Lloyd Williams chasing an eighth victory) but needs to make history as the first official nine-year-old Melbourne Cup winner. He’s a danger to do just that. BACK-TO-BACK IF INCENTIVISE FLOPS!

The Each Way Value: #21 Tralee Rose ($16 at time of publish) 

The Melbourne Cup history books are definitely against her winning, but nothing says this talented staying mare cannot run a place at a price come Tuesday. Symon Wilde’s five-year-old is the right age and pedigree to produce a huge run, she’s a daughter of Tavistock and they’re flying in the staying domain. Her Flemington record is outstanding (4:2-2-0) and she’s won up to 2800m. Her only two-mile test to date was in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup and she was far from disgraced running fourth at Morphettville with 55.5kg despite jumping odds-on favourite. She gets in on just 51kg on Tuesday and is drawn well in barrier 12. Has not finished out of the money this campaign and won the Geelong Cup as the punters’ pick last time out. Dean Holland stays on and she’s a better chance than her current price suggests. Rain comes? She can handle that too. CAN SURPRISE AT A PRICE!

The Best Roughie: #12 Persan ($34 at time of publish) 

Take out Incentivise and this is by far one of the weakest….we mean open!….Melbourne Cup fields in a long time. Enormous value to be had if you don’t think the favourite will win. Persan at 25/1 is one of those longer-priced chances that could catch a few of these napping. The record in the Victorian staying races of the Maher/Eustace stable is well documented and this horse has a good strike-rate at HQ (10:4-1-1). Fourth-up and fit, he was eye-catching at the same odds when third to Incentivise in the Caulfield Cup. Carried 53kg there and is in on the same weight for the rematch over further. Luke Currie rides from a favourable barrier 11 draw, the second most successful gate in recent history. He ran 2.4 lengths back fifth in the race last year and seems a forgotten threat 12 months on going just as well. EACH WAY ALL THE WAY!

Melbourne Cup tips are the most sought after set of racing predictions all year in Australia.

Early Melbourne Cup betting tips favour proven stayers that may have run in the previous year’s race or run well in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m). Vow And Declare (2nd in 2019) was the last Melbourne Cup winner to come out of the Caulfield Cup.

In 2021 Verry Elleegant, winner of the 2020 Caulfield Cup, defeated that year’s Caulfield Cup champion Incentivise in the Melbourne Cup quinella.

International raiders making the trip to Flemington Racecourse to line-up in the Melbourne Cup field are also popular when it comes to Melbourne Cup tipping each spring.

The best 2021 Melbourne Cup tips can be found by following the link to our dedicated page.

Melbourne Cup Form Guide

The Melbourne Cup form guide is a detailed run down of all the 24 horses making up that season’s Melbourne Cup field.

In the form guide for the Melbourne Cup 2021 punters will find all the must know information including: Melbourne Cup saddlecloth numbers, Melbourne Cup barriers, Melbourne Cup jockeys, Melbourne Cup trainers, lead-up form, weights, record at the track / distance as well as the winning percentages of all the Melbourne Cup horses.

Using the Melbourne Cup form guide and its facts / stats is the best way to predict the Melbourne Cup results.

For the best 2021 Melbourne Cup form guide check out Ladbrokes.com.au and see our dedicated Melbourne Cup form guide page.

Melbourne Cup History

Melbourne Cup history has been fascinating since the very first race in 1861, when Archer took the Melbourne Cup in a field of 17 horses. While Archer has the honour of being the first (and second) Melbourne Cup winner, he also retains the slowest time to date at 3:52.00. For years this was blamed on Archer travelling to the race by foot, but it has since been established that the legendary horse was transported by steam ship, so it appears the esteemed Melbourne Cup just wasn’t as competitive in the early days.

It didn’t take long for the Melbourne Cup to become one of the most popular races in Australia, and many of the race’s longest standing traditions began to form in the 1870s. For instance, the race began to be run on a Tuesday in 1875, and the first golden cup design of a Melbourne Cup trophy was used in 1876.

Throughout the early Melbourne Cup years, Etienne de Mestre was the most prominent trainer, with 5 of his horses winning from 1861 to 1878. However, he had a fierce rival in John Tait, who managed to train a Melbourne Cup winner 4 times in that same period.

