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Everything you need to know about Australia’s
greatest race.
It’s a great feeling backing the Melbourne Cup winner. Here's how you can do it! Below you can find a list of recent Melbourne Cup winners and details of how they won
the big race. We also show you how to pick the Melbourne Cup winner using the past history of the race as a guide.
Recent Melbourne
Cup Winners and How They Won It
|
Year
|
Winner
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Odds
|
Lead Up Form
|
|
2010
|
Americain
|
G. Mosse
|
A. De Royer-Dupre
|
$13.00
|
French trained galloper
which had won four races in a row including the Geelong Cup prior to the
Melbourne Cup. Finished with a rush to take out the race easily by a margin
of 2.75 lengths.
|
|
2009
|
Shocking
|
Corey Brown
|
M. Kavanagh
|
$10.00
|
Was in red hot form
winning the Lexus Stakes at Flemington easily 3 days before the Cup. Again
showed his liking for the Flemington course by winning the Cup comfortably.
|
|
2008
|
Viewed
|
Blake Shinn
|
B. Cummings
|
$41.00
|
Had interrupted runs and
had finished well back in the Caulfield Cup and Mackinnon but had a sweet run
in the big race and that made all the difference at the finish.
|
|
2007
|
Efficient
|
Michael Rodd
|
G. Rogerson
|
$24.00
|
Wore blinkers for the
first time and ran an improved race in his lead up run in the Cox Plate. Was
put over jumps to sharpen him up and worked brilliantly prior to the Cup
indicating he would run well.
|
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2006
|
Delta Blues
|
Yasunari Iwata
|
K. Sumii
|
$22.00
|
Japanese raider which
raced 3 wide all the way in the Caulfield Cup and put in a massive run to
claim 3rd place in the race. He ran right up to that big effort to take out
the Cup.
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How to Pick the Melbourne Cup Winner
The past history of the Melbourne Cup provides us with a good guide to picking the winner -
Lead
Up Race – The
Caulfield Cup is the best guide to selecting the Cup
winner. 9 of the past 16 Cup winners came through the race. 8 of those 9 winners had finished in the first six in the Caulfield Cup. The Turnbull Stakes is also a good guide
as 4 of the past 8 Cup winners ran in that event.
Form – In
form horses win the Cup. 10 of the past 16 Melbourne Cup winners also won at their lead up run and 2 were placed.
Overseas
Raiders – Over 80 overseas entrants have raced
in the Melbourne Cup but only four have won the race – Vintage Crop in 1993,
Media Puzzle in 2003, Delta Blues in 2006 and Americain in 2010. The latter three raced in Australia
prior to the Cup. It can pay to be wary of overseas entrants having their first
run in Australia in the Cup as they are often unfamiliar with and can be brought undone by the noise of the
crowd, the hustle and bustle of racing in a 24 horse field, the firmness of
the track and the solid tempo of the event.
Weight
During the past 16 years only one horse has carried over 56 kgs to
victory. Horses down in the weights often perform well as their light
loads are a distinct advantage over the final stages of the grueling
3200 metre journey. 7 of the past 16 Cup winners carried 52.5 kgs or
less on their backs.
The Distance – The ability to run out the 3200 metre journey strongly is what
often separates the winner and losers at the finish of the Cup. A horse
should be proven over the 3200 metre trip, bred to run the distance or at least indicate
in its form over shorter distances (by running on at the end of those races)
that it will run out the journey strongly.
Barriers
There
is a very long run to the first turn and outside barriers are no
disadvantage. In fact, 7 of the past 31 winners of the race started from
barriers 20-22.
Age
During
the past 30 years all the Melbourne Cups have been won by 4, 5, 6 &
7 year olds. Only one 8 year old has ever won the race and no horses 9
years or older have ever been successful. Remember, a European or northern hemisphere horse
listed as an 8 year old is actually a 7 year old in Australian terms.
Trainers – Some trainers have a proven track record in the Melbourne Cup.
Trainers to watch out for are Bart Cummings (12 Cup wins), Lee Freedman (5 wins) and Irish trainer Dermot Weld (2 wins).
Jockeys
– There are jockeys who handle the pressure of
riding in a race like the Melbourne Cup better than others and they are known as the ‘Big Race Riders’. Some hoops are also great
‘Distance Riders’
in that they excel in races run over the longer trips.
By Mark Hall Copyright Aussieraces.com
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