Caulfield Cup

The $5 million Caulfield Cup in Australia is widely regarded as the most important trial for the Melbourne Cup.

The Australian Caulfield Cup international horse racing event is one of the richest handicap races in the world.

Only eleven horses have won both Cup races in the same season, the most recent being Ethereal in 2001. The last dual winner of the Caulfield Cup was Ming Dynasty (1977 and 1980).

Find out more about the Caulfield Cup:

Caulfield Cup – Race Overview

The Caulfield Cup takes place at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne in mid-October over 2400 metres (approximately a mile and a half).

It is a handicap race for three-year-olds and over with the winner granted automatic ballot exemption from the Melbourne Cup a fortnight later.

The field is limited to 18 runners and a midfield draw is considered ideal. With the Melbourne Cup being over a further half a mile, it is worth noting horses staying on strongly in the closing stages.

Famous Caulfield Cup Winners & History

The Caulfield Cup has long been established as one of the most prestigious races in Australia.

It was first run in 1879 with victory going to Newminster. Paris (1892 and 1894) became the first of seven horses to win twice. These include Poseidon (1906 and 1907) who became the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup in the same season (1906).

It has been a Group 1 race since 1979 and has attracted International runners from Europe since 1988. Taufan’s Melody became the first European-trained winner for Britain’s Lady Herries in 1998.

The famous blue silks of Godolphin have been carried to victory by All The Good (2008) and Best Solution (2018), both trained by Saeed bin Suroor.

There have also been victories for France (2012) and Japan (2014 and 2019). French-trained Dunaden had won the Melbourne Cup and the Hong Kong Vase the previous season. His Caulfield Cup success was remarkable for overcoming barrier 18 as well as being the first winner to have defied top weight from the original acceptances.

Japan’s first winner Admire Rakti (2014) was set the formidable task of carrying 58.5kg for the Melbourne Cup but his victory bid ended in tragedy. He weakened rapidly in the straight and died from cardiac arrest. Japan claimed the Caulfield Cup for a second time in 2019 with Mer De Grace.

The race had a huge influence on the outcome of the Melbourne Cup between 1991 and 2001 when Let’s Elope (1991), Doriemus (1995), Might And Power (1997) and Ethereal (2001) all completed the big race double. Although it has not been able to maintain that strike rate, it still has a big impact on the Melbourne Cup betting.

One of the most famous Caulfield Cup races was in 2004 when Elvstroem beat Makybe Diva by a head. It denied the famous three-times Melbourne Cup winning mare a coveted success in the Caulfield Cup, one of the few top Australian races to elude her.

Key Caulfield Cup Trials

The most successful trial race for the Caulfield Cup in recent times has been the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington at the start of October.

This race is over 2000m (approximately a mile and a quarter) and has regularly featured participants who would go on to win at Caulfield.

Horses to win both races include Elvstroem (2004) and Verry Elleegant (2020).

Caulfield Cup 2024 Odds

[justodds event=”caulfield-cup”]

Caulfield Cup Tips

Here are our tips for the Caulfield Cup 2024:

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Caulfield Cup Betting Trends

Favourites have a good recent record in the Caulfield Cup with three victories in the past six seasons.

They were Mongolian Khan (2015), Jameka (2016) and Verry Elleegant (2020). Mar De Grace (2019) at 7-1 and Southern Speed (2011) at 9-1 returned in single figures while 50-1 shot Boom Time (2017) provided the only major shock during recent renewals.

There have been longer-priced winners in the past including British-trained Taufan’s Melody who sprang a 66-1 surprise in 1998.

The biggest shock in the history of the Caulfield Cup was provided by 100-1 outsider Saint Warden in 1943.

Caulfield Cup Stats

Four-year-olds have the best recent record in the race with four victories in the past six years. Six-year-olds have provided four of the last nine winners with Verry Elleegant winning as a five-year-old in 2020.

The last three-year-old to win was Mighty Kingdom in 1979. Verry Elleegant and Jameka (2016) were both high-class winning mares and the last gelding to be successful here was Fawkner in 2013.

Top Trainers and Jockeys of the Caulfield Cup

The most successful trainer in the history of the Caulfield Cup was Bart Cummings with seven winners, his last being Viewed in 2009. That horse had won the 2008 Melbourne Cup, officially recording a time one-hundredth of a second faster than the Luca Cumani-trained Bauer. Lady Herries was the first of three female trainers to win the race, followed by Sheila Laxon (Ethereal 2001) and Gai Waterhouse (Descarado 2010). David Hayes has saddled four Caulfield Cup winners, most recently in partnership with Tom Dabernig with 50-1 shot Boom Time (2017).

Legendary jockey Scobie Breasley retains the record for most Caulfield Cup victories with five. Damien Oliver enjoyed great success in this race with four victories between 1992 and 1999. Despite several placed efforts since, he has not managed to equal Breasley’s record. Craig Williams won it for successive seasons aboard Southern Speed (2011) and Dunaden (2012) while Kerrin McEvoy’s only win came on All The Good for Godolphin in 2008.

Betting on the Caulfield Cup

There is a keen Ante-post betting market on the Caulfield Cup, particularly with more European interest in recent seasons.

2019 Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck almost broke the ice in this race for Aidan O’Brien in 2020 when beaten only a head at odds of 5-1. Tragically he suffered a fatal injury when running in the Melbourne Cup the following month.

The gallant Prince Of Arran has also provided British interest here for the past two seasons, finishing runner-up in 2019 and fourth in 2020. He has gone on to become a Melbourne Cup regular and has been placed in the race for three successive years.

Summary of the Caulfield Cup

The Caulfield Cup is a very valuable and significant race in Australia but will always be viewed with special interest as a guide to the Melbourne Cup. A strong European challenge is almost guaranteed and it is a race which is certain to have a big impact on the betting for the Flemington race.

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