The Melbourne Cup continued to grow throughout the late 1800s, and it was well established as the most important race in Australia by the time Mark Twain visited in 1895 and documented the unique character of the event. By this point, none could contest how central the Melbourne Cup had become to Australian culture – possibly the first Australian tradition that no one could deny.

More than a century later, with the 2010 Melbourne Cup marking the 150th running of the race, there have been many legendary horses that have contested the Cup. The most famous may be Phar Lap, who won in 1930, but other legends are Rain Lover, Think Big, Kingston Rule, Let’s Elope, Rogan Josh, and three-time winner Makybe Diva. Trainer Bart Cummings also belongs in any list of Melbourne Cup legends, as he has a dozen Melbourne Cup wins under his belt.

If you want to learn more about the legends of the Melbourne Cup, please visit our dedicated Melbourne Cup history section.

Melbourne Cup Facts and Statistics

In a race with as much history as the Melbourne Cup, you can bet that some fascinating records have been set. Here are some of the most interesting Melbourne Cup facts and statistics:

• Most Wins – Horse: Makybe Diva, 3 wins (2003, 2004, 2005)
• Most Wins – Jockey: Bobby Lewis, 4 wins (1902, 1915, 1919, 1927); Harry White, 4 wins (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979)
• Most Wins – Trainer: Bart Cummings, 12 wins (1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2008)

• Fastest Time: Kingston Rule, 3:16.30
• Slowest Time: Archer, 3:52.00

• Longest Odds Winners: The Pearl, Wotan and Old Rowley all at 100 to 1
• Shortest Odds to Win: Phar Lap at 8/11 (about $0.73 or so)
• Percentage of favourites to win: 21%

• First woman to train a winner: Sheila Laxon with Ethereal in 2001

For more, please visit our Melbourne Cup facts and statistics page.

Melbourne Cup Betting

Australia is a nation of punters, and that is no more apparent when it comes to 2021 Melbourne Cup betting. Whether you are a dedicated racing fanatic or not, having a bet on the Melbourne Cup field on the first Tuesday of November is an Aussie tradition.

Everyone is keen to get in on the Melbourne Cup betting action on the famous Flemington Race 7 and Melbourne Cup sweeps are hugely popular.

Melbourne Cup betting is open at bookmakers around the country including Ladbrokes.com.au pretty much all year round. Futures Melbourne Cup betting odds on possible runners to line-up in the Melbourne Cup barriers come race day offer generous all-in pricing, while waiting for the official field to be announced on Derby Day offers more secure Melbourne Cup betting markets.

Exotic Melbourne Cup bet types like the Melbourne Cup quinella, trifecta and first four also give punters more than just the Melbourne Cup winner to invest in each spring.

For a full guide on betting and exotic bets, please visit our extensive Melbourne Cup betting section.

Melbourne Cup Trifecta

The 2021 Melbourne Cup trifecta is one of the most popular Melbourne Cup betting markets and involves picking the first three over the line in correct order in the ‘race that stops a nation’.

Not only do you have to predict which horse will join the prestigious list of Melbourne Cup winners, but you also have to successfully tip which two stayers will finish second and third in the official Melbourne Cup finishing order. That’s why a Melbourne Cup Box Trifecta is a popular option because it means your three horses can finish in any order and you still win.

To learn more about picking and placing a winning trifecta or box trifecta, please visit our Melbourne Cup trifecta page.

Melbourne Cup Quinella

Of all the exotic Melbourne Cup betting options, the quinella is the simplest. In a Melbourne Cup quinella, you must choose the first two finishers of the race, but the order they finish in does not matter.

This flexibility can be very helpful when there are two strong favourites in the race, as a Melbourne Cup quinella saves you from having to decide between two great horses when the statistics suggest it is an even race.

To learn all about making a winning quinella, please visit our Melbourne Cup quinella page.

Melbourne Cup Exacta

The Melbourne Cup exacta is a bit harder than the quinella, as it requires you to choose the first two finishers in exact order. It may seem odd that this is a popular Melbourne Cup betting option given the flexibility of the quinella, but a winning Melbourne Cup exacta pays out significantly better than a quinella.

