4/9/2022

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year

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Known as ‘the race that stops a nation’, the Melbourne Cup is the second richest prize in Australian racing following the $15 million The Everest held in Sydney.

Contested over the traditional two-mile Cup distance of 3200m, the Melbourne Cup is run and won on the first Tuesday of November annually at Flemington Racecourse.

Every year, Australians come together to celebrate the most popular horse race on the calendar, Melbourne Cup Day. The Melbourne Cup is the premier event of the Spring Racing Carnival and is held on the first Tuesday in November each year, which will be on the 2nd of November in 2021. This is a list of the winners of the Melbourne Cup.The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major thoroughbred horse race.It is run at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.Each year, internationally bred or owned horses compete in the race. Since 1882, New Zealand–bred horses have won 40 Melbourne Cups, British-bred horses five, American-bred horses four, Irish-bred horses four, German-bred horses two.

  1. Melbourne Cup 2020: Race schedule. The Melbourne Cup race is a part of the Melbourne Cup day, traditionally being held every first Tuesday in November. This year, the event will be held on 5 November, and the race itself will start at 3 pm local time. It will be held on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
  2. Some general facts and figures on the Melbourne Cup:. First run in 1861 under the banner of the Victorian Turf Club and won by the Etienne de Mestre-trained Archer who beat the favourite Mormon by six lengths. The prize was 1420 pounds and the trophy a gold watch.

The world’s richest handicap race, first run in 1861 with Archer taking out the opening two editions of the event, now offers $8 million in prize money and is the jewel race of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

The Melbourne Cup runs as Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (local time) and has been won by many greats of the turf, including a host of international raiders the first of the Northern-hemisphere champions being Vintage Crop (1993).

There has only been one triple Melbourne Cup winner with the mighty mare Makybe Diva securing her hat-trick from 2003-05.

Find out more about the iconic Melbourne Cup winners throughout history here.

Melbourne Cup 2020 – Quick Information

  • Race Day: Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020
  • Race Starts:3 PM (AEST)
  • Track Location: Flemington Racecourse
  • Track Surface: Turf
  • Track Direction: Left-handed
  • Race Distance: 3,200 metres
  • Weight Conditions: Handicap
  • Qualification: Three year olds and over
  • Type: Thoroughbred
  • Grade: Group 1
  • Operator: Victoria Racing Club
  • Prize Purse: $8,000,000
  • Inaugural Race: 1861
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Winner: Twilight Payment

Melbourne cup 2020 RESULTS

What Time Is The Melbourne Cup Run This Year

The official 2020 Melbourne Cup results will be available below once the race takes place on Tuesday November 3, 2020 at 3:00pm (local Melbourne time).

  1. #6 Twilight Payment
  2. #21 Tiger Moth
  3. #12 Prince Of Arran
  4. #17 The Chosen One

The 2020 Melbourne Cup results saw Twilight Payment ($26) score a big upset win for Ireland’s Joseph O’Brien, the Irish raider defeating fellow internationals Tiger Moth ($6.50) and Prince Of Arran ($9.50) with the latter running his third Melbourne Cup placing in as many years.

Kiwi galloper The Chosen One ran fourth, while the first of the Australian-trained horses over the line was Persan (5th) for Ciaron Maher & David Eustace.

The Melbourne Cup 2020 was marred by the loss of top-weight Anthony Van Dyck who was pulled up before the line and subsequently euthanised after fracturing his fetlock.

