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Melbourne Cup 2023 Trainers: Who to Watch?

It tends to be the winning horse and jockey who take centre stage after the race, but the Melbourne Cup trainers are also an essential part of the winning team. Behind a successful Melbourne cup horse is months of training and preparation, and, for any horse to be successful and reach its full potential, there needs to be guidance. That’s why we’ll look at some of the notable Melbourne Cup trainers to keep a close eye on in 2023.

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Confirmed Melbourne Cup Trainers for 2023

With not long left until the 2023 Melbourne Cup, we now know the trainers who are most likely to be involved. Willie Mullins will be represented by not only Vauban the Melbourne Cup favourite but also Absurde, whilst Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have plenty of options in their bid to secure back-to-back Melbourne Cup victories.

TrainerHorseBarrier
Willie MullinsVauban3
Ciaron Maher & David EustaceGold Trip2
Anthony & Sam FreedmanWithout a Fight16
Chris WallerSoulcombe4
Tatsuya YoshiokaBreakup18
Willie MullinsAbsurde8
Jean-Marie BeguigneLastotchka21
Kris LeesClevelandscratched
Ciaron Maher & David EustaceFuture History13
Danny O’BrienVow and Declare19
Chris WallerMore Felons24
Ciaron Maher & David EustaceAshrun11
Michael MoroneyAlenqeur9
Ciaron Maher & David EustaceInterpretation17
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian BottMilitary Mission5
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian BottSerpentine1
Joseph Patrick O’BrienOkita Soushi20
Ciaron Maher & David EustaceRight You Are15
Peter G Moody & Katherine ColemanSheraz22
Phillip StokesDaqiansweet Junior12
Matthew SmithTrue Marvel10
Kris LeesKalapour14
Liam HowleyVirtuous Circle6
Chris WallerMagical Lagoon7

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Top Melbourne Cup Winning Trainers

Melbourne Cup TrainersBest Melbourne Cup Result2023 Melbourne Cup HorsesBack Trainers’ Horses
Willie Mullins3rd in 2017 (Max Dynamite)Vauban & Absurde[bcblocks type=”CTA” template=”1″ operator=”bet365″ text=”Bet with %operator%”]
Ciaron Maher & David EustaceWon in 2022 (Gold Trip)Gold Trip, Future History, Ashrun, Interpretation & Right You Are[bcblocks type=”CTA” template=”1″ operator=”ladbrokes” text=”Bet with %operator%”]
Chris WallerWon in 2021 (Verry Elleegant)Soulcombe, More Felons & Magical Lagoon[bcblocks type=”CTA” template=”1″ operator=”ladbrokes” text=”Bet with %operator%”]
Gai Waterhouse & Adrian BottWon in 2013 (Fiorente)Military Mission & Serpentine[bcblocks type=”CTA” template=”1″ operator=”bet365″ text=”Bet with %operator%”]
Joseph Patrick O’BrienWon in 2020 (Twilight Payment) & 2017 (Rekindling)Okita Soushi[bcblocks type=”CTA” template=”1″ operator=”ladbrokes” text=”Bet with %operator%”]

Chris Waller Melbourne Cup profile

Chris Waller is one of the best known and most successful trainers in Australia. He secured his first winner in 1997 but it wasn’t until much later that he made his big breakthrough with a mare called Winx. Her 37 wins included four Cox Plates plus the Caulfield Stakes, really establishing Waller as one of the best trainers around. Waller’s success continued into 2021, as Verry Elleegant made him a Melbourne Cup winning trainer for the first time and he’ll be right in contention for another triumph in 2023, with his hopes expected to be carried by Soulcombe and More Felons.

Willie Mullins Melbourne Cup profile

Willie Mullins is best known for the huge amount of success he has enjoyed in jumps racing, with the Irishman fast approaching a remarkable 100 wins at the Cheltenham Festival. He has also made a number of attempts at winning the Melbourne Cup, coming closest in 2017 when third with Max Dynamite. Despite failing to land the big prize, there’s a big chance that this will be his year. Mullins has sent over both Vauban and Absurde and the former is set to start the race as our 2023 Melbourne Cup favourite. Will Irish eyes be smiling come 7th November?

Joseph O’Brien Melbourne Cup profile

A rising star of the horse race training world, Ireland’s Joseph O’Brien is well on his way to becoming one of the most successful Melbourne Cup trainers. Having retired from his successful jockey career in 2016 to focus on training, at 26, he has already had some major wins, the crown jewel being his historic 2017 Melbourne Cup win with Rekindling. This win made him the youngest among Melbourne Cup trainers to have ever won at Flemington Park. He also trains 2020’s Melbourne Cup winner, Twilight Payment. Could this year see a third Melbourne Cup win with Valiant King or Okita Soushi?

Gai Waterhouse Melbourne Cup profile

Gai Waterhouse became the first Australian woman to train a Melbourne Cup winner when Fiorente won the race in 2013. She joined forces with Adrian Bott in 2016 and the pair continue to enjoy success together, with Military Mission and Serpentine expected to lead the 2023 Melbourne Cup challenge.