As with the other less flexible exotic Melbourne Cup bets, many punters place a box exacta to cover multiple combinations of the first two finishers. This allows you to get the flexibility of the quinella at a higher cost, but with the massive payout of a Melbourne Cup exacta.

For more on placing a winning exacta, please read our Melbourne Cup exacta page.

Melbourne Cup First Four

The ultimate Melbourne Cup betting challenge is to correctly pick the Melbourne Cup First Four, and boy can it pay well. In a Melbourne Cup First Four bet, you must choose the first four finishers in correct order. It goes without saying that most punters go with a boxed Melbourne Cup First Four if they take on the challenge at all.

While a Melbourne Cup First Four bet pays off just extravagantly in years when the favourite wins, it will pay life changing sums of money any time a couple of outside chances finish in front. Forget 100 to 1 payouts – a correctly chosen Melbourne Cup First Four bet can payout hundreds of thousands of dollars per dollar wagered!

To learn more about placing a First Four bet, visit our Melbourne Cup First Four page.

Melbourne Cup Results

The 2021 Melbourne Cup results will be known when the race runs on Tuesday November 2, 2021. 

	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	4	VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ)	Chris Waller	James McDonald		18	57kg		$18
	2	2	INCENTIVISE	Peter G Moody	Brett Prebble	4L	15	57kg	1.5kg	$2.90F
	3	3	SPANISH MISSION (USA)	Andrew Balding	Craig Williams	4.4L	14	57kg		$10
	4	22	FLOATING ARTIST (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Teodore Nugent (a)	4.6L	10	50kg		$11
	5	6	THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ)	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Damian Lane	10.6L	5	54kg		$31
	6	16	GRAND PROMENADE (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Kerrin McEvoy	12.6L	20	52kg	1.0kg	$15
	7	7	DELPHI (IRE)	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Damien Oliver	13.35L	3	53.5kg	1.0kg	$19
	8	9	SELINO (GB)	Chris Waller	Ron Stewart	13.45L	23	53.5kg		$81
	9	21	TRALEE ROSE (NZ)	Symon Wilde	Dean Holland	16.7L	12	51kg		$21
	10	19	SHE’S IDEEL	Bjorn Baker	Craig Newitt	17.2L	19	52kg		$101
	11	1	TWILIGHT PAYMENT (IRE)	Joseph O’Brien	Jye McNeil	19.45L	2	58kg		$13
	12	17	MIAMI BOUND (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	Patrick Moloney	21.45L	16	52kg		$151
	13	23	GREAT HOUSE (IRE)	Chris Waller	Michael Dee	21.85L	7	50kg		$26
	14	24	SIR LUCAN (IRE)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Glen Boss	21.95L	17	50kg (cd 51kg)		$26
	15	5	EXPLOSIVE JACK (NZ)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	John Allen	23.2L	4	54kg		$51
	16	14	MASTER OF WINE (GER)	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Fred Kersley	24.2L	6	52.5kg		$91
	17	15	PONDUS (GB)	Robert Hickmott	Ms Rachel King	24.6L	1	52.5kg		$21
	18	13	CARIF	Peter & Paul Snowden	Blaike McDougall	25.35L	8	52.5kg		$101
	19	11	KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Daniel Stackhouse	25.65L	9	53kg		$101
	20	12	PERSAN	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Luke Currie	28.9L	11	53kg		$31
	21	18	PORT GUILLAUME (FR)	Ben & JD Hayes	Harry Coffey	33.15L	22	52kg		$101
	22	10	JOHNNY GET ANGRY (NZ)	Denis Pagan	Lachlan King (a)	41.15L	21	53kg		$91
	23	8	OCEAN BILLY (NZ)	Chris Waller	Damien Thornton	53.15L	13	53.5kg		$31
		20	FUTURE SCORE (IRE)	Matt Cumani	Dean Yendall		0

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

Please see the Melbourne Cup Results page for all the past Melbourne Cup winners and placegetters in the two-mile classic.

More often than not a roughie chance in Melbourne Cup betting gets up to dominate the Melbourne Cup results, including in 2015 when Prince Of Penzance ($101) saluted at triple-figures.