FinishNo.HorseTrainerJockeyMarginBar.WeightPenaltyStarting Price
16TWILIGHT PAYMENT (IRE)Joseph O’BrienJye McNeil1255.5kg$26
221TIGER MOTH (IRE)Aidan O’BrienKerrin McEvoy0.4L2252.5kg2.5kg$6.50
312PRINCE OF ARRAN (GB)Charlie FellowesJamie Kah0.6L154.5kg$9.50
417THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ)Murray Baker & Andrew ForsmanDaniel Stackhouse2.35L553.5kg$41
524PERSANCiaron Maher & David EustaceMichael Dee2.45L1951kg1.0kg$41
65SIR DRAGONET (IRE)Ciaron Maher & David EustaceGlen Boss3.45L1455.5kg$12
77VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ)Chris WallerMark Zahra3.85L1555.5kg0.5kg$10
815RUSSIAN CAMELOT (IRE)Danny O’BrienDamien Oliver3.95L1653.5kg$13
911FINCHE (GB)Chris WallerJames McDonald4.7L654.5kg$21
1018ASHRUN (FR)Andreas WohlerDeclan Bates4.8L2353kg$26
1122OCEANEX (NZ)Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)Dean Yendall5.55L1751.5kg$81
1219WARNINGAnthony & Sam FreedmanLuke Currie6.8L853kg$41
1313SURPRISE BABY (NZ)Paul PreuskerCraig Williams8.8L754.5kg$6F
1423MIAMI BOUND (NZ)Danny O’BrienDaniel Moor10.55L1351kg$41
154MASTER OF REALITY (IRE)Joseph O’BrienBen Melham10.75L1156kg$19
1616STEEL PRINCE (IRE)Anthony & Sam FreedmanWilliam Pike10.95L2053.5kg1.0kg$31
1720ETAH JAMES (NZ)Ciaron Maher & David EustaceBilly Egan12.7L2152.5kg$101
183VOW AND DECLAREDanny O’BrienJamie Mott13.95L457kg$61
198MUSTAJEER (GB)Kris LeesMichael Rodd14.95L255kg$101
209STRATUM ALBION (GB)Willie MullinsJordan Childs17.95L955kg$31
2110DASHING WILLOUGHBY (GB)Andrew BaldingMichael Walker19.2L1854.5kg$101
222AVILIUS (GB)James CummingsJohn Allen20.95L1057kg$61
FF1ANTHONY VAN DYCK (IRE)Aidan O’BrienHugh Bowman358.5kg$10
SCRATCHED14KING OF LEOGRANCE (FR)Danny O’BrienDamian Lane0

*Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Melbourne Cup Betting 2020

New Ways to Bet at neds

There are many different ways to bet on the Melbourne Cup, we’ve included some of the most popular options below:

Bet TypeHow To Place This Type Of Bet In This Year’s Melbourne Cup
Win BetPlace your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Melbourne Cup.
Place BetPlace your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Melbourne Cup. Pays less than a win bet, but offers safer odds.
Each-Way BetIf your runner finishes 1st in the Melbourne Cup, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend.
Quinella BetYou must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the Melbourne Cup, in order to win the Quinella.
Exacta BetYou must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the Melbourne Cup to win the Exacta.
Trifecta BetYou must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Melbourne Cup to win the Trifecta.
First FourYou must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Melbourne Cup to win the First 4.
Quadrella Bet (Quaddie)You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the Melbourne Cup, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie.

How To Bet On The Melbourne Cup in 2020

  1. Log in at neds.com.au
  2. Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
  3. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
  4. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Melbourne Cup Betting above).
  5. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Melbourne Cup 2020 field

UPDATE: #14 KING OF LEOGRANCE (18) has been scratched from the Melbourne Cup Field having been found to be lame in the off fore leg.

The official Melbourne Cup 2020 field of final acceptances is announced by the VRC on the Saturday prior to the race following the action of Victoria Derby Day, Saturday October 31, live from Flemington Racecourse and will be published in full below.

The Melbourne Cup has a field limit of 24 starters and there are no emergency runners.

The 2020 Melbourne Cup final field and barrier draw has been confirmed with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Irish raider, Anthony Van Dyck, to carry the 58.5kg top weight from barrier three looking to go one better than his Caulfield Cup second.

Chris Waller’s Caulfield Cup winning mare Verry Elleegant has a task if she is to do the double from gate 15, while the outside alley (24) belongs to the Lexus Hotham Stakes winner Ashrun.