Robert Hickmott Melbourne Cup profile

A former Melbourne AFL player, Robert Hickmott has had a very successful racehorse training career. So far, he has had two impressive Melbourne Cup victories, which already makes him one of the more successful Melbourne Cup trainers. The first win was in 2012 with Green Moon, who then moved on to also win the Turnbull Stakes. The second horse trained by Hickmott, Almandin, won the Melbourne Cup in 2016.

Lee Freedman Melbourne Cup profile

A true legend among Melbourne Cup trainers and a Hall of Fame inductee, David Lee Freedman has won the cup a staggering five times. He is the trainer responsible for two of the three wins in Makybe Diva’s incredible streak. Freedman’s 1989 Melbourne Cup win with Tawrrific marked a significant point in his career, making the 90s his most prolific decade.

During the 90s, Freedman trained several very successful horses, including the 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero, as well as Doriemus, who won both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup in 1995.

In 2004, Freedman took over training Makybe Diva from David Hall and turned him into his greatest training achievement. Under Freedman, the former Melbourne Cup winner, Makybe Diva managed another two times, for a total of three consecutive Melbourne Cup wins. The wins were unprecedented in the tournament’s 150 long histories and made “The Diva” one of the most successful Melbourne Cup horses. They also made Freedman one of the most successful Melbourne Cup trainers.

Lloyd Williams Melbourne Cup profile

Although he is an owner rather than a trainer, Lloyd Williams is worthy of mention here too. He enjoyed his first Melbourne Cup win way back in 1981 but is still going strong with a record seventh victory coming as recently as 2020. He’s certainly one to look out for again at the Melbourne Cup if any of his horses make the final cut.

The full list of confirmed Melbourne Cup trainers and horses will be announced in the days leading up to the big race, but for now you can remind yourself of the most prominent trainers last time out.

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Winning Trainers of the Last 20 Years

In the table below you will find the trainers who have been behind the winning horses of the last 20 years.

YearTrainerHorseWeightAge
2022Ciaron Maher & David EustaceGold Trip57.5kg5
2021Chris WallerVerry Elleegant58kg6
2020Joseph O’BrienTwilight Payment55.5kg8
2019Danny O’BrienVow And Declare52kg4
2018Charlie ApplebyCross Counter51kg4
2017Joseph O’BrienRekindling52kg4
2016Rob HickmottAlmandin52kg7
2015Darren WeirPrince of Penzance53kg6
2014Andreas WohlerProtectionist56.5kg5
2013Gai WaterhouseFiorente55kg6
2012Rob HickmottGreen Moon53.5kg6
2011Mikel DelzanglesDunaden54.5kg6
2010Alain De Royer-DupreAmericain54.5kg6
2009Mark KavanaghShocking51kg4
2008Bart CummingsViewed53kg5
2007Graeme RogersonEfficient54.5kg4
2006Katsuhiko SumiiDelta Blues56kg6
2005Lee FreedmanMakybe Diva58kg7
2004Lee FreedmanMakybe Diva55.5kg6
2003David HallMakybe Diva51kg5

The Most Successful Melbourne Cup Trainers

While there are many trainers who have seen many Melbourne Cup successes, it is Bart Cummings who has won the most Melbourne Cups in his career with 12 wins. This incredibly well-respected trainer was responsible for the horses who won the 1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2008 editions of the Melbourne Cup.

The trainers who come in joint-second for the most wins are Etienne de Mestre and Lee Freedman, with five winners each. De Mestre led Archer, ridden by jockey John Cutts, to success in the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1861, and then went on to have success in 1862, 1867, 1877 and 1878. Horses trained by Freedman won in 1989, 1992, 1995, 2004 and 2005.

This section honours the all-time Melbourne Cup trainers, whose strategic brilliance, untiring dedication and keen understanding of equine abilities have driven many to victory. From storied veterans to promising newcomers, these all-time Melbourne Cup trainers have etched their skills and knowledge into the very heart of Australia’s premier horse racing event.

Are There Any Female Melbourne Cup Trainers?

Although the world of horse racing tends to be a bit of a boys club, some female trainers have had incredible success in the industry. The first female trainer whose horse won the Melbourne Cup was Sheila Laxon. She trained Ethereal who won the 2001 race with a time of 3:21.08. The only other female trainer to win the Melbourne Cup so far was Gai Waterhouse in 2013. She continues to enter strong horses so it would be no surprise to see her back as a winner again.

Melbourne Cup 2023 Trainers FAQ

Melbourne Cup horse trainers are entitled to 10% of the winnings. This meant that last year when the total prize money for first place was $4,400,000, the trainer received $440,000.

Chris Waller won his first Melbourne Cup in 2021, courtesy of Verry Elleegant.

The confirmed list of horses racing in this year’s Melbourne Cup will be announced on the weekend before this year’s race, when the barrier each horse will be racing from is also drawn. Some horses are all but certain to take part already, given ante-post favourite Vauban has already travelled over from Europe alongside stablemate Absurde.

Learn more about the Melbourne Cup race

For more information you can also look at the following pages:

18+ | Please play responsibly | What are you really gambling with? | Terms and Conditions apply | Commercial content