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The Australian Cup is a Group 1 weight-for-age race held each March during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

The event was previously held on Flemington’s Super Saturday alongside the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) for the sprinters in mid-March.

Ahead of the 2023 edition the Australian Cup was moved to its own feature race meeting later in the month with prize money boosted to $3 million.

The race is a 2000m event ideal for strong staying horses. The most successful recent lead-up race to the Australian Cup is the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m), a double last completed by Fiorente (2014).

The 2022 Australian Cup form was franked with the winning mare Duais winning Sydney’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) next-up. The runner-up Think It Over further franked the form with a win in that year’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) during ‘The Championships’ at Randwick.

The 2023 Australian Cup ran on Saturday March 25, 2023 a fortnight later than usual offering an unprecedented $3 million in stakes and was won in style by Godolphin’s evergreen eight-year-old Cascadian ($4F). 

Australian Cup 2023
Date:	Saturday March 25, 2023
Racecourse:	Flemington Racecourse
Distance:	2000m
Race Type:	Weight-For-Age
Status:	Group 1
Prize Money:	$3,000,000

2023 Australian Cup Results

• 1st: #1 Cascadian ($4F)
• 2nd: #7 Numerian
• 3rd: #11 Pounding

James Cummings’ stable stalwart Cascadian was excellent again backing-up from his All-Star Mile second to take out the 2023 Australian Cup results at Flemington as the $4 favourite for the punters to become a three-time Group 1 winner thanks to a gun ride by in-form hoop Ben Melham.

	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	1	CASCADIAN (GB)	James Cummings	Ben Melham		10	59kg		$4F
	2	7	NUMERIAN (IRE)	Annabel Neasham	Jamie Mott	0.75L	1	59kg		$11
	3	11	POUNDING	Peter G Moody	Luke Nolen	1.5L	8	59kg		$26
	4	6	SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Beau Mertens	2L	5	59kg		$18
	5	10	HEZASHOCKA (NZ)	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Damien Oliver	2.1L	3	59kg		$26
	6	18e	CAMPIONESSA (NZ)	Mark Walker	Opie Bosson	2.2L	4	57kg		$7.50
	7	13	EL PATRONESS	Danny O’Brien	Patrick Moloney	3.95L	6	57kg		$81
	8	4	NONCONFORMIST	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	4.25L	12	59kg		$5.50
	9	12	LUNAR FLARE	Grahame Begg	Michael Dee	4.35L	13	57kg		$31
	10	14	STEINEM (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Harry Coffey	5.6L	11	57kg		$11
	11	5	EMISSARY (GB)	Michael Moroney	Blake Shinn	5.9L	16	59kg		$10
	12	16	VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ)	Liam Howley	Daniel Moor	6.4L	2	54.5kg		$20
	13	15	BANK MAUR	Richard Laming	Jye McNeil	7.4L	7	54.5kg		$19
	14	19e	BEAR STORY (IRE)	Clinton McDonald	Daniel Stackhouse	7.5L	14	59kg		$26
	15	17e	YAPHET	Cliff Brown	Ben Allen	8.25L	15	59kg		$91
	16	2	REGAL POWER	John Leek (Jnr)	Craig Newitt	10L	9	59kg		$81
		9	RIGHT YOU ARE	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Ben Allen		0
		8	MAROCCHINO	Lou Luciani	Troy Turner		0
		3	MO’UNGA (NZ)	Annabel Neasham	Daniel Moor		0

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Australian Cup Betting Odds

The current Australian Cup 2023 odds and market links will be provided below as soon as betting on the Group 1 feature is open at Ladbrokes.com.au.

The latest favourites in Australian Cup betting to win were Humidor ($4.20 in 2017) and Cascadian ($4 in 2023).

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 AUSTRALIAN CUP ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Australian Cup Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 AUSTRALIAN CUP FORM

2023 Australian Cup Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Australian Cup 2023 Tips on the now $3 million showdown this autumn.

• To Win: #3 Mo’unga ($8 at time of publish) 

It’s always a risk backing a horse to win a Group 1 off a lengthy drought. They tend to get a bit of a perennial place-getter mindset and lose confidence. Still, Annabel Neasham’s in-form Savabeel five-year-old is going too good to ignore and really think he can bounce back to his best and secure another elite level win here at headquarters. He hasn’t won a race in nearly two years with his last turf triumph being a Winx Stakes win in August of 2021 over Verry Elleegant. That said, he has been one of the most consistent Group 1 horses ever since putting together a frustrating collection of Group 1 placings. He is yet to run out of the top three at the Flemington track, and his 2000m record includes his Group 1 Rosehill Guineas win as a three-year-old. He is fourth-up and fit on Saturday coming off back-to-back Group 1 thirds in Sydney. He is on the quick back-up after finishing well back behind tearaway winner Dubai Honour in last Saturday’s Ranvet Stakes, and that looks a pretty good form race. Happy to stick with him heading south even from the wide alley.