NoLast 10HorseTrainerJockeyBarrierWeightPenaltyHcp Rating
10330x25x12ANTHONY VAN DYCK (IRE)Aidan O’BrienHugh Bowman358.5kg122
254533×4626AVILIUS (GB)James CummingsJohn Allen1057kg116
021x395x900VOW AND DECLAREDanny O’BrienJamie Mott (late alt)457kg115
43354x6221xMASTER OF REALITY (IRE)Joseph O’BrienBen Melham1156kg113
544x2x222x1SIR DRAGONET (IRE)Ciaron Maher & David EustaceGlen Boss1455.5kg121
6x70x7x2113TWILIGHT PAYMENT (IRE)Joseph O’BrienJye McNeil1255.5kg115
742212×1411VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ)Chris WallerMark Zahra1555.5kg0.5kg116
8x1225x0098MUSTAJEER (GB)Kris LeesMichael Rodd255kg114
92104xPx72xSTRATUM ALBION (GB)Willie MullinsJordan Childs955kg114
1014579×1140DASHING WILLOUGHBY (GB)Andrew BaldingMichael Walker1954.5kg112
11x51257x335FINCHE (GB)Chris WallerJames McDonald654.5kg112
1220x3x36x34PRINCE OF ARRAN (GB)Charlie FellowesJamie Kah154.5kg113
13132x415x29SURPRISE BABY (NZ)Paul PreuskerCraig Williams754.5kg112
149x211x2x03KING OF LEOGRANCE (FR)Danny O’BrienDamian Lane1853.5kg109
152x411x2123RUSSIAN CAMELOT (IRE)Danny O’BrienDamien Oliver1653.5kg118
16x4679x0331STEEL PRINCE (IRE)Anthony & Sam FreedmanWilliam Pike2153.5kg1.0kg111
1738572×1873THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ)Murray Baker & Andrew ForsmanDaniel Stackhouse553.5kg111
0853x5x2241ASHRUN (FR)Andreas WohlerDeclan Bates (late alt)2453kg110
19755633×760WARNINGAnthony & Sam FreedmanLuke Currie853kg115
206416341×04ETAH JAMES (NZ)Ciaron Maher & David EustaceBilly Egan2252.5kg106
213x12x1TIGER MOTH (IRE)Aidan O’BrienKerrin McEvoy2352.5kg2.5kg114
2207511×0003OCEANEX (NZ)Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)Dean Yendall1751.5kg108
231x84x40661MIAMI BOUND (NZ)Danny O’BrienDaniel Moor1351kg111
243121112121PERSANCiaron Maher & David EustaceMichael Dee2051kg1.0kg107

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Which Horse Will Win The Melbourne Cup in 2020

The best way to pick who will win the Melbourne Cup is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, consider the weight the horse will carry, among other factors.

Additional factors to take into considerations are as follows:

  • Favourites – The favourites in Melbourne Cup betting have a poor record overall in the event.
  • Barrier Hoodoo – No horse has ever claimed first place from barrier 18 while barrier 11 is considered the luckiest Melbourne Cup gate.
  • Internationals Rule – Since the race opened up to contenders outside of Australia and New Zealand, the internationals from the Northern Hemisphere have dominated the Melbourne Cup results including in 2020 when three ran the trifecta: Twilight Payment (1st), Tiger Moth (2nd) and Prince Of Arran (3rd)
  • Six Is It – Six-year-olds have the best recent record in the Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne Cup Last Place

If you want to place bet on which horse will place last in this year’s Melbourne Cup results, then the table below will be of interest to you, displaying who took last place in the past ten years. Often Melbourne Cup sweeps pay out for the last placegetter, so keeping on the unlucky horse at the tail end of the field is popular.

