Melbourne Cup 2023: Field, odds, tips, history ahead of the Race that Stops a Nation

NewsTalk ZB

06 November 2023

Melbourne Cup 2023: Field, odds, tips, history ahead of the Race that Stops a Nation

The Melbourne Cup is around 24 hours away and the final field has been revealed.

Here are all the details about what you need to know about the race that stops a nation at Flemington Track, including who are the favourites to win the cup, when the cup runs, who is in the cup, how far and how long the race takes.

Melbourne Cup 2023 field

Gold Trip (2) 58.5kg James McDonald - Fixed: WIN $6.50 PLACE $2.40, Tote: WIN $7.00 PLACE $2.50
Alenquer (9) 56.5kg Damien Oliver - Fixed: WIN $41.00 PLACE $9.00, Tote: WIN $33.90 PLACE $11.30
Without A Fight (16) 56.5kg Mark Zahra - Fixed WIN $6.00 PLACE $2.30, Tote: WIN $8.90 PLACE $2.60
Break Up (18) 55kg Kohei Matsuyama - Fixed: WIN $16.00 PLACE $4.80, Tote: WIN $16.40 PLACE $5.80
Vauban (3) 55kg Ryan Moore - Fixed: WIN $4.20 PLACE $1.80, Tote: WIN $6.40 PLACE $2.50
Soulcombe (4) 53.5kg Joao Moreira - Fixed: WIN $10.00 PLACE $3.30, Tote: WIN $9.20 PLACE $3.40
Absurde (8) 53kg Zac Purton - Fixed: WIN $12.00 PLACE $3.80, Tote: WIN $11.20 PLACE $3.80
Right You Are (15) 53kg John Allen - Fixed: WIN $51.00 PLACE $11.00, Tote: WIN $30.90 PLACE $9.60
Vow And Declare (19) 53kg Billy Egan - Fixed: WIN $21.00 PLACE $6.00, Tote: WIN $20.80 PLACE $5.60
Cleveland (23) 52kg Mick Dee - Fixed: WIN $31.00 PLACE $7.50, Tote: WIN $31.10 PLACE $10.70
Ashrun (11) 51.5kg Kerrin McEvoy - Fixed: WIN $31.00 PLACE $7.50, Tote: WIN $24.40 PLACE $9.60
Daqiansweet Junior (12) 51.5kg Daniel Stackhouse - Fixed: WIN $81.00 PLACE $18.00, Tote: WIN $43.20 PLACE $12.20
Okita Soushi (20) 51.5kg Dylan Gibbons (a) - Fixed: WIN $81.00 PLACE $18.00, Tote: WIN $43.20 PLACE $12.20
Sheraz (22) 51.5kg Beau Mertens - Fixed: WIN $ PLACE $, Tote: WIN $ PLACE $
Lastotchka (21) 51kg Craig Williams - Fixed: WIN $18.00 PLACE $5.50, Tote: WIN $21.90 PLACE $7.40
Magical Lagoon (7) 51kg Mark Du Plessis - Fixed: WIN $ PLACE $, Tote: WIN $ PLACE $
Military Mission (5) 51kg Rachel King - Fixed: WIN $21.00 PLACE $6.00, Tote: WIN $24.10 PLACE $7.10
Serpentine (1) 51kg Jye McNeil - Fixed: WIN $41.00 PLACE $9.00, Tote: WIN $42.00 PLACE $10.10
Virtuous Circle (6) 51kg Craig Newitt - Fixed: WIN $151.00 PLACE $31.00, Tote: WIN $83.40 PLACE $23.80
Future History (13) 50kg Hollie Doyle - Fixed: WIN $18.00 PLACE $5.50, Tote: WIN $19.50 PLACE $6.70
Interpretation (17) 50kg Teo Nugent - Fixed: WIN $101.00 PLACE $21.00, Tote: WIN $56.40 PLACE $16.90
Kalapour (14) 50kg Zac Lloyd (a) - Fixed: WIN $31.00 PLACE $7.50, Tote: WIN $46.60 PLACE $10.60
True Marvel (10) 50kg Ben Thompson - Fixed: WIN $126.00 PLACE $26.00, Tote: WIN $66.70 PLACE $28.00

How much is the Melbourne Cup prize money?

$9,184,557 (A$8,410,000)

What time is the Melbourne Cup in New Zealand?

5pm on Tuesday, November 7 at Flemington Track in Melbourne.

Melbourne Cup at the TAB from Ryan Cook

1 Without A Fight, No. 6 Breakup

Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight still looks to have big scope for improvement.

The Irish sensation over-raced and was a little flat-footed on debut in the Underwood Stakes when beaten 2.25 lengths by Alligator Blood, but he quickly put any doubts to rest when exploding down the centre of the straight to deny West Wind Blows and Gold Trip a month later.

Mark Zahra’s decision to stick with him bares plenty of respect, and unlike others, there’s no query out to 3200m after contesting last year’s edition.

By Novellist, Breakup was a Group 2 winner in Tokyo this time last year, more recently going on to run fourth behind the impressive Justin Palace in the Group 1 Tenno Sho over 3200m at Kyoto.

His debut at Caulfield a couple of weeks ago was much better than it reads, finding the centre of the straight out of the turn before being squeezed badly between a pair of runners where he eventually settled for eighth.

Experienced over the trip with long-time Japanese jockey Kohei Matsuyama on board this time, a win certainly wouldn’t shock.

How long is the Melbourne Cup?

The race used to be two miles but was later shortened to 3200 metres (an 18.66-metre difference) after Australia switched to the metric system in 1972. The race is roughly one-and-a-half times around the Flemington track.

Kingston Rule holds the record for the fastest time around the track, set by the American-bred horse in 1990 at 3 minutes, 16 seconds and 3 milliseconds. The only other runner to finish the race under 3 minutes and 17 seconds was 2002 winner Media Puzzle, with a time of 3:16:97.

How to watch the Melbourne Cup in New Zealand

You can stream the 2023 Melbourne Cup for free on TVNZ+ or Sky Sports.

Melbourne Cup explained

The 2023 Melbourne Cup, referred to as the “Race that Stops a Nation”, is one of Australia’s most anticipated sports events. The Melbourne Cup held its first race back in 1861 and was declared a public holiday in 1877.

The race has been competed each year aside from an intermission during the war years.

The winning trophy contains 1.65kg of 18ct Gold estimated at over A$200,000. Each cup takes over 250 hours to complete. W.J. Sanders has produced each Melbourne Cup from 2016 to present.

Melbourne Cup facts

Ten of the last 13 winners were bred in the Northern Hemisphere. Of the remainder, two were bred in New Zealand and one was bred in Australia.

Gold Trip is the only Melbourne Cup winner in the last 10 years, which won in 2022, not to have finished in the top four at their previous start.

Nine of the last 14 winners have won at one of their previous two starts

Gold Trip (2022) and Makybe Diva (2005) are the only horses to have carried the No.1 saddlecloth to victory since 1954

Male and female horses explained

A filly is a female horse under four years of age. A colt is a male horse under the age of four that has not been castrated.

A foal is a female or male horse under the age of one. A female foal is known as a filly foal and a male is known as a colt foal.

A mare is a horse that is four years or older and a stallion is a male horse four years or older.

A gelding is a male horse of any age that has been castrated.

New Zealand success at the Melbourne Cup

1883: Martini Henry