The Melbourne Cup is the most famous horse racing event in Australia. It takes place on the first Tuesday of November every year, bringing together all the best horses and jockeys to fight for racing glory. Fans start preparing long before the actual event and favorites for the Melbourne Cup 2021 becomes an important topic of conversation for them.
- Victoria Racing Club
The Melbourne Cup has a long and prosperous history, with the prestigious event first starting in 1861. The city would host small horse racing events before 1861 but that year Melbourne organized its first momentous race that immensely grew in its popularity over the next years.
In 1864, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) came into being after the merging of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. The VRC has been responsible for conducting thoroughbred racing in Melbourne ever since.
- Archer
Archer is regarded as one of the most successful horses in the history of the Melbourne Cup. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2017. The amazing horse was trained by Etienne de Mestre and he didn’t look very promising during his first races. However, he greatly improved over the following years and won several titles.
In 1961, Archer was entered to test his skills in the inaugural Melbourne Cup. Mormon was regarded as the favourite in that race where seventeen other horses were also competing.
Archer went on to win the first Melbourne Cup easily, creating a six lengths gap with Mormon by the time he crossed the finish line. Thus, he won a gold watch and 710 gold sovereigns for Etienne de Mestre. This race was marred by a false start and then three horses fell, resulting in the death of two while injuring two jockeys as well.
The Australian racehorse came back the following year to take part in the Melbourne Cup and once again impressed with his performances. He won the prestigious competition by a greater margin that time, beating his rival Mormon by an incredible eight lengths. Archer thus immortalized his name in history as one of the few horses to claim back-to-back Melbourne Cups.
- Attendance
Melbourne Cup attracts huge crowds every year to the Flemington Racecourse. The 1926 edition of the race, when Spearfelt claimed the coveted prize for V. O’Neil, was the first time when the attendance passed the 100,000 mark. But since then, this incredible feat has been achieved numerous times.
In the 2003 Melbourne Cup, a record crowd was seen when 122,736 people attended the prestigious event.
- Makybe Diva
One of the greatest horses in the history of the Melbourne Cup is Makybe Diva. She has the distinction of being the only horse to win three Melbourne Cups.
Makybe Diva claimed her first victory at Flemington in 2003. The amazing horse defeated She’s Archie by 1-1/4 lengths, with Jardines Lookout finishing third in the race. She went on to claim back-to-back victories at Flemington, thus becoming the first mare to pull off such a feat. In this race, she outclassed Irish stayer Vinnie Roe by a length while Zazzman came third.
Makybe Diva entered the 2005 edition of the race, looking to claim a historic third. She was once again formidable and went on to win by a comfortable 1-1/4- lengths margin.
After such an extraordinary achievement, Makybe Diva was immediately retired from racing.
- Bart Cummings
Some individuals are so skilled in their fields that they easily look above all other competitors. Their achievements become so big that no one ever seems to come close to their levels. In football, we have the examples of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the most famous football players. In golf, we have Tiger Woods and in cricket, Virat Kohli is a great example.
And if we are talking about the Melbourne Cup, then Bart Cummings was one such figure who carved out a big name for himself in Australian horse racing. The Adelaide born expert claimed the distinction of winning a record twelve Melbourne Cups.
Bart Cummings won his first title with Light Fingers in 1965 before claiming two more victories with Galilee and Red Handed in the following two years. His great successes continued and by 2008, he had won 12 titles, with his last victory coming with Viewed.