Melbourne Cup Race YearLast Finishing HorseTrainerJockey
2020*AviliusJames CummingsJohn Allen
2019RostropovichDavid HayesDwayne Dunn
2018*Red CardinalDarren WeirDamien Oliver
2017GallanteRobert HickmottMichael Dee
2016Rose Of VirginiaLee & Shannon HopeBen E Thompson
2015Snow SkyEd DunlopGérald Mossé
2014Admire RaktiTomoyuki UmedaZac Purton
2013VeremaAlain de Royer-DupréChristophe Lemaire
2012EthiopiaPat CareyRhys McLeod
2011ModunSaeed Bin SuroorKieran McEvoy
2010ZaviteAnthony CummingsMichael Walker
2009WarringahChris WallerDamien Oliver
2008HonoluluAidan O’BrienColm O’Donoghue

*Note:

  • 2020 Anthony Van Dyck was pulled-up 350m out from the line and subsequently euthanised due to fracturing his fetlock.
  • 2018 The Cliffsofmoher failed to finish after fracturing a shoulder and sadly having to be subsequently euthanised post-race.

Melbourne Cup Favourites

Early favourites in Melbourne Cup 2020 betting include the Aidan O’Brien-trained Irish raider Tiger Moth, his top-weighted stablemate Anthony Van Dyck and Surprise Baby – an eye-catching fifth in the race last year – who is a son of the 2009 champion Shocking.

Fiorente ($7 in 2013) was the last Melbourne Cup favourite to win.

Melbourne Cup 2020 Form Guide

The final form guide will be available the week prior to the race following the final acceptances for the Melbourne Cup on Derby Day. You can check our full form guide closer to race day to see if the form guide for 2020’s Melbourne Cup has been released.

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year

Melbourne Cup 2020 Tips

Favourite: #1 Anthony Van Dyck ($7.50 at time of publish)

Best Bet: #13 Surprise Baby ($9 at time of publish)

Best Roughie: #23 Miami Bound ($34 at time of publish)

Our insider Melbourne Cup 2020 betting tips will be provided right here the week of the race and a full Melbourne Cup tipping preview available on the Neds Blog.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2020 MELBOURNE CUP PREVIEW & TIPS

Melbourne Cup Race Day 2020

Race day takes place on Tuesday, the 3rd of November, 2020. Melbourne Cup Day is the second of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival. It follows on from Victoria Derby Day and runs on the first Tuesday of November annually. After Cup Day the Carnival continues with VRC Oaks Day on the Thursday and comes to a close with Mackinnon Stakes Day on the Saturday.

The key support races on the 2020 Melbourne Cup Day Race Card are the:

Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate, and the

Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes.

Melbourne Cup Race Time 2020

The race is scheduled to start at 3 PM Australian Eastern Daylight time. Melbourne Cup start times for various states appear in the table below.

StateStart Time
Western Australia12:00 PM
Queensland2:00 PM
Australian Capital Territory3:00 PM
Tasmania3:00 PM
Victoria3:00 PM
New South Wales3:00 PM
Northern Territory1.30 pm
South Australia2.30 pm

Melbourne Cup 2020 Barrier Draw

The 2020 Melbourne Cup barrier draw will be released to the public on Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 7.30 pm following the VRC Derby Day racing action at Flemington Racecourse and published in full in our above Melbourne Cup Field section.

Melbourne Cup 2020 Nominations

The 2020 Melbourne Cup nominations close on Thursday August 27, 2020. You can view the full list of nominations on our Melbourne Cup 2020 Nominations page.

The Melbourne Cup 2020 nominations are now out with 174 early entries for the ‘race that stops a nation’. Reigning champion Vow And Declare is in the mix for Danny O’Brien along with a host of his quality stablemates such as VRC Oaks champ Miami Bound, the Adelaide Cup winner King Of Leogrance and SA Derby winner Russian Camelot.

There are 30 overseas raiders in the mix including dual Melbourne Cup placegetter Prince Of Arran for Charlie Fellowes and a bumper crop for Aidan and Joseph O’Brien.

Melbourne Cup 2020 first acceptances

The 2020 Melbourne Cup first acceptances closed on Tuesday August 29, 2020. You can view the full list of first declarations on our Melbourne Cup 2020 Nominations page.
The Melbourne Cup 2020 first acceptances are now out with 94 remaining stayers in the hunt for the ‘Loving Trophy’ including last start Underwood Stakes winner Russian Camelot for last year’s winning trainer Danny O’Brien.
The 2020 Melbourne Cup second acceptances close at 12:00 PM (AEST) on Tuesday October 13, 2020.

