The Melbourne Cup is the most famous horse race run in Australia. It is held at Flemington Racecourse every year and is a 3200-meter race. This racing event attracts the attention of bettors annually. Each year, the race is held on the first Tuesday of November. The Melbourne Cup 2020 will be run on November 3, 2020.
2019 Melbourne Cup Results and Disputes
Last year, the prize money for the event was $4.4 million and the race was won by Vow and Declare. The total prize money came to a record amount of $8 million, which also included trophies. This year, there will be new contenders and when the first order of entry is released, bettors can start to narrow down their picks to the 24 horses that are slated to run.
The 2019 race ended with a dramatic finish and there was a dispute over who placed second and third. In fact, this dispute resulted in a change in order after the photo finish was reviewed. The dispute was a result of a protest that was lodged against the jockey of Master of Reality.
The protest stated that the jockey blocked fourth place Paradiso in the last 218 years of the race. The protest was upheld and Master of Reality was pushed to fourth, with Paradiso taking third and Prince of Arran placing second. For more information about the final results in 2019 read this page: Melbourne Cup 2019 results.
Melbourne Cup 2020 Qualifications
Each year, horses are nominated to be in the final field for the race. There are just 24 horses that are accepted from as many as 400 entrants. The majority of the nominated horses will not even get a start in the race. It all comes down to the order of entry, which will be released prior to the event in November.
The qualifications are based on a handicap and horses must weigh a minimum of 49 kilograms. There is no maximum weight listed, though it should be less than 57 kilograms for any chance of success.
After weights have been allocated for each horse entered, owners will be required to pay a series of entry fees. This starts at just $600 and then increases to $960 for first acceptance, $1450 for second acceptance, $2450 for third, and a final acceptance fee of $45,375.
Early Favorites to Win
It is difficult enough to choose the Melbourne Cup winner on the morning of the race, but there are some horses you will want to keep your eye on for this year’s event. If you are preparing to place wagers on the 2020 race, here are some of the top choices for winners. It may be quite early to even consider placing a bet, but these horses are quite promising. For more information about the final results in 2020 read this page: Melbourne Cup 2020 results.
- Skyward – One of the most promising horses currently in France. The horse was strictly purchased by John Messera in hopes of winning the Melbourne Cup 2020.
- Degraves – Degraves won the Group race at Leopardstown in October and is a leading candidate to win this year’s main event.
- Young Rascal – Young Rascal has recorded some great wins against Mirage Dancer, Ispolini, and Dee Ex Bee and is expected to be a top choice at Melbourne.
- Russian Camelot – This two-year-old is likely candidate in fall races and is expected to become a Cups contender.
- Courageux Guerrier – Tis Grade 3 winner is a two-year-old that has only placed once in three starts this year, but we speculate the horse to run at the highest level in future races.
