Melbourne Cup Betting Sites

The history that surrounds “the race that stops the nation” without doubt makes the Melbourne Cup the most important horse race in the Australian racing calendar. 

So with so much interest from all forms of racing enthusiasts from the jockey, trainer, owner and punter, creative offerings from the bookmakers are sure to follow, making it Australia´s most popular horse race betting event.  

The 64,000 dollar question, is “what is the best bet” to make? 

The Melbourne Cup is right around the corner and taking advantage of the odds early on could give you plenty of opportunities to get better odds for your favourite runner.

So what can you do to prepare? Well, if you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to sign up at multiple betting sites. Why? Because they all offer different features for the big race. Most sites will offer promotions and they’re usually unique at every site. So creating an account at a variety of bookies is well worth it.

Bettingtop10 has you covered with a full list of betting site bonuses and promotions that you can use to find the best site for your needs. Discover some of the best bonuses that are currently available at Aussie betting sites. Creating an account doesn’t take long at all, usually 2-3 minutes. We have plenty of bookmaker reviews available so you make the right decision. After signing up, make sure you check out their promotions and deposit some funds to get started.

When you’re talking about Melbourne Cup bets, the trifecta has to be one of the most popular. Everyone wants to hit the first 3 numbers so it’s always popular. Of course, