It is Spring Racing Carnival time in Victoria and it all leads to one thing: Melbourne Cup Day. Always held on the first Tuesday in November, this year, the 160th edition of the race will be held at 3pm, on 3 November.
Under normal circumstances, Flemington Racecourse would host thousands of racegoers dressed to impress and out to enjoy one of the great races on the international horseracing calendar.
This year’s race will be the first time since 1861, when it was first run, that there will no one to cheer the field of 24 international and Australian horses competing over the 3200m course for close to $8 million in prize money.
Yet interest will be high because what makes the Melbourne Cup special is that it is the world’s richest handicap for thoroughbred racehorses so it inevitably draws the best horses, riders and trainers the world over.
The final Melbourne Cup field will be made public at 7.30pm on Saturday, 31 October, taking place after the Hotham Stakes have been run at Flemington in the afternoon. The Hotham Stakes represent the final opportunity to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.
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Nominations for this year’s Melbourne Cup were released on 27 August and the dozens of names were whittled down in the ensuing weeks.
The Victorian Spring Racing Carnival incorporates the three biggest races run in the Australian race calendar; the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate and of course the Melbourne Cup.
It may be a good idea to take note of the winners of the preceding Melbourne Cup runs as they often perform well at Flemington.
Last week, jockey Glen Boss rode Irish horse Sir Dragonet to claim his fourth Cox Plate win at Moonee Ponds and made a big statement ahead of Melbourne Cup day. Sir Dragonet beat Armory, Russian Camelot and Mugatoo in a tight race.
The Caulfield Cup winner was Australian horse Verry Elleegant ridden by Mark Zahra and trained by Chris Waller, followed by Antony Van Dyck (Ireland) and The Chosen One (New Zealand).