You can already make an ante-post bet, on the G1 2017 Melbourne Cup. Australia’s biggest and most-famous race will this year be held on Tuesday, November 11th.
Our market features a significant number of potential British runners, including Frontiersman, Francis Of Assisi, Polarisation, St Michel and Penglai Pavilion. German trainer, Andreas Wöhler, won this prestigious contest with Protectionist (2014) and his outstanding inmate Red Cardinal is the current favourite.
Race Details
This world famous fixture is the most important thoroughbred horse race in Australia. The runners travel a distance of 2 miles and all must be 3 years of age or older. This is one of the richest races to be run over turf in the entire world. It also has a purse higher than any other two mile handicap race.
The Melbourne Cup takes place at the Flemington Racecourse in Victoria. First held in the year 1861, there is a minimum handicap weight of 49 kilos and the top weight must carry at least 57 kilos. Weights are announced by the Victoria Racing Club in September. The race is described as being a quality handicap, meaning that horses are not punished as severely as their rating would normally dictate.
Declaration & Balloting
There are 4 payment stages of declaration and the final payment is in the region of A$45,000. Balloting then takes place, although the final payment is fully refunded, should a horse be balloted out of the race. However, there are certain races which if the horse has won it cannot be balloted out of the fixture. The race will be limited to just 24 runners and this limit was put in place for safety reasons. Back in the 19th-century, as many as 39 horses would take part.
For overseas horses, there is a rigorous quarantine procedure that lasts for 14 days. Horses from New Zealand are exempt from this.
Prize Money
Place money is paid to the first 10 horses that finish the race. However, this does not mean that you will be paid out on an each-way bet if your horse finished 10th! Over A$3million is paid to the winner, while even the 10th-place horse earns over A$100,000. 5% of this money goes to the jockey, 10% to the trainer, while the lion’s share goes to the owner.
Betting With RaceBets
RaceBets.com offers betting on Australian and New Zealand horse racing throughout the year. Join now and claim your incredible matched-deposit welcome bonus.
