Melb Cup Horses
Australians are expected to sink over $300 million into the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, but what does the horse you have bet on say about you?
Phar Lap, the most famous horse in Australia racing history, wins his only Melbourne Cup in three attempts as a heavy favorite. 1932, 1934 Peter Pan wins in these two years, the only horse to win two non-consecutive Cups.
ESPN horse racing expert* Mike Wise has run the numbers, read the tea leaves and had a chat to a mate that swears blind that he partied with Tom Waterhouse on Hamilton Island once.
Forget the form guide. Below is the true insight into the 2019 Melbourne Cup field.
*Not a real expert.
- The Caulfield Cup: This winner in most cases goes on to race in the Melbourne Cup, but given only 11 horses in the history of both races have claimed the Caulfield/Melbourne Cup double, the past suggests it is extremely hard to win both races in any given year. In what would loom as a shock to many, in the period between 2010 and 2017, only one.
- Melbourne Cup This was posted by a friend who owns, breeds, and races horses in Australia. 'Racing authorities have launched an investigation after learning that an Asian crime syndicate is attempting to infiltrate Australian racing, reports heraldsun.com.au.
- The Melbourne Cup is Australia 's most famous annual Thoroughbred horse race. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
- Since 1882, New Zealand–bred horses have won 40 Melbourne Cups, British-bred horses five, American-bred horses four, Irish-bred horses four, German-bred horses two.
1. CROSS COUNTER
Number one. You got one horse into the form guide and decided that dedicating too much thought to this was a waste of time. Cross Counter will be popular with people who like fries, margarita pizzas, Coca-Cola and other first-on-the-menu items.
2. MER DE GLACE
Congratulations, you've picked the bookies' favourite. You're probably also a Patriots fan.
3. MASTER OF REALITY
Don't be fooled by the name -- this is the fantasists pick. Why? This is Melbourne Cup number 17 for jockey Frankie Dettori, who is yet to ride a winner.
4. MIRAGE DANCER
Mirage Dancer's third-place finish in the Caulfield Cup had a distinct 'bronze is better than silver' vibe to it. Mediocrity, maybe a place, is this horse's destiny.
5. SOUTHERN FRANCE
Voted by its peers as 'the horse most likely to be scratched,' Southern France is perhaps the most nondescript, anonymous horse out there. Most likely a winner then.
6. HUNTING HORN
Ah yes the mating call of Flemington. Woo girls and frat boys (YIEW!) will be sounding their hunting horns to cheer on this Aidan O'Brien-trained bolter. Stay clear unless you plan on walking home from your Melbourne Cup festivities barefoot, carrying your shoes.
7. LATROBE
The only people backing Latrobe are alums, people from MALbourne, or those keen on taking down horse number 19. More on that later.
8. MUSTAJEER
Mustajeer not wearing mustard feels like a real missed opportunity. Instead, Damien Oliver will be donning the 'lucky' horseshoe. This will bring zero luck to Mustajeer or its fans -- 15th place at best.
9. ROSTROPOVICH
The results are in ... daytime TV fans are investing heavily in Rostropovich, of the Maury Povich stable. DNA tests will be needed later to prove that Rostropovich's dad really is Frankel.
Melb Cup Horses Pictures
10. TWILIGHT PAYMENT
Named after the reparations owed to society for the Twilight saga movies, Twilight Payment an excellent choice for a winner -- kudos to those who have picked it. A triumph here and the debt owed to us all for Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 will be forgiven.
12. FINCHE
Exactly like his namesake, Australia's ODI cricket captain Aaron Finch, Finche is a boom or bust type horse. Those that have backed this horse can expect a duck or to be kissing the badge at the end of the race. Flip a coin.
12. PRINCE OF ARRAN
Melbourne Cup 2020 Horses
Eagle-eyed punters will have noticed that this horse ran in last year's Melbourne Cup under the name 'A Prince of Arran.' Losing a whole A should be a weight off this horse's shoulders but, then again, do horses have shoulders?
13. RAYMOND TUSK
Isn't Raymond Tusk some sort of eccentric billionaire that dabbles in philanthropy and round-the-world air balloon races? He's mad as a hatter, but that won't help him in a running race against actual horses. Our pick: dead last but enjoying every minute of it.
14. DOWNDRAFT
Kitted out in Parra colours, Downdraft clearly peaked in the early 80s -- just like anyone who fancies this horse as a winner.
15. MAGIC WAND
Those in the know say that Magic Wand will start the Melbourne Cup well before fading -- which is, of course, complete nonsense. If there's one certainty that this column can offer, it's that Magic Wand will stay completely opaque throughout the whole race.
16. NEUFBOSC
Always a fan of the underdog, thrill-seekers will have sought out the horse with the longest odds: Neufbosc. Unfortunately, this cheese-eating surrender monkey has no chance of staging an upset.
17. SOUND
Sound's name just lends itself to too many corny headlines. Stay clear unless you really, really like dad jokes.
18. SURPRISE BABY
Described as a 'lightly raced stayer' by most outlets, which is basically real-estate speak for a real fixer-upper. Either way, Surprise Baby is a work in progress -- a 'glad to be part of the day' type.
19. CONSTANTINOPLE
Melbourne Cup Field 2020
History buffs will be all over Constantinople. SMARTER history buffs will know to stay clear because the fall of Constantinople was because of the enlightenment, aka universities, aka horse No. 7. Simples.
20. IL PARADISO
This horse is likely named after a cocktail that has too much Malibu in it. Most people should stay well clear of backing Il Paradiso, unless super sweet, fake coconuts are your thing.
21. STEEL PRINCE
Savvy punters will know that despite all the 'information' in the 'form guide' this horse actually hails from Newcastle and the jockey is Joey Johns. Guaranteed to be a winner.
22. THE CHOSEN ONE
So you've picked The Chosen One as your chosen one? Could you be any more basic?
23. VOW AND DECLARE
Michael Jordan, David Beckham, LeBron James and ... Vow and Declare? Punters who backed horse 23 will be dancing like Shane Warne with a stump in his hand if this gelding gets up.
24. YOUNGSTAR
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HORSES IN THIS RACE?!? Youngstar ran sixth last year and clearly has been wheeled out again to make up the numbers. A 'roughie' is the nice way to describe it.