The Melbourne Cup Race Betting Experience

The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s premier horse race. Run on the first Tuesday of November every year, the race is longer than most races in Australia. Run over 3200 meters instead of the usual 1200, only a very specific type of thoroughbred can go the distance at the Melbourne Cup.

Started in 1882, the Melbourne Cup was initially run over 2 miles but was changed in the 1970’s when Australia moved over to the metric system. The Melbourne Cup is so popular in Australia and even around the world that a public holiday has been dedicated to it in its home country. Punters from all over the globe await the race all year for a chance to place a wager in one of the best known horse races of all time.

The Melbourne Cup is a handicap race, which means that all horses in the race are assessed and are weighted accordingly. Older horses have to carry more weight than younger ones as they are more physically mature. Also horses with lighter jockeys carry more weight to even the odds. This is done to essentially even the field completely so that on paper any horse can win the race.

On average 300 to 400 horses are nominated for the race each year, but only twenty-four are chosen. This is done by comparing previous prize money won, handicaps and placing. The race is open to all horses over the age of three no matter the gender. International horses are also allowed to enter, but many find the acclimatisation and quarantine very difficult to adjust to.

No one can really predict who the winner of the Melbourne Cup will be, there are many factors to take into consideration. Trainers, jockeys and pedigrees all play a part. We can however look at previous winners and see if there are any correlations.

The 2014 winner of the Melbourne Cup was a horse called Protectionist. His sire line traced back to Königsstuhl, and was all German. His dam line however went back to Nureyev and Northern Dancer. The 2015 winner was out of a Be My Guest stallion who also traces back to Northern Dancer. One of the most famous winners of the Melbourne Cup was a mare called Maykbe Diva. She won the cup three years in a row in 2003, 2004 and 2005. When she did this it was remarked that there would not likely be another winning streak like that in a lifetime.

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Online Betting for the Melbourne Cup

Online betting on the Melbourne Cup can be done in many ways. By far the easiest and most rewarding will be to place an online bet at one the sites that OnlineBetting.nz recommends. This way you get to avoid the crowds, overfull bookies, and the lines. You can even place a bet from your favourite armchair while watching the race on TV with a cold beer, or via your mobile down at the pub with your mates.  We have the bookies that offer the best odds on specific horses, ensuring you stand a greater chance of winning big.

The online betting sites we endorse offer all kinds of horse racing bets available too, from Win bets placed on a single horse in a single race, to the much tried-for Trifecta. Total novices to the horse racing world and veterans alike will be able to quickly, easily, and without hassle find exactly what they need with OnlineBetting.nz!