In case American horse racing fans have any doubts about the quality of horse racing over in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia horse racing fans would like to introduce you to three of the most prestigious races in the world, and they are all held in Australia.
While the W.S. Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup might be a bit of a mystery, it’s the Melbourne Cup that has put and kept Australian thoroughbred racing on the map for almost 154 years.
That’s right, a history longer than The Travers or the Belmont Stakes. Here’s a quick look at Australia’s “Big Three.”
Caulfield Cup – The Caulfield Cup is run in mid-October as part of the MRC Spring Carnival at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. The race is run at 1 1/2 miles (2400) meters on turf for three-year-olds and upward for a purse of A$3,000,000.
Weights are assigned under handicap conditions. The race is limited to eighteen starters with priority given based on prize money and races won. Based on race performance, this race serves as a major reason for nominations to the Melbourne Cup to be run on the first Tuesday in November.
To date, only four times since 1879 has the race been won by horses stabled outside Australia, none of them from the United States. Past winners include Rising Fast (1954 & 1955), Tulloch (1957), Tobin Bronze (1967, finished third in the Washington, D.C. International Stakes), Might and Power (1997) and Admire Rakti from Japan (2014).
W.S. Cox Plate – The Cox Plate is run in late-October at the Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. The race is run at just over 1 1/4 miles (2040) meters on turf for three-year-olds and upward for a purse of A$3,000,000.
Weights are assigned under weight-for-age allowance conditions, making it the richest non-handicap race in the world. The race is limited to 14 starters with preference given to Group 1 winners. During it’s amazing history, the race has been won by the likes of Phar Lap (1930 & 1931), Chatham (1932 & 1934), Rising Fast (1954), Tobin Bronze (1966 & 1967), Kingston Town (1980-1982), So You Think (2009 & 2010) and the Irish-bred Adelaide (2014).
It’s worth noting that Rising Fast is the only horse in history to win the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup in the same year (1954).
Melbourne Cup – The Melbourne Cup is referred to as “the race that stop’s the nation.” The race is run on the first Tuesday of November at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
It is run at two (2) miles (3200) meters on turf for three-year-olds and upward for a purse of A$6,200,000, making it the richest turf event and second richest horse race in the world, topped only by the Dubai World Cup.
Weights are assigned under handicap conditions with the assigned high-weight carrying a minimum of 126 lbs. Entries are determined by invitation and ballot. Over the race’s history that began in 1861, the Melbourne Cup has been annexed by some of the greatest stayers.
They include Phar Lap (1930), Rising Fast (1954), Black Knight (1984), Empire Rose (1988), Makybe Diva (2003-2005, only 3-time winner) and Protectionist (2014). It’s also worth noting that the legendary trainer Bart Cummings has won this race an amazing 12 times between 1965-2008.
Many of the world’s top online sports/race books offer future book wagering on these events. If interested in race tipping or horse racing tips on international races, you can probably find odds posted on these races now.
By race time, many of the local tipsters should start offering their race tipping or horse racing tips to help you find a winner.
Cheers!
This article was written by horse racing expert Tony Samboras. He has made his passion a career and writes full time for a website specialising in the latest red-hot racing tips in Australia.