2023 Melbourne Cup Trivia

All in a Name

When it comes to picking Tuesday's Melbourne Cup winner you really need to have the odds stacked as much as possible in your favour.

Studying race form can undoubtedly help sort the best from the worst chances but occasionally the longshot does get up and leave the poor punter penniless. Remember Viewed was 40-1 in 2008 before Prince Of Penzance in 2015 at 100-1.

Could Absurde win for the Irish?

But don't despair help is at hand and clues to the identity of this year's winner can be found by looking back through the history of the Cup which has been run 162 times.

Ideally this year's Melbourne Cup winner will have a single-word name with seven characters, have 'T" as a first initial, be handicapped around 52.5kg, carry number four saddlecloth, be drawn in barrier 11. Pity there is no such animal in the 2023 field.

But let's look closer.

The fact is that 89 horses with a single word name have won the Cup, 16 of them in the last 34 years, including five in a row - Dunaden (2011), Americain (2010), Shocking (2009), Viewed (2008) and Efficient (2007) plus Ethereal (2001) and Brew (2000) and also Fiorente then Protectionist, Almandin and Rekindling.

6 single named horses run in the 2023 Melbourne Cup.

Gold Trip (2022) was the last of 65 winners with a double-barreled name and interestingly there are 11 horses with this characteristic this year suggesting maybe number 66 might appear this year as many favourites this year have two names.

The first initial of the winner would be "T", which has been successful 17 times. There is one this year being True Marvel.

However other prominent first initials have been “M” (12 wins) – Magical Lagoon, Military Mission, More Felons, "B" (11 wins) – Breakup and "S" (12 wins) – Soulcombe, Sheraz and Serpentine.

Another clue to consider is that 32 Cups winners have had a name with seven characters – Breakup and Absurde apply.

Another 22 Cup winners have had a name with eight characters and 21 have had nine characters.

Age & Sex Counts

Four and five-year-old horses have the best record in the Melbourne Cup with 45/47 wins respectively.

The last five-year-old to win was Gold Trip (2022). Before him Fiorente, Dunaden, Americain and Viewed then Makybe Diva in 2003 and Doriemus in 1995. The last four year old to win was Vow And Declare in 2019.

There are no Southern Hemisphere-bred three-year-olds in this year's Cup. No Northern Hemisphere 3yos run this year either.

The last SH three-years-old galloper to be successful was Skipton (1941). Rekindling and Cross Counter have won as Northern Hemisphere 3yos in 2017 and 2018.

You are also keeping the odds in your favour if your selection is a male (145 wins) and not a female (17 wins), although it is worth noting that eight mares have won since 1988.

Significantly 71 stallions (Gold Trip was the last) have won the cup compared to 53 geldings and 21 colts.

Colour is the key

Bay coloured horses clearly have the best Cup record with 75 wins and were chasing their eighth win in a row in 2007 only to lose out to a grey.

Brown horses have won 37 cups, while chestnuts have won 35 having a purple patch of success winning eight Cups between 1987 and 1996.

Six greys have won the race, the last being Efficient in 2007. The popular Subzero (1992) was the previous winner.

All In Numbers

Theoretically the best horse in the Cup carries number one saddlecloth (Gold Trip). It is the third most successful and was last carried to victory by Gold Trip in 2022 as well.

Number four (Breakup) has the equal best record with 11 wins, the same as number 12 (Daqiansweet Junior).

Numbers to avoid are 21 (Future History) while 7 (Absurde), 16 (Magical Lagoon) and 18 (Serpentine) have won just two Cups each.

Saddlecloth 20 (More Felons) has won three cups but was last seen first past the post more than 100 years ago in 1897.

Barriers count

Verry Elleegant created history when she won after drawing barrier 18 as it was the first time that had seen success in the Cup.

And the situation is not much better for Right You Are (barrier 15) given that Makybe Diva (2003) and Silver Knight (1971) are the only winners from 15.

Ashrun has the cherished barrier 11, which is the most successful with eight wins, five since the Cup went metric in 1972.

Weight A Worry

The Cup winner has mostly come from the weight range of 52 to 52.5kg winning 15 times. This year there is only one horse with that weight scale – Cleveland.

Winning Form Good Form

Looking at form, 23 of the last 53 Melbourne Cup winners started in the Caulfield Cup, and 12 of them won or were placed in the Caulfield event. Strangely none won between Viewed in 2008 and Vow And Declare in 2019. Gold Trip ran at Caulfield then in the Cox Plate before winning at Flemington.

Six Caulfield Cup starters will line up at Flemington.

A race start on the Saturday before the Cup had also been an advantage with 24 of the last 53 winners lining up on Derby Day in either the Mackinnon or the Hotham Hcp (Archer). In recent times that has turned around a bit and the Mackinnon is not even on the day now anyway.

Worth noting is that 13 of the last 33 Cup winners won at their previous start. Eight horses – Without A Fight, Vauban, Absurde, Cleveland, Lastotchka, Military Mission, Interpretation and Kalapour fit that score.

Other Points

Gold Trip is back to defend his title. Others to run again from last year include Without A Fight, Vow And Declare, Daqiansweet Junior, Serpentine and Interpretation.

New Zealander Maree Lyndon on Argonaut Style in 1987 was the first female rider to contest the Cup. Clare Lindop was the first Australian female to ride in the Cup when unplaced on Debben in 2003.

In 2007 history was made when two females rode in the Cup for the first time. New Zealand rider Lisa Cropp on Sculptor and Clare Lindop on Dolphin Jo. Both ran unplaced.

Of course Michelle Payne became the first woman to win in 2015. Rachel King, Jamie Kah and Hollie Doyle have rides on Tuesday.