The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s most famous horse race, held over a distance of 3,200 meters at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. The event takes place on the first Tuesday of November of each year, and ends up being a very important event in the city. To give you an idea, Melbourne Cup Day is a statewide public holiday!
And for you who want to know a little more about this event, we separate some important information and curiosities for you to know!
The History of the Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup was first run in 1861, with two organizing committees controlling horse racing in Victoria, the Victorian Turf Club (1852) and the Victorian Jockeys Club (1857). In the first edition, the prize was a cup with the name of the champion, a gold watch and a bag of money. However, the first competition cup was awarded only in 1865.
Furthermore, although the Melbourne Cup is now well known in Australia for being played on the first Tuesday of November, this was not always the case. The 1866 Melbourne Cup race was run on a Thursday, and in 1867 the Cup was run in October. It wasn’t until 1875 that the race was run on the first Tuesday in November.
But leaving a bit of history and traditions, the Melbourne Cup is a special event, as it is a time when Australians go out and have a lot of fun. Some women even take advantage of the date to use different accessories in their hair. That’s why the event goes far beyond just a horse race, that’s why it’s so special.
Melbourne Cup betting in Australia
As you can see, the event is very important and Australians love it. People like horse racing so much that they even make high bets, and if the chosen horse wins the competition, some people even take high amounts of money home. Also, some workplaces in Australia allow betting against your colleagues.
However, as popular as the event is and loved by many, participation in the Melbourne Cup has been on the decline for years, with the 81,408 race entrants in 2019 the fewest since 1995. linked to animal cruelty, soon many end up not wanting to be associated with the Melbourne Cup.
But whatever the circumstances, the event is a traditional and very important part of Australia’s history. Did you already know about this event?
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