The 2008 Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is the horse race that brings a complete halt to all work in Australia on the first Tuesday of November each year. The Melbourne Cup history goes all the way back to 1861 when a horse called Archer was the first winner of the race.

Over the decades there have been a number of Melbourne Cup legends including Phar Lap and in more recent times Makybe Diva and a number of great Melbourne Cup trainers such as Bart Cummings that have created history over the years.

The Melbourne Cup is much more than a horse race as it brings the nation together to celebrate all good things that are Australian. It is a day that high fashion comes to Australia with huge interest in the various competitions for best dressed persons and hat, similar to Royal Ascot.

Betting on the Melbourne Cup

Each year there are hundreds of thousands of people who have a Melbourne Cup bet with over $140 million bet on the race anually. Most of the money is bet on the Austrailan TAB but many online bookmakers in the UK and Ireland also offer Melbourne Cup betting for their customers.

Each year 24 Melbourne Cup runners go to post for the biggest 2 mile handicap in the World which takes just on four minutes to run. Amongst the line up are horses from New Zealand, the UK and Ireland and Japan who won the 2006 Melbourne Cup with Delta Blues.

As the Melbourne Cup is a handicap, usually the Melbourne Cup Odds are very open and an entire nation will be googling to try and pick up some Melbourne Cup tips and we offer some interesting suggestions for your consideration. The online bookmakers offer anyone wishing to have a bet on the race a Melbourne Cup free bet. These free bets are on offer to all newcomers on a cash match basis usually for around £25.