2023 Australian Cup Field

The Australian Cup field attracts a line-up of the season’s best weight-for-age stayers, many of which ran in the previous season’s spring features like the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup, and is released the Wednesday before Australian Cup Day.

The 2023 Australian Cup field and barriers will be published below on Wednesday March 22, 2023 as soon as released by Racing Victoria.

The Australian Cup 2023 field features a star-studded line-up of autumn gallopers including last weekend’s All-Star Mile runner-up Cascadian for Godolphin and Nonconformist coming off a Group 2 Blamey Stakes second.

Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2023 Australian Cup field and betting markets.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	x341154x52	CASCADIAN (GB)	James Cummings	Ben Melham	11	59kg		113
2	x4411x46x7	REGAL POWER	John Leek (Jnr)	Craig Newitt	10	59kg		109
3	032852×533	MO’UNGA (NZ)	Annabel Neasham	Daniel Moor	15	59kg		112
4	22x87670x1	NONCONFORMIST	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	14	59kg		107
5	5x15812x53	EMISSARY (GB)	Michael Moroney	Blake Shinn	19	59kg		104
6	x921177x88	SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Beau Mertens	5	59kg		109
7	211x2250x4	NUMERIAN (IRE)	Annabel Neasham	Jamie Mott	1	59kg		109
8	2x61011x10	MAROCCHINO	Lou Luciani	Troy Turner	13	59kg		103
9	x343511111	RIGHT YOU ARE	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Ben Allen	8	59kg		104
10	32120423×0	HEZASHOCKA (NZ)	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Damien Oliver	3	59kg		104
11	1258211126	POUNDING	Peter G Moody	Luke Nolen	9	59kg		104
12	56x46612x7	LUNAR FLARE	Grahame Begg	Michael Dee	16	57kg		105
13	28x3381x84	EL PATRONESS	Danny O’Brien	Patrick Moloney	6	57kg		105
14	96x05232x1	STEINEM (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Harry Coffey	12	57kg		105
15	7x218x2741	BANK MAUR	Richard Laming	Jye McNeil	7	54.5kg		95
16	91x132x88	VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ)	Liam Howley	Blaike McDougall	2	54.5kg		82
17e	x24142x565	YAPHET	Cliff Brown		18	59kg		84
18e	4122211422	CAMPIONESSA (NZ)	Mark Walker	Opie Bosson	4	57kg		103
19e	332652x1x0	BEAR STORY (IRE)	Clinton McDonald	Daniel Stackhouse	17	59kg		100

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Australian Cup Nominations

The 2023 Australian Cup nominations close the Monday before race day.

The Australian Cup 2023 nominations close on Monday March 20, 2023.  

The 2023 Australian Cup nominations attracted 31 class gallopers led in all-in betting by Cascadian who was huge running second at a big price in the $5 million The All-Star Mile last weekend at The Valley behind Mr Brightside, third in Sydney’s Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) also held last Saturday M’ounga, and first-up Group 2 Blamey Stakes winner Nonconformist.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	123820×771	ARAPAHO (FR)	G	6	Bjorn Baker	105
2	7x218x2741	BANK MAUR	C	3	Richard Laming	95
3	332652x1x0	BEAR STORY (IRE)	H	5	Clinton McDonald	100
4	4122211422	CAMPIONESSA (NZ)	M	5	Mark Walker
5	7x11713x0	CAPTAIN ENVIOUS (NZ)	G	4	Paul Preusker	84
6	x341154x52	CASCADIAN (GB)	G	8	James Cummings	113
7	28x3381x84	EL PATRONESS	M	4	Danny O’Brien	105
8	5x15812x53	EMISSARY (GB)	G	6	Michael Moroney	104
9	x135x5302x	FANCY MAN (IRE)	H	5	Annabel Neasham	104
10	54x451214x	GEAR UP (IRE)	H	5	Annabel Neasham	105
11	32120423×0	HEZASHOCKA (NZ)	G	5	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	104
12	x3418x8x06	HUETOR (FR)	G	6	Peter & Paul Snowden	107
13	56x46612x7	LUNAR FLARE	M	7	Grahame Begg	105
14	x112159x03	MANKAYAN (IRE)	G	7	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	102
15	2x61011x10	MAROCCHINO	G	6	Lou Luciani	103
16	18x4340x52	MONTEFILIA	M	5	David Payne	113
17	032852×533	MO’UNGA (NZ)	H	5	Annabel Neasham	112
18	22x87670x1	NONCONFORMIST	G	6	Grahame Begg	107
19	211x2250x4	NUMERIAN (IRE)	G	7	Annabel Neasham	109
20	1258211126	POUNDING	G	4	Peter G Moody	104
21	x4411x46x7	REGAL POWER	G	7	John Leek (Jnr)	109
22	x343511111	RIGHT YOU ARE	G	6	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	104
23	x013534x71	SIRILEO MISS	M	5	Symon Wilde	103
24	x921177x88	SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ)	G	6	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	109
25	96x05232x1	STEINEM (GB)	M	5	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	105
26	74x319x64x	THIRD REALM (GB)	H	5	Anthony & Sam Freedman	102
27	6220151×86	UNCLE BRYN (GB)	G	5	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	104
28	91x132x88	VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (NZ)	C	3	Liam Howley	82
29	x535601x22	VOW AND DECLARE	G	7	Danny O’Brien	108
30	x24142x565	YAPHET	G	4	Cliff Brown	84
31	8x4300x674	YOUNG WERTHER (NZ)	G	5	Danny O’Brien	104

