There is little doubt that The Melbourne Cup is the richest, and most sought after race on the Australian horse racing calendar. Raced annually at the Flemington Races on the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne Cup is final highlight in Melbourne’s thrilling Spring carnival of racing. A true staying test of 3200m the Melbourne Cup attracts international interest, with many overseas horses nominating for the race, for a chance to share in the millions of dollars of prizemoney.
Melbourne Cup Final Field & Barriers
The field has been declared and the barriers drawn for the 154th running of the $6 million Gr1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington tomorrow. The final field is:
1. ADMIRE RAKTI (JPN) Tomoyuki Umeda-Zac Purton (8) 58.5kg
2. CAVALRYMAN (GB) Saeed Bin Suroor-Craig Williams (3) 57kg
3. FAWKNER (AUS) Robert Hickmott-Nicholas Hall (9) 57kg
4. RED CADEAUX (GB) Ed Dunlop-Gerald Mosse (15) 57kg
5. PROTECTIONIST (GER) Andreas Wohler-Ryan Moore (11) 56.5kg
6. SEA MOON (GB) LATE SCRATCHING (forse non correrà)
7. SEISMOS (IRE) Marco Botti-Craig Newitt (1) 56kg
8. JUNOOB (GB) Chris Waller-Hugh Bowman (7) 55.5kg
9. ROYAL DIAMOND (IRE) Johnny Murtagh-Steven Arnold (6) 55.5kg
10. GATEWOOD (GB) John Gosden-William Buick (22) 55kg
11. MUTUAL REGARD (IRE) Johnny Murtagh-Damien Oliver (12) 55kg
12. WHO SHOT THEBARMAN (NZ) Chris Waller-Glen Boss (13) 55kg
13. WILLING FOE (USA) Saeed Bin Suroor-James McDonald (17) 55kg
14. MY AMBIVALENT (IRE) Roger Varian-Andrea Atzeni (4) 54.5kg
15. PRECEDENCE (NZ) Bart & James Cummings-Michael Rodd (20) 54.5kg
16. BRAMBLES (NZ) Peter G Moody-Luke Nolen (21) 54kg
17. MR O’CEIRIN (NZ) Ciaron Maher-Chad Schofield (19) 54kg
18. AU REVOIR (IRE) Andre Fabre-Glyn Schofield (23) 53.5kg
19. LIDARI (FR) Peter G Moody-Ben Melham (10) 53.5kg
20. OPINION (IRE) Chris Waller-Tye Angland (14) 53.5kg
21. ARALDO (GB) Michael Moroney-Dwayne Dunn (24) 53kg
22. LUCIA VALENTINA (NZ) Kris Lees-Kerrin McEvoy (2) 53kg
23. UNCHAIN MY HEART (AUS) David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-Dean Yendall (5) 51.5kg
24. SIGNOFF (IRE) Darren Weir-Joao Moreira (16) 51kg
Past Melbourne Cup Results & Times:
Year – Winner – 2nd – 3rd
2013 – Fiorente – Red Cadeaux – Mount Athos 3.20.3
2012 – Green Moon – Fiorente – Jakkalberry 3:20.4
2011 – Dunaden – Red Cadeaux – Lucas Cranach 3:20.8
2010 – Americain – Maluckyday – So You Think 3.26:8
2009 – Shocking – Crime Scene – Mourilyan 3:23.8
2008 – Viewed – Bauer – C’est La Guerre 3:20.4
Last years Melbourne Cup Result:
• 1st – FIORENTE
• 2nd – Red Cadeaux
• 3rd – Mount Athos
Since the Melbourne Cups inception in 1877, the day has been a public holiday for those in Melbourne and Victoria, which has helped to swell public interest around the wholeSpring Carnival. This was highlighted in the 1960’s when the Victorian racing Club decided to host Horse racing ‘fashion on the field’, in an attempt to attract women to the races. Needless to say the promotion was a success, with the fashion parades still taking place on Melbourne Cup day.
In recent times Makybe Diva has been the first horse to win 3 successive Melbourne Cups (2003, 2004, 2005); a feat which has seen her take her place as one of Australia’s finest ever gallopers. If Makybe Diva is the queen the Melbourne Cup, it would be fair to say that the mercurial trainer Bart Cummings if the King. This was highlighted a record 11th time in the 2008 Melbourne Cup, when he trained rank outsider Viewed to an unexpected victory.
Melbourne’s unique Cup of crazy
Peter Trute
Melbourne
Monday 3 November 2014, 7:11pm
The Melbourne Cup stops the nation for a few minutes, but it stops Melbourne for days.
Not content with a public holiday on Tuesday, the sports mad southern city ceases normal business from Friday night on.
But people don’t put their feet up – they go Cup crazy.
The Saturday before Cup day is Derby Day, when 90,000-odd people don their Saturday best and make the trek to Flemington racecourse.
Sunday mightn’t have a race on, but turn on a TV or radio or pick up a paper and it’s wall-to-wall Cup coverage.
And Monday, with just 24 hours to go, tens of thousands of people lined Swanston St for the annual Melbourne Cup parade.
It’s not just Melburnians affected by the madness: racegoers come in from all over the country.
Sandra Wright used to be a Cup regular, but moved away to Cairns a few years ago.
“I’ve come down to Melbourne especially for the Cup,” she said.
Mick Sullivan made it from Canberra for Saturday’s Derby Day and Tuesday’s Cup.
“I’ve been a couple of times,” he said.
Among the parade first-timers was England-based Italian jockey Andrea Atzeni, who is riding My Ambivalent in the $6 million race.
The 23-year-old watched the waving crowds as he passed along Swanston St perched atop a convertible sports car.
“I ride in England a lot and Royal Ascot is massive, but I don’t think it’s as big as this,” he said.
“It’s my first time in Melbourne and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Monday is something of an unofficial public holiday with many workers taking an extra day to make a four-day weekend and some schools giving students a study day.
It’s four days of festivities that somehow only Melbourne could do – something the First Lady of Racing, trainer Gai Waterhouse, was rather blunt about as she passed along the parade route in an open carriage.
“Sydney’s got a lot to learn,” she said.
“They’ve got no idea how to put on a carnival. It’s really sad.”
– AAP
fonte: Breeding and Racing, Horse Race Australia, Bloodstock.com.au
