Melbourne Cup Facts
and
Betting Tips

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Interesting betting tips and facts about the Melbourne Cup:

8. Horses to win the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double are Poseidon 1906, The Trump 1937, Rivette 1939, Rising Fast 1954, Even Stevens 1962, Galilee 1966, Gurner's Lane 1982, Let's Elope 1991, Doriemus 1995, Might And Power 1997 and Ethereal 2001. Makybe Diva finished second by a half head to Elvstroem in the Caulfield Cup in 2004 before winning the 2004 Melbourne Cup,

9. Horses to have won two Melbourne Cups are Archer 1861-1862, Peter Pan 1932 and 1934, Rain Lover 1968-1969 and Think Big 1974-1975. Makybe Diva of course has won three Melbourne Cups in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

10. The longest priced winners are The Pearl 100/1 (1871), Wotan 100/1 (1936), Old Rowley 100/1 (1940) and Rimfire 80/1 (1948). 
   
11. 35 favourites have won the Melbourne Cup. The shortest priced winners were Makybe Diva $3.50 (2004), Archer 2/1 (1862), Revenue 7/4 (1908) and Phar Lap 8/11 odds on (1930). 67 Cup favourites have finished in the first three placings.

12. The heaviest weight carried to victory was by Carbine in 1890 with 10 stone 5lbs (65.5kg).

13. Five year olds have won the race 42 times. Four year olds (41), six year olds (27),  three year olds (23), seven year olds (10) and eight year olds (2).The last three year old to win the race was Skipton in 1941. Lee Freedman trained Makybe Diva when she won the Melbourne Cup in 2004 and 2005 as a 6YO and a 7YO mare. In 2003 when Makybe Diva won the Melbourne Cup as a 5YO mare she was trained by David Hall.

14. Between the time weights are released for the Melbourne Cup and the running of the race most of the Cup hopefuls are not in the race. After the weights have been released for the Melbourne Cup, the last original top weight to win the Cup was Comic Court with nine stone five pounds (59.5kg.) in 1950.

15. Over the last 15 years ten Melbourne Cup winners finished either first or second at their previous start.

16. Historically the best guides to the Melbourne Cup have been the Caulfield Cup and the Mackinnon Stakes. In 2004 Makybe Diva, finished a close second in the Caulfield Cup before winning the Melbourne Cup while in 2005 she won the Cox Plate and then the Melbourne Cup. In 2006 Delta Blues finished third in the Caulfield Cup behind Tawqeet and Aqua D'Amore, beaten just by a long neck and short neck.

17. Jockeys, trainers and horses who have won the Melbourne Cup in the last 10 years are listed below - the jockey is named first, then the trainer and finally the horse. 

2006 Yasunari Iwata, Katsuhiko Sumii - Delta Blues
2005 Glen Boss, Lee Freedman - Makybe Diva
2004 Glen Boss, Lee Freedman - Makybe Diva
2003 Glen Boss, David Hall - Makybe Diva
2002 Damien Oliver, D. Weld - Media Puzzle
2001 Scott Seamer, S. Laxon - Ethereal
2000 Kerrin McEvoy, M. Moroney - Brew
1999 John Marshall, Bart Cummings - Rogan Josh
1998 Chris Munce, B. Jenkins - Jezabeel
1997 Jim Cassidy, J. Denham - Might And Power