Want to learn more about Melbourne Cup history? You’ve come to the right place! ‘The race that stops a nation’ is the pinnacle of Australian horse racing, meaning each winning horse becomes part of racing royalty. The contest takes place on the first Tuesday in November every year and has attracted massive crowds to the Carnival at Flemington since 1861. On this page, we detail the horses, results and records that make up the illustrious history of the Melbourne Cup. The history of the race can provide insight into which of this year’s Melbourne Cup horses could run well.
What Makes the Melbourne Cup so Special?
Quite simply, the Melbourne Cup is the most prestigous thoroughbred horse race on the Australian racing calendar. Some of the best thoroughbreds on the planet have travelled to Flemington to run in the race for over 150 years. The Melbourne Cup’s sheer popularity differentiates it from other races. Many non-racing fans will watch and bet on the iconic contest.
The Melbourne Cup itself became a part of pop culture very quickly, attracting raucous crowds to the track. Melbourne Cup Day was even declared a public holiday in 1877, something modern day Australians enjoy to this day! The Melbourne Cup Carnival has evolved throughout its history but has remained a big part of the Australian social calendar, with fashion, fun and flair contributing to the event’s popularity.
While the things off the track have contributed, the action on the track truly makes the Melbourne Cup so famous. The race’s story history and immense status have continued to attract some of the world’s best horses, jockeys and trainers. The enormous $8,410,000 in total prize money on offer highlights just how big of a contest the race really is.
The First Melbourne Cup
The inaugural Melbourne Cup, held on November 7th, 1861, marked a significant moment in the history of Australian horse racing. The bay stallion Archer won the race, trained by the renowned Etienne de Mestre. The winner was ridden by John Cutts, one of the most well-known jockeys of the time. The prize awarded to the first Cup winner was 710 gold sovereigns and a gold watch.
A total of seventeen horses ran in the first edition of the contest. Archer was a betting outsider but managed to defeat the favourite, Mormon, by six lengths. That result would prove to be a preview of many races to come, as Melbourne Cup favourites have a poor record in the race. Archer returned to Melbourne in 1862 and won the Melbourne Cup trophy again. Those back-toback wins make him the first real legendary horse in the race’s history.
Recent Melbourne Cup History – Winners
The table below features the Melbourne Cup results from the last ten years. We’ve listed the horses, jockeys and trainers who’ve cemented their place in racing history by claiming a prestigious Melbourne Cup victory over the past decade.
| Melbourne Cup Year | Winning Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Without A Fight | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Mark Zahra |
| 2022 | Gold Trip | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Mark Zahra |
| 2021 | Verry Elleegant | Chris Waller | James McDonald |
| 2020 | Twilight Payment | Joseph O’Brien | Jye McNeil |
| 2019 | Vow And Declare | Danny O’Brien | Craig Williams |
| 2018 | Cross Counter | Charlie Appleby | Kerrin McEvoy |
| 2017 | Rekindling | Joseph O’Brien | Corey Brown |
| 2016 | Almandin | Robert Hickmott | Kerrin McEvoy |
| 2015 | Prince of Penzance | Darren Weir | Michelle Payne |
| 2014 | Protectionist | Andreas Wohler | Ryan Moore |
Melbourne Cup History – 2010s
The popularity of the Melbourne Cup continues to grow throughout the 2010s. Michelle Payne’s 2015 Melbourne Cup victory was the highlight of the decade. She guided Prince of Penzance to an impressive triumph, becoming the first female jockey to win the historic contest. Her victory served to open doors for other female jockeys, several of whom have ridden in the Melbourne Cup in the years since.
Ryan Moore’s first Melbourne Cup win in 2014 victory on Protectionist is also a notable success. The English flat jockey is regarded by many as one of the best riders ever, and his win down under really cemented his place among the elite jockeys in history.
Melbourne Cup History – 2000s
The beginning of this century brought a lot of excitement about Melbourne Cup horse racing and the Melbourne Cup winners. Makybe Diva, a British-bread Thoroughbred, made history by becoming the only horse to win the race three years in a row – in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She is also the only mare to make it to the list of Melbourne Cup winners that have won multiple times, and one of five Melbourne Cup winners with more than one victory at the Cup.
Bart Cummings, a world-renowned Australian racehorse trainer, made Melbourne Cup history in 2008. He won the Cup for the 12th time with Viewed, an Australian Thoroughbred.
Melbourne Cup History – 1990s
There have been many notable events in the history of Melbourne Cup horse racing and there are many interesting stories hiding behind the names on the list of Melbourne Cup winners. For example, American-bred Kingston Rule, winner of the 1990 cup and who is the race record holder even today, was only the fifth foreign-trained horse to win the Cup.
In 1993, Vintage Crop became both the first Irish horse to win the Cup and also the first winning horse trained on the Northern hemisphere, which helped him solidify his place in the Melbourne Cup history books.
Melbourne Cup Records
Which horse has won the Melbourne Cup the most?
Makybe Diva is the horse who holds the record for winning the high-stakes Melbourne Cup race the most. She won three times in consecutive years – 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2003, the mare’s trainer was David Hall before Lee Freedman took over training her for the 2004 and 2005 editions of the race. Her jockey for all three races was Glen Boss.
Who is the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup?
Jockey Michelle Payne set the record and became the first female jockey to have won the Melbourne Cup race in 2015. She rode six-year-old gelding Prince of Penzance to victory.
Which trainer has won the Melbourne Cup the most?
Legendary horse trainer Bart Cummings holds the record for having trained the most Melbourne Cup winning horses with a massive 12 wins at this race. His first win was in 1965 and his last was in 2008.
Trainers Etienne de Mestre and Lee Freedman share the next most wins with five each. de Mestre was also the first trainer to win this historic racing event as Archer won the first race in 1861.
Melbourne Cup History FAQ
The first edition of the Melbourne Cup took place on Thursday 7th November 1861.
Archer was the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup race in 1861. His trainer was Etienne de Mestre, and he also went on to win the second Melbourne Cup the following year.
The record Melbourne Cup winning time stands at 3:16.3, run by Kingston Rule in 1990. The legendary Secretariat, a US Triple Crown Champion, actually sired Kingston Rule.
Five horses have won the Melbourne Cup more than once. Maybe Diva has won it the most, with three wins. The four horses who have won the Melbourne Cup twice are Think Big, Rain Lover, Peter Pan and Archer.
The total Melbourne Cup 2024 prize money up for grabs is $8,410,000, with the winner taking home a massive $4,400,000.
The Melbourne Cup is run over 3,200m, testing the stamina of the horses that turn up to challenge for the big race. The race is run in a counter-clockwise direction at Flemington Racecourse.