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Australian Cup History

First won by Barwon in 1861, the Australian Cup was originally a 3600m test of endurance until 1943 when the distance was decreased to 3500m. Twenty years later the distance was further decreased to 3200m, however the following year in 1964 the race became a 2000m event.

The fastest finishing time for the Australian Cup is held by the legendary Makybe Diva. In 2005, the mare finished the race in 1 minute 58.7 seconds. In 2007 the Australian Cup changed locations by being temporarily raced at Caulfield Racecourse.

In 2020 the Lindsay Park training operation celebrated their 10th Australian Cup success with Fifty Stars.

Ahead of the 2023 race the Australian Cup date was moved to late March and prize money increased from $1.5 million to $3 million.

Recent Australian Cup Winners

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2023 Australian Cup	1st	Cascadian	2 minutes 01.43 seconds
	2nd	Numerian
	3rd	Pounding
2022 Australian Cup	1st	Duais	2 minutes 00.82 seconds
	2nd	Think It Over
	3rd	Spanish Mission
2021 Australian Cup	1st	Homesman	2 minutes 01.47 seconds
	2nd	Best Of Days
	3rd	Chapada
2020 Australian Cup	1st	Fifty Stars	2 minutes 02.18 seconds
	2nd	Regal Power
	3rd	Vow And Declare
2019 Australian Cup	1st	Harlem	2 minutes 01.50 seconds
	2nd	Shillelagh
	3rd	Trap For Fools
2018 Australian Cup	1st	Harlem	2 minutes 0.46 seconds
	2nd	Gailo Chop
	3rd	Ventura Storm
2017 Australian Cup	1st	Humidor	2 minutes 1.07 seconds
	2nd	Jameka
	3rd	Exospheric
2016 Australian Cup	1st	Preferment	2 minutes 3.9 seconds
	2nd	Awesome Rock
	3rd	Rising Romance
2015 Australian Cup	1st	Spillway	2 minutes 00.09 seconds
	2nd	Extra Zero
	3rd	Happy Trails
2014 Australian Cup	1st	Fiorente	2 minutes 03.64 seconds
	2nd	Green Moon
	3rd	Foreteller
2013 Australian Cup	1st	Super Cool	2 minutes 0.93 seconds
	2nd	Fiveandahalfstar
	3rd	Tanby
2012 Australian Cup	1st	Manighar	2 minutes 01.2 seconds
	2nd	Southern Speed
	3rd	Americain
2011 Australian Cup	1st	Shocking	2 minutes 0.9 seconds
	2nd	Linton
	3rd	Playing God
2010 Australian Cup	1st	Zipping	2 minutes 3.69 seconds
	2nd	Sirmione
	3rd	Moatize
2009 Australian Cup	1st	Niconero	2 minutes 3.1 seconds
	2nd	Theseo
	3rd	Zagreb
2008 Australian Cup	1st	Sirmione	2 minutes 0.8 seconds
	2nd	Princess Coup
	3rd	Casino Prince
2007 Australian Cup	1st	Pompeii Ruler	2 minutes 1.5 seconds
	2nd	Marasco
	3rd	Tawqeet
2006 Australian Cup	1st	Roman Arch	2 minutes 2.8 seconds
	2nd	Candy Vale
	3rd	Our Smoking Joe
2005 Australian Cup	1st	Makybe Diva	1 minute 58.7 seconds
	2nd	Winning Belle
	3rd	Lad Of The Manor
2004 Australian Cup	1st	Lonhro	2 minutes 1.6 seconds
	2nd	Delzao
	3rd	Elvstroem
2003 Australian Cup	1st	Northerly	2 minutes 1.4 seconds
	2nd	Natural Blitz
	3rd	Don Eduardo
2002 Australian Cup	1st	Old Comrade	1 minute 59.8 seconds
	2nd	Northerly
	3rd	Rain Gauge
2001 Australian Cup	1st	Northerly	1 minute 59.4 seconds
	2nd	Hit The Roof
	3rd	Kaapstad Way
2000 Australian Cup	1st	Intergaze	2 minutes 0.9 seconds
	2nd	Arena
	3rd	Streak