Melbourne Cup Trivia

The first Melbourne Cup was actually run on a Thursday in 1861 and during World War II it was run on Saturdays. The trophy was not the cup we know today, but a hand-beaten gold watch. A Cup was not awarded until 1916.

Horse

• Most wins
  Makybe Diva (2003, 2004, 2005)
• Consecutive Cup wins
  Archer (1861, 1862), Rain Lover (1968, 1969), Think Big (1974, 1975)
• Closest finish on record
  Dunaden (2011)
• Oldest horse to win
  Eight-year-olds Catalogue (1938), Toryboy (1865)

Jockey

• Most wins
  Bobby Lewis, 4 wins . . . The Victory (1902), Patrobas (1915), Artilleryman (1919), Trivalve (1927)
  Harry White, 4 wins . . . Think Big (1974, 1975), Arwon (1978) Hyperno (1979)
• Youngest to win
  Peter St. Albans won at age 13 (1876)

Trainer

• 12 wins
  Bart Cummings with the most wins . . . Light Fingers (1965), Galilee (1966), Red Handed (1967), Think Big (1974, 1975), Gold And Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Kingston Rule (1990), Let’s Elope (1991), Saintly (1996), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008)
• 5 wins
  Lee Freedman . . . Tawrrific (1989), Subzero (1992), Doriemus (1995), Makybe Diva (2004, 2005)
• 4 wins
  John Tait . . . The Barb (1866), Glencoe (1868), The Pearl (1871), The Quack (1872);
  Richard Bradfield . . . Patron (1894), The Victory (1902), Night Watch (1918), Backwood (1924)
  James Scobie . . . Clean Sweep (1900), King Ingoda (1922), Bitalli (1923), Trivalve (1927)
  W S Hinkenbothem . . . Mentor (1888), Carbine (1890), Newhaven (1896), Blue Spec (1905)
• First woman to train a winner
  Sheila Laxon with Ethereal (2001)

Owner

• First woman owner to win
  Mrs E.A. Widdis with Patrobas (1915)

Money

• Prize money
  First million dollar prize money ever awarded to winner and placers (1985)
• Shortest odds winner
  Archer 2-1 (1862), Tim Whiffler 5-2 (1867), Revenue 7-4 (1901), Phar Lap 8-11 (1930),
  Even Stevens 3-1 (1962), Let’s Elope 3-1 (1991) and Makybe Diva at 5-2 (2004)
• Longest odds winners
  100 to 1 on The Pearl (1871), Wotan (1936), Old Rowley (1940)
• Most successful horse numbers (thru 2008)
  Number 4 (11 wins), number 12 (11 wins), number 1 (10 wins) and number 8 (8 wins)
• Barriers – most winners (thru 2008)
  6 winners for barrier 11, and 5 winners each for barriers 5, 6, and 19
• Barriers – least winners  (thru 2008)
  barrier 18 (0 wins), barrier 7 (1 win)

Media

• First radio broadcast of the Melbourne Cup
  ABC Radio in 1925

More Information on our website

• Australian Horse Racing links
• A Dream of the Melbourne Cup by "Banjo" Paterson
• Only A Jockey by "Banjo" Paterson
• Goodbye, Phar Lap, Goodbye Australian Song