Craig Williams has ridden top horses not only in Australia, but in Britain too.
A popular rider around the scene, he has landed a Melbourne Cup and could have won more. We’re taking a closer look at Williams, in particular his Melbourne Cup performances.
About Craig Williams
Craig Williams was born in Victoria in 1977.
Williams rode in his first professional race in 1993. Since then, he has won a number of Group 1 races internationally. This includes taking the 2019 Melbourne Cup on Vow And Declare.
Williams spent some time in England during his career. There, much like at home, he was a very popular member of the weighing room and was popular with punters too.
A high-end jockey, Craig Williams has ridden thousands of winners and has dozens of Group 1 successes to his name.
Melbourne Cup Achievements
As you’ll see from our list, Craig Williams has been a model of consistency in the Melbourne Cup.
Craig Williams’ Melbourne Cup Wins
Though he’d been on the scene for a long time by that point, in 2011 Williams really hit the big time when he almost achieved something very unique.
That year, Williams very nearly landed a massive treble. He won the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate. Then, after being cited for careless riding in the Bendigo Cup, he was suspended. The horse he was due to ride in the 2011 Melbourne Cup was Dunaden, who went on to score under Christophe Lemaire instead.
From around that point, Williams was outstanding in the Melbourne Cup. Here’s how he has fared in the race:
| Year | Horse | Place | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Monaco Consul | 14th | Michael Moroney | $31.00 |
| 2011 | No ride | |||
| 2012 | Dunaden | 14th | M Delzangles | $7.00 |
| 2013 | Mount Athos | 3rd | Luca Cumani | $13.00 |
| 2014 | No ride | |||
| 2015 | Hokko Brave | 17th | Yasutoshi Matsunaga | $41.00 |
| 2016 | Qewy | 4th | Charlie Appleby | $21.00 |
| 2017 | Wall Of Fire | 16th | Hugo Palmer | $11.00 |
| 2018 | Youngstar | 6th | Chris Waller | $11.00 |
| 2019 | Vow And Declare | 1st | Danny O’Brien | $11.00 |
| 2020 | Surprise Baby | 13th | Paul Preusker | $6.00 |
| 2021 | Spanish Mission | 3rd | Andrew Balding | $10.00 |
| 2022 | Hoo Ya Mal | 12th | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | $13.00 |
In these 11 rides, Williams was on a 12/1 shot or below 8 times. He was on board the favourite twice.
The list of trainers shows that he has been entrusted by the best Australia has to offer. More pertinently, foreign trainers from England, France and Japan have all booked his services.
Five top 6 finishes in 11 rides shows his true consistency. All of this on top of the fact that the ride he had to give up in 2011 went on to win.