One of the most incredible Melbourne Cup results in recent years happened in 2006 when two Japanese trained horses took the first two places. Trainer Sumii Katsuhiko had the pleasure of being the first Japanese trainer to produce a Melbourne Cup winner in Delta Blues and also picked up the quinella at the same time with his horse Pop Rock.

The closest of all Melbourne Cup results was in 2011 when the French raider Dunaden only just held off Red Cadeaux in a photo finish.

Melbourne Cup Fashion

Ever since the beginning of the race, Melbourne Cup fashion has been a major part of the festivities at Flemington. While the focus on fashion started with women, in recent years the male attendees have been getting into Melbourne Cup fashion as well. To savvy up on the latest fashions, be sure to check out our Melbourne Cup fashion section.

Melbourne Cup Hats

One of the unique aspects of 2021 Melbourne Cup fashion is the focus on hats. Melbourne Cup hats tend to be a bit more flamboyant than day-to-day headwear, and the real stylistas have their Melbourne Cup hats custom made to really make a statement. To learn more about getting your own unique hat, please visit our Melbourne Cup hats page.

Melbourne Cup Fascinators

The most authentic Melbourne Cup fashion statement you can make is to wear a fascinator, as Melbourne Cup fascinators are one of the most striking features of the fashion scene at the Flemington Spring Carnival. You’ll want to visit a professional milliner for fascinators that really stand out, so check out our Melbourne Cup fascinators page for suggestions.

Women’s Race Wear

Women’s race wear at the Melbourne Cup changes every year, and it pays to read up on the latest fashions before putting an outfit together. From the dress to the shoes to the hat or fascinator, our women’s race wear page tells you all you need to know to make a splash at the 2021 Melbourne Cup.

Men’s Race Wear

Men’s race wear at the Melbourne Cup is a bit more timeless, but it is important to wear the right style and get your suit fitted properly. For tons of tips on men’s fashion for the Melbourne Cup, read our men’s race wear page.

Melbourne Cup Birdcage

The Melbourne Cup birdcage is the premium marquee area, where socialites and business leaders rub elbows while wearing the very best Melbourne Cup fashion. To learn more about the Melbourne Cup birdcage (and how you can get in) be sure to check out our dedicated page on the Melbourne Cup birdcage.

Melbourne Cup Design Award

Possibly the most important part of the Fashions on the Field events is the presentation of the Melbourne Cup Design Award. Celebrating the achievements of Australia’s top race wear designers, you can learn more about the Melbourne Cup Design Award on our info page.

Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch

The Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch is a major showcase of Melbourne Cup fashions, with people around Australia holding their own fashion functions when they cannot make it to Flemington or a local racecourse. To learn more about it, visit our Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch page.

Melbourne Cup Lunches & Events

Aside from the celebrations at Flemington, many Melbourne Cup lunches and events are held around the country on Cup day. The biggest events are held at racecourses and Turf Clubs around Australia, but most people just have a catered lunch at work or turn up to the pub to watch the race. For more information on organising fun events, please visit our Melbourne Cup lunches and events page.

Hotels in Melbourne

Aside from providing accommodation, many hotels in Melbourne also offer special events to entertain visitors to Melbourne. Visit our dedicated page on hotels in Melbourne to find out about special packages for staying near Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Melbourne Cup Restaurants

If you are in Melbourne and looking for a good restaurant to celebrate your Melbourne Cup winnings at, then check out our guide to Melbourne Cup restaurants! Covering many different kinds of cuisine, our guide will see you eating in style.

Melbourne Cup Tickets

It can be a bit tricky getting Melbourne Cup tickets, as the general admissions tend to sell out quickly once released. They also have conditions that you may not be aware of prior to purchase, as Flemington tends to keep ticketing for businesses restricted to marquees while general admissions are reserved for the public.

While getting Melbourne Cup tickets can sometimes seem like more of a challenge than picking the Melbourne Cup trifecta, it is easy enough if you simply know how the ticketing system works and which ticket types are restricted to VRC members. Please visit our Melbourne Cup tickets page to find out more!

Whatever you want to know about the Melbourne Cup and Melbourne Cup betting, you will be sure to find the information you need in one of our many Melbourne Cup pages. If you are simply looking for a place to bet on the Melbourne Cup, we recommend starting with Ladbrokes.com.au.