2010 Spring Racing Carnival

Caulfield Cup

• Type: Group 1 handicap race
• Distance: 2400 metres
• Age: 3 year old and over
• Racecourse: Caulfield, Melbourne
• 1st Place Prize Money: $1,500,000 plus trophies to owner, trainer, rider and strapper
• Minimum handicap weight: 3yo 49 kg, 4yo+ 50.0 kg

One of the toughest races in the world, the Caulfield Cup is the premier mile and a half handicap in the Spring Racing Carnival. Also regarded as the key lead up race to the Melbourne Cup, twelve horses have been successful in winning the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double. Ridden on the Caulfield Racetrack turf in Melbourne, a maximum of 18 starters are permitted to compete in what was once known as the greatest race in the Carnival, second only to the Melbourne Cup. However in the past few years, the Caulfield Cup is becoming a race where punters are only willing to back the favourite rather than taking a chance on the outsiders, jeopardising the race’s betting future.

The first Caulfield Cup was run in the autumn of 1879 and has since been home to some of racing’s defining moments in history. After Newminster won the first Cup, the race was moved to spring in 1881 and during the war years, the Caulfield Racetrack was closed. In 1881 and 1943, two Caulfield Cups were required due to the large number of entrants, so the races were divided into two rankings, high and low. In the 1943 race, an outsider by the name of Saint Warden won the Caulfield Cup despite possessing the odds of 100-1. The worst race fall in Australian history occurred at the 1885 Caulfield Cup when 16 of the 44 horses competing fell as they turned onto the straight, resulting in the death of 24 year old jockey Donald Nicholson.

Rising Fast won the race twice in 1954 and 1955 and in 2000 the previous race record time was broken by Diatribe who managed to finish the race in 2 minutes 25.32 seconds. Scobie Breasley, the most successful Caulfield Cup jockey ended up with 5 wins under his belt and the notorious Bart Cummings has been able to add 6 Caulfield Cup winnings to his list of successes.

Caulfield Cup Winners