Melbourne Cup 2020 second acceptances

The 2020 Melbourne Cup second acceptances closed on Tuesday October 13, 2020. You can view the full list of second declarations on our Melbourne Cup 2020 Nominations page.
The Melbourne Cup 2020 second acceptances are now out with 65 remaining stayers in the hunt for the ‘Loving Trophy’ including one-time favourite Russian Camelot, Miami Bound and and the defending champion Vow And Declare for Danny O’Brien.
There are 12 international Melbourne Cup second acceptors including the all-in favourite Tiger Moth for Aidan O’Brien along with eight others currently inside the Top 24 on the updated Melbourne Cup order of entry.

Melbourne Cup Weights

Handicap conditions apply to this race. The early 2020 Melbourne Cup weights on the nominated horses were released on Tuesday September 8, 2020 and headed by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Irish raider Anthony Van Dyck (58.5kg).

Melbourne Cup 2020 Acceptance Dates

  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Nominations: Closed on Thursday August 27, 2020 – 174 nominations taken
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Late Nominations: Closed on Tuesday September 1, 2020
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Weights: Declared on Tuesday September 8, 2020 – Anthony Van Dyck (58.5kg) top-weight
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup First Declarations: Closed on Tuesday September 29, 2020 – 94 remaining runners
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Second Declarations: Closed on Tuesday October 13, 2020 – 65 still in the mix
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Third Declarations: Close on Monday October 26, 2020
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Final Field: Announced Saturday October 31, 2020 at 4:30pm (local time)
  • 2020 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw: Took place Saturday October 31, 2020 at 7:00pm (local time)

Melbourne Cup 2020 Scratchings

Scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Tuesday, the 3rd of November, 2020.

2020 Melbourne Cup Scratchings:

  • #14 King Of Leogrance (18)

Melbourne Cup Prize Money

The Melbourne Cup prize purse is worth $8,000,000 in total, distributed from places first through to twelfth including $4.4 million going to the Melbourne Cup winner in 2020.

PlacePrize Money
1st$4,400,000
2nd$1,100,000
3rd$550,000
4th$350,000
5th$230,000
6th$160,000
7th$160,000
8th$160,000
9th$160,000
10th$160,000
11th$160,000
12th$160,000

Melbourne Cup Race Number

The Melbourne Cup runs as Flemington Race 7 on the 3rd of November, 2020 part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, the second race day event of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. There are ten races in total that day at Flemington Racecourse.

Melbourne Cup Live

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year 2020

You can watch or listen to the 2020 Melbourne Cup live, across the following mediums.

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year

Telecast: Channel Seven

Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: 7Live

Melbourne Cup Sweep

All around the country, workplaces participate in putting together a Melbourne Cup sweep, allotting a horse (usually at random) to each person that decides to join the sweep. Please note that sweeps are a casual gambling environment organised among peers. You can learn more about sweeps here.

Melbourne Cup Tickets

Tickets for the Melbourne Cup Carnival are available through Ticketek. Note: Melbourne Cup tickets in 2020 are not on sale to the public due to COVID-19.

Melbourne Cup Carnival

The 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival is from October 31st until the 7th of November, 2020

The first race day is the AAMI Victoria Derby Day on Saturday the 31st of October, followed by the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday the 3rd of November. The next race meet is Kennedy Oaks Day on the Thursday the 5th of November, followed by the final race meet for the carnival, Mackinnon Stakes Day held on Saturday the the 7th of November, 2020.

Australian Horses In The Melbourne Cup

Australian horses in the 2020 Melbourne Cup field are headed by Surprise Baby whose sire Shocking won the race in 2009 and who ran an eye-catching fifth in the event last year along with Vow And Declare.

Vow And Declare in 2019 beat out a host of international fancies to become the last Australian horse to win the Melbourne Cup.

