A Comprehensive Guide to the Melbourne Cup Carnival
Published by on August 05, 2024
Few events capture and hold the collective attention of the nation like the Melbourne Cup, famously trademarked as "the race that stops the nation™". Steeped in tradition and prestige, the Melbourne Cup Carnival attracts horses, trainers and punters from all over the world to iconic lawn of Flemington for four of the biggest races in the country jam-packed into a seven-day carnival.
"And so the grandstands made a brilliant and wonderful spectacle, a delirium of colour, a vision of beauty. The champagne flows, everybody is vivacious, excited happy. Day after day the races go on, and the fun and the excitement are kept at white heat; and when each day is done, the people dance all night so as to be fresh for the race in the morning."
This description of the Melbourne Cup Carnival was written by no other than Mark Twain, after he attended the Melbourne Cup in 1895. And it has not taken a backward step since!
Melbourne Cup Carnival 2024 schedule
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the prize piece of the Australian Spring Carnival. It encompasses four race meets spread across the first week of November. The jewel in the crown, the Lexus Melbourne Cup, always takes place on the first Tuesday of November. See the full event calendar below.
PENFOLDS VICTORIA DERBY DAY | SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER, 2024
Featured races: Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), TAB Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), Penfolds Victoria Derby (2500m)
The first big race of the Melbourne Cup Carnival brings a special energy to the track as trainers, jockeys, punters and socialites converge to launch the biggest week in Australian racing. Off the track, prestige, glamour and style take centre-stage for "The Fashion Stakes" on Derby Day, where the traditional back and white dress code is incorporated flawlessly into the crowd of classy racegoers.
LEXUS MELBOURNE CUP DAY | TUESDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 2024
Featured races: Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m)
This is the big one. One of the most anticipated days on Australia's sporting calendar. A public holiday worthy celebration for over 130 years. This is the race that stops the nation™. Few events capture and hold national attention like The Melbourne Cup, and to be on the ground and feel the thundering rumble of hooves down the Flemington straight is a genuine bucket-list experience for any sporting fan.
View Melbourne Cup PackagesVRC OAKS DAY | THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 2024
Featured races: VRC Oaks (2500m)
VRC Oaks Day, also known as Ladies Day, is all about fascinators, fashion, food and friends; as the ladies (and gentlemen!) bring some extra colour and flair to the track! The Myer Fashions on the Field winners are announced on Oaks Day, with the on-track highlight being the $1 million Group 1 VRC Oaks, which will see the best three-year-old staying fillies battle for victory in the ultimate test of their staying credentials.
TAB CHAMPIONSHIP STAKES DAY | SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER, 2024
Featured races: Darley Champions Sprint (1200m), VRC Champions Mile (1600m), TAB Champions Stakes (2000m)
The final day of the Carnival includes three big Group 1 races, highlighted by the $3 million TAB Champions Stakes, the spring grand final for Australia’s best middle-distance horses. Off the track, revellers work hard to soak up the last of the Melbourne Cup Carnival festivities before the outfits are shipped to the dry cleaners for next year. Stakes Day is nicknamed 'Family Day' because of the relaxed atmosphere and plethora of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.
Brief history of the Melbourne Cup
The idea of a horse race in Victoria known as the Melbourne Cup is credited to Frederick Standish, Chairman of the Victorian Racing Club. On Thursday 7 November 1861, 17 horses raced in the first Melbourne Cup in front of 4000 spectators.
A stallion from New South Wales named Archer was the first winner, ridden by jockey John Cutts and trained by Etienne de Mestre. The team won a prize of 710 gold sovereigns and a gold watch. The purse was increased to 810 gold sovereigns and the crowd doubled to over 7000 the next year to watch Archer defended his title successfully.
British bred horse Comedy King was the first foreign-bred horse to win the Melbourne Cup (1910), leading the way for hundreds of foreign horses and trainers to chase glory in Melbourne.
In 1930, arguably the most famous Melbourne Cup winner was crowned when Phar Lap took out the race. That week Phar Lap also won the Derby, Oaks and Stakes in an historic feat known as 'the Flemington onslaught'. This will never even be attempted again by one horse, not to mention successfully completed, etching Phar Lap's name in racing history forever as a hero of the people during the depths of The Great Depression.
In 1931 Phar Lap entered the Melbourne Cup with the heaviest handicap in Melbourne Cup history, ultimately finishing 8th. The next year he died under suspicious circumstances, rumoured to be poisoned while racing in the Americas.
In 1987, Maree Lydon became the first female jockey to ride in the Melbourne Cup, finishing 20th on Argonaut Style. Decades later, Michelle Payne would become the first female winner in 2015 on Prince of Penzance at record-breaking long odds.
Other famous females of The Cup include Makybe Diva, who is the only mare to have won the Melbourne Cup on multiple occasions and the only horse to win the race three times, taking the title in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Trainer Bart Cummings is regarded as the undisputed 'King of the Cup', winning 12 times between 1965 and 2008. Bart was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame in 1991 and his son and grandson continue his legacy today.
The Melbourne Cup is literally the race that stops the nation, or at least the city, having been an official public holiday in metropolitan Melbourne and parts of Victoria since 1873.
Who won the Melbourne Cup in 2023?
The 2023 Melbourne Cup was won by Without A Fight, ridden by Mark Zahra. Soulcombe came in second, with Sheraz charging home in third.
Experience the Melbourne Cup Carnival live in 2024
Featuring 8 Group 1 races and attracting around 300,000 people to the track each year, the Melbourne Cup Carnival has been the highlight of the Australian racing calendar for over 100 years. You can experience this historic event, steeped in tradition and synonymous with fun, fashion and entertainment this year with a Sportsnet Holidays travel package.
Our packages include official tickets to Lexus Melbourne Cup, VRC Oaks Day and Penfolds Victoria Derby Day with quality hotel accommodation and a range of unique Melbourne experiences!