What Is The Melbourne Cup Race

Posted onby
What Is The Melbourne Cup Race 4,4/5 4826 votes

The 2021 Melbourne Cup race time is slated for 3pm (Eastern Daylight Saving Time) on Tuesday 2nd November - mark your calendar!

The Melbourne Cup race is a big field handicap that holds Group 1 status and is targeted by top Flat turf thoroughbred racehorses. What that means, in other words, is this event has lots of international interest in it. There are always many entries. The maximum field allowed to race at Flemington here is 24. The Melbourne Cup is a prestigious greyhound race in Australia. The Cup is the final event of the three-week Superdogs series which carries over $1 million in total prize money. The Cup is run over 515 metres (1,690 ft) at Sandown Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in November. In 2016, the Cup had total prize money of A$ 600,000. The Cup was first run in 1956 and was worth £500 to the.

If you are tuning in from elsewhere in the country, note the adjusted Melbourne Cup race time for your time zone.

2021 Melbourne Cup Time (By State)

Melbourne3:00pm
Sydney3.00pm
Brisbane2.00pm
Adelaide2.30pm
Perth12.00pm
Canberra3.00pm
Hobart3.00pm
Darwin1.30pm

And remember, after months of speculation and anticipation, it’s all over in about 200 seconds. So don’t tune in late to watch the race!

2021 Melbourne Cup Race Schedule

On Tuesday 2nd November, the Melbourne Cup is listed as Race 7 on the Flemington 10-race card. There will be 10 races on the day, with the first race scheduled for TBA and the last at TBA

Between each race there is a 40-minute break, with a longer break held before and after the highly anticipated Melbourne Cup.

While the 2021 Melbourne Cup race time is officially 3pm local time, the Melbourne Cup race schedule can vary depending on scratchings, problematic horse behaviour and a range of unanticipated formalities. The following table provides a general outline for race times; the estimated times are subject to change.

The 2021 Card Details aren't available yet but in the meantime you can check out the 2020 card below.

2020 Card and Schedule:

What Is The Melbourne Cup Race
NumberTime Race NameConditionsDistancePrizemoney2020 Winner
110.45amMaribyrnong PlateSet Weights 2YO1,000m$200,000Finance Tycoon
211.20amDesirable StakesSet Weights + Penalties F&M1,400m $175,000 No Restriction
312.00pmSuper Vobis 3-Y-O PlateSet Weights + Penalties 3YO1,000m$135,000Alleboom
412.40pmThe Macca's RunHandicap2,800m$135,000Sin To Win
51.20pmTab Trophy StakesSet Weights + Penalties1,800m$175,000Ain'tnodeeldun
61.55pmGrinders Coffee Rosters Trophy Handicap1,400m$125,000Outrageous
73.00pmLEXUS MELBOURNE CUPGroup 1 Handicap3,200m$7,300,000 Twilight Payment
84.00pmMelbourne Cup Day Plate (Furphy Plate)Handicap1,800m$175,000Purple Sector
94.40pmSet Weights + Penalties (Mares only)1,400m$200,000Rich Hips
105.15pmMSS Security Sprint
Handicap1,200m$175,000Exhilarates
Monday, 8 March, 2021, by Mick Floyd

All greyhound trainers, owners and breeders dream of winning a TAB Melbourne Cup. For most of us punters though, we dream of backing the Melbourne Cup winner.

What Time Is The Melbourne Cup Race Nz Time

And it is a great feeling you can jump on early and ride the winner home at big odds. So with just 268 days until the 2021 edition of the world’s greatest greyhound race and with the release of the TAB pre-nominations market, we’re going to do just that.

It takes a special dog to win the TAB Melbourne Cup. It has to be fast and tough and able to thrive under the brightest lights on the sport’s biggest stage.

And history shows that Cup winning greyhounds fit a certain profile. For instance, in the last 10 years:

– Nine winners were male
– Nine winners were trained in Victoria
– Nine were between 29 and 35 months of age
– Eight had made their debut the year before they won the Cup, and seven had already won a race by the start of that year

What

Applied to the current racing populations it narrows the field down to just… 258 dogs! It’s hard to make a dollar backing that many greyhounds in one race, let’s narrow down the list further.

We know experience matters in the big finals, especially for a race like the Melbourne Cup. In fact, five of the last six TAB Melbourne Cup finalists had already contested a group race final prior to the Australian Cup final.

Of the 258 dogs on our list, we’re now down to 10:

DO IT (Jeff Britton), $51
MR. FIX IT (Angela Langton), $51
FERDINAND BOY (David Geall), $34
JEPARA (Angela Langton), $51
BLACKPOOL FLASH (Renee Kenyon), $51
EARN THE ANSWERS (Lyn Smith), $21
ASTON RUPEE (Glenn Rounds), $14
MASKED AVENGER (Joe Borg), $51
LAKEVIEW WALTER (Monique Whelan), $17
MR. AMERICA (Jason Thompson), $17

That’s an impressive list of some of the sport’s best youngsters, and it’d be no surprise to see some – or all – of them among the leading contenders come November. There’s a lot of group races on the calendar and plenty of option in the the lead up to the Cup. But did you know that the last four TAB Melbourne Cup winners had contested Western Districts Derby series in the year of their Cup triumph?

Five of our list of candidates lined up in the Western District Derby heats.

What Is The Melbourne Cup Race

FERDINAND BOY (David Geall), $34
BLACKPOOL FLASH (Renee Kenyon), $51
ASTON RUPEE (Glenn Rounds), $14
MASKED AVENGER (Joe Borg), $51
MR. AMERICA (Jason Thomson), $17

All of the above are fast dogs, a non-negotiable trait among TAB Melbourne Cup winners, and it’s a trait that’s on show from the start of their careers. In fact, the last three Cup winners broke their maiden by winning in the fastest time of the night.

And only one of the above won its maiden in BON – by 13 lengths no less on the day before the 2020 Cup. Therefore, based on the deeds of Cup winners past, it’s a big congratulations to 2021 TAB Melbourne Cup winner

MASKED AVENGER (Joe Borg), $51

OK, it may be a little bit early to get the trophy engraved. Especially since he has yet to race over 500m and his trainer Joe Borg says his littermates are just as good (or maybe better).

And for every inspirational quote you can find about history being a great teacher, there’s one telling you the future is yet to be written.

But don’t say we didn’t tell you so!

Melbourne Cup Race 2020

The 2021 TAB Melbourne Cup will be run on Friday 26 November.

Click here for the latest TAB Melbourne Cup market from TAB

*Odds quoted correct as at 1pm on Monday 8 March 2021

James van de Maat shares his thoughts on the opening TAB Melbourne Cup market

Melbourne Cup Australia

About Mick Floyd - Mick is the Racing and Media Manager at Sandown Park and has 15 years of experience in the sport. He has a finely tuned talent for finding three legs of a quaddie. You can follow his ramblings on Twitter - @mickfloyd View all posts