International Horses In The Melbourne Cup

International horses dominate the Melbourne Cup field each year. From 2010 – 2020 six internationally-trained raiders prepared from outside of Australian / New Zealand saluted in the Melbourne Cup most recently Cross Counter (2018) for Godolphin followed in 2020 by Twilight Payment (Joseph O’Brien) who beat fellow internationals Tiger Moth (2nd) and Prince Of Arran (3rd).

There are eight internationally-trained raiders from outside of Australia / New Zealand in the 2020 Melbourne Cup field with:

  • #1 Anthony Van Dyck
  • #4 Master Of Reality
  • #6 Twilight Payment
  • #9 Stratum Albion
  • #10 Dashing Willoughby
  • #12 Prince Of Arran
  • #18 Ashrun
  • #21 Tiger Moth

Grey Horse In The Melbourne Cup

Grey horses which have seen success in the Melbourne Cup include Subzero (first place in 1992), Gunsynd (third place in 1972) Manighar (fifth place in 2010). A total of six grey horses have won the Melbourne Cup throughout history.

Melbourne Cup Winners

Winners of the Melbourne Cup going back to 1999 displayed in the table below. If you would like to view the full list of Melbourne Cup winners, going all the way back to 1861, please visit our Melbourne Cup Winners page.

YearWinnerTrainerJockeyTime
2020Twilight PaymentJoseph O’BrienJye McNeil3:17.34
2019Vow And DeclareDanny O’BrienCraig Williams3:24.76
2018Cross CounterCharlie ApplebyKerrin McEvoy3:21.17
2017RekindlingJoseph O’BrienCorey Brown3:21.19
2016AlmandinRobert HickmottKerrin McEvoy3:20.58
2015Prince Of PenzanceDarren WeirMichelle Payne3:23.15
2014ProtectionistAndreas WohlerRyan Moore3:17.71
2013FiorenteGai WaterhouseDamien Oliver3:20.30
2012Green MoonRobert HickmottBrett Prebble3:20.45
2011DunadenMikel DelzanglesChristophe Lemaire3:20.84
2010AmericainAlain de Royer DupreGerald Mosse3:26.87
2009ShockingMark KavanaghCorey Brown3:23.87
2008ViewedBart CummingsBlake Shinn3:20.40
2007EfficientGraeme RogersonMichael Rodd3:23.34
2006Delta BluesKatsuhiko SumiiYasunari Iwata3:21.42
2005Makybe DivaLee FreedmanGlen Boss3:19.79
2004Makybe DivaLee FreedmanGlen Boss3:28.55
2003Makybe DivaDavid HallGlen Boss3:19.90
2002Media PuzzleDermot K WeldDamien Oliver3:16.97
2001EtherealSheila LaxonScott Seamer3:21.08
2000BrewMichael MoroneyKerrin McEvoy3:18.68
1999Rogan JoshBart CummingsJohn Marshall3:19.64

Australians are expected to sink over $300 million into the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, but what does the horse you have bet on say about you?

ESPN horse racing expert* Mike Wise has run the numbers, read the tea leaves and had a chat to a mate that swears blind that he partied with Tom Waterhouse on Hamilton Island once.

Forget the form guide. Below is the true insight into the 2019 Melbourne Cup field.

*Not a real expert.

1. CROSS COUNTER

Number one. You got one horse into the form guide and decided that dedicating too much thought to this was a waste of time. Cross Counter will be popular with people who like fries, margarita pizzas, Coca-Cola and other first-on-the-menu items.

2. MER DE GLACE

Congratulations, you've picked the bookies' favourite. You're probably also a Patriots fan.

3. MASTER OF REALITY

Don't be fooled by the name -- this is the fantasists pick. Why? This is Melbourne Cup number 17 for jockey Frankie Dettori, who is yet to ride a winner.

4. MIRAGE DANCER

Mirage Dancer's third-place finish in the Caulfield Cup had a distinct 'bronze is better than silver' vibe to it. Mediocrity, maybe a place, is this horse's destiny.

5. SOUTHERN FRANCE

Voted by its peers as 'the horse most likely to be scratched,' Southern France is perhaps the most nondescript, anonymous horse out there. Most likely a winner then.

