Melbourne Cup Trophy

The Melbourne Cup is one of the top 10 races in the Year Worldwide and as such it has a major sponsor in the form of the Emirates and for this reason the race is also known as the Emirates Melbourne Cup. To support such a prestigious race there is cup for the winner which matches this high profile race. The Emirates Melbourne Cup Trophy is a magnificent 18 carat gold trophy valued at up to £100,000.

This trophy has become a national icon which over time has become embedded in the races heritage. The Melbourne Cup trophy was originally designed by Mr James Steeth for the 1919 Melbourne Cup won by Artilleryman. Things have moved on somewhat and today a Mr Stuart Bishop, Chief Executive of Hardy Brothers Jewellers is responsible for the upkeep of the trophy. What makes the Melbourne Cup so unique is that it is made of 34 pieces of gold metal hand beaten over 200 hours.

The trophy has over the years seen some major changes from its origins in 1861 as taking the form of a hand beaten gold watch maybe this is where Salvador Dali gained his inspiration! Then in 1891 a trophy measuring two feet in length and fifteen inches high of a draped figure of Victory, standing on a pedestal, holding out an olive wreath to a jockey upon his horse. Some quick changes to the Cup in the early nineteen hundreds as in the cup became a large rose bowl in 1916 The first gold cup is presented, in 1918 Two handled gold cup trophy and in 1919 James Steeth's three handled cup was introduced. Then in 2001 the Cup was made in 18ct gold. Content