It’s the race that stops a nation, and the one day of the year where we hope that we might win big.
There’s an intoxicating vibe to the Melbourne Cup. The stamp of hooves, the sweat, the leather – and that’s just the contestants for Fashion on the Field!
Here are a few things you might not have known about the biggest racing event in Australia.
1. It’s not just our nation that stops
There’s something about the Melbourne Cup that gets people excited – and not just Australians. 700 million tune in worldwide to watch it.
2. We bet and win big on the Melbourne Cup
In 2013, punters bet over $800 million dollars on cup day wagers, with Australians accounting for $140 million. While the prize for the first ever Melbourne Cup winner (run in 1861) was a gold watch, last year’s winnings were $6.2 million!
3. Records are made and broken every year
Master trainer JB (Bart) Cummings holds the record for the most Melbourne Cup wins. His horses have won a total of 12 cups. When it comes to record-winning horses, Tony Santic’s Thoroughbred Makybe Diva has won the cup an impressive three times in a row.
4. Lucky numbers
In the history of the Cup, horses that ran at number 4 or number 12 have statistically been the most successful, winning 11 races each. Number 1 is next in line, with 9 wins, and number 8 has won 8 times.
5. A walk to the finish
The Melbourne Cup’s first ever winner, a horse named Archer, was said to have walked all the way from Sydney to Melbourne in order to race. These days, more than half of the horses are flown from overseas in order to compete.
(article provided by BT Insights)