6. HUNTING HORN

Ah yes the mating call of Flemington. Woo girls and frat boys (YIEW!) will be sounding their hunting horns to cheer on this Aidan O'Brien-trained bolter. Stay clear unless you plan on walking home from your Melbourne Cup festivities barefoot, carrying your shoes.

7. LATROBE

The only people backing Latrobe are alums, people from MALbourne, or those keen on taking down horse number 19. More on that later.

8. MUSTAJEER

Mustajeer not wearing mustard feels like a real missed opportunity. Instead, Damien Oliver will be donning the 'lucky' horseshoe. This will bring zero luck to Mustajeer or its fans -- 15th place at best.

9. ROSTROPOVICH

The results are in ... daytime TV fans are investing heavily in Rostropovich, of the Maury Povich stable. DNA tests will be needed later to prove that Rostropovich's dad really is Frankel.

10. TWILIGHT PAYMENT

Named after the reparations owed to society for the Twilight saga movies, Twilight Payment an excellent choice for a winner -- kudos to those who have picked it. A triumph here and the debt owed to us all for Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 will be forgiven.

12. FINCHE

Exactly like his namesake, Australia's ODI cricket captain Aaron Finch, Finche is a boom or bust type horse. Those that have backed this horse can expect a duck or to be kissing the badge at the end of the race. Flip a coin.

12. PRINCE OF ARRAN

Eagle-eyed punters will have noticed that this horse ran in last year's Melbourne Cup under the name 'A Prince of Arran.' Losing a whole A should be a weight off this horse's shoulders but, then again, do horses have shoulders?

13. RAYMOND TUSK

Isn't Raymond Tusk some sort of eccentric billionaire that dabbles in philanthropy and round-the-world air balloon races? He's mad as a hatter, but that won't help him in a running race against actual horses. Our pick: dead last but enjoying every minute of it.

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year

14. DOWNDRAFT

Kitted out in Parra colours, Downdraft clearly peaked in the early 80s -- just like anyone who fancies this horse as a winner.

15. MAGIC WAND

Those in the know say that Magic Wand will start the Melbourne Cup well before fading -- which is, of course, complete nonsense. If there's one certainty that this column can offer, it's that Magic Wand will stay completely opaque throughout the whole race.

16. NEUFBOSC

Always a fan of the underdog, thrill-seekers will have sought out the horse with the longest odds: Neufbosc. Unfortunately, this cheese-eating surrender monkey has no chance of staging an upset.

17. SOUND

Sound's name just lends itself to too many corny headlines. Stay clear unless you really, really like dad jokes.

18. SURPRISE BABY

Described as a 'lightly raced stayer' by most outlets, which is basically real-estate speak for a real fixer-upper. Either way, Surprise Baby is a work in progress -- a 'glad to be part of the day' type.

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year Every

19. CONSTANTINOPLE

History buffs will be all over Constantinople. SMARTER history buffs will know to stay clear because the fall of Constantinople was because of the enlightenment, aka universities, aka horse No. 7. Simples.

20. IL PARADISO

This horse is likely named after a cocktail that has too much Malibu in it. Most people should stay well clear of backing Il Paradiso, unless super sweet, fake coconuts are your thing.

21. STEEL PRINCE

Savvy punters will know that despite all the 'information' in the 'form guide' this horse actually hails from Newcastle and the jockey is Joey Johns. Guaranteed to be a winner.

22. THE CHOSEN ONE

So you've picked The Chosen One as your chosen one? Could you be any more basic?

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year Since

23. VOW AND DECLARE

Michael Jordan, David Beckham, LeBron James and ... Vow and Declare? Punters who backed horse 23 will be dancing like Shane Warne with a stump in his hand if this gelding gets up.

24. YOUNGSTAR

When Is The Melbourne Cup Run Each Year

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HORSES IN THIS RACE?!? Youngstar ran sixth last year and clearly has been wheeled out again to make up the numbers. A 'roughie' is the nice way to describe it.