How to bluff your way through Melbourne Cup day: Our three-minute ...
It was difficult enough back in the day for the once-a-year Melbourne Cup watcher to get a handle on racing’s peculiarities for that one day every 12 months.
Filling out a TAB ticket was as confusing as scoring at local cricket. Tips came at you harder than the next morning’s headache. Queues stretched out of TAB branches on Tuesday morning. But the ritual was set, and all Joe or Joanne Average had to do was settle in the running to get through the day.
Fans enjoy the races at FlemingtonCredit: Justin McManus
Here is our guide to help you experience Australia’s greatest race.
Who are the favourites?The favourites for this year’s race are No.1 Vauban (he was favourite last year but struggled) and Buckaroo (can he run two miles?). Buckaroo is trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Joao Moreira, while Vauban is trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by William Buick.
More often than not, the most fancied runners are the lower numbers, but because the Melbourne Cup is a handicap the idea is for the official handicapper to give each horse the right weight based on form and ability to give every horse an equal chance of winning.
Other horses rated by our experts (you can get their predictions below) are internationals Okita Soushi (coming off a win in the Moonee Valley Cup last week) and Onesmoothoperator (who won the Geelong Cup).
If you’re looking for a roughie, Sharp ‘N’ Smart is a blowout who finally showed some form in the Moonee Valley Cup, while Onesmoothoperator is the forgotten horse with Craig Williams on board.
One of our experts, Tim Habel, tips The Map as a lightweight long shot who will stay the trip.
There has been one early scratching – Athabascan was withdrawn by stewards on Monday afternoon after it was found to have a cardiac arrhythmia.
How to betOf course gamble responsibly, but be aware that the TAB outlet or a pub are not the only place you can lay a bet. Most of the action happens on phones, with a huge array of online bookmaking firms available if you download their app and follow the directions.
You can’t, under sensible new laws, use credit cards to put money into many accounts, so you will need a way to have a deposit, which you can limit.
Once that’s done, there are a few different ways to bet. Those are: win (your horse must win), place (your horse must finish first, second or third), each way (you receive a dividend if your horse finishes in the top three), quinella (first two home in any order), exacta (first two home in exact order), trifecta (first three home) or first four (do I need to explain that?). You can also get mystery bets at TABs if studying weights, form, barriers, jockeys or trainers is not the way you want to spend your time.
And remember the Melbourne Cup is race 7 at Flemington. If you know that and the number of the horse you aim to back, you will find a way.
Also understand that if a horse is paying $6 the win, then you will receive $6 for every dollar you place on the horse if it wins. Obviously, the higher the odds, a figure determined by experts based on where punters place their money or via a pool that spits out the odds, the more reward because the higher-priced horses are considered (for a whole range of reasons) less chance to win.
The experts’ tipsIf you want to have skin in the game but want the money invested to stay in the family, so to speak, organise a sweep. To enter a sweep you need to pay a certain amount (some are $2 per horse, others are $10 per horse) to have a horse which is drawn next to your name. The horse’s name is dragged out of a hat at the same time as your name, meaning, for example, Mary Bloggs is drawn as Valiant King is drawn. That means Mary Bloggs has Valiant King running for her in the race (bad luck Bloggsy). At least you know your money is going to the lucky person who had the winner (you can decide how much goes to the winner) whether that be a family member or a friend at the barbie. The Age has done all the hard work for you with this online sweep.
You can respond to anyone who gives you a tip with the question: do you think they will run the trip? They will either expand on the reasons why the horse they mentioned could run from Melbourne to the You Yangs without slowing down or acknowledge your understanding of how difficult it is for some horses to run two miles (3200 metres) at a good pace.
Another handy conversation starter in 2024 is to ask why James McDonald hasn’t got a ride in this year’s race. I could give an answer, but that would spoil the fun. You could mention that there are a record-breaking four female jockeys with rides – Jamie Kah, Winona Costin, Hollie Doyle and Rachel King – a good step forward for the race that once stopped the nation. Of course, Michelle Payne is the only female jockey to win the race with her 2015 victory on Prince Of Penzance part of our national story.
Buckaroo has “the Magic Man” Joao Moreira on board while every jockey will want their horse to settle, meaning they want them to relax in running to save energy for the run to the line. The colours the jockeys wear are often attached to the owners. Sentiment will be with Interpretation as his jockey will wear a cap bearing the royal blue and lime green colours of the late Colin McKenna, a co-owner of the horse.
Equally handy is responding to the question, “what’s your tip?” with the answer “don’t bet”.
Say “I backed Onesmoothoperator because it reminds me of myself”, or “Oh my God, I think I won the trifecta” just minutes after the race is over if you know nothing about racing and are surrounded by racing fanatics wearing long faces.
If you’re at the trackIf you are heading to Flemington, trains run to the track from Southern Cross station, or you can drive or catch an Uber or taxi right to the front gate. Someone will point you to a marquee if you are lucky enough to score a ticket to one.
The members’ stand is excellent at Flemington, which you can refer to as headquarters if you want to sound sharp and smart, but the grass area for the public in front of the Hill Stand has the advantage of being on the winning post so you can see the winner as they pass the finishing post, which Melbourne Cup runners do twice in completing the 3200m.
Most importantly, don’t jump from the barriers too soon, race too fiercely, or you will be battling to find the line a long way from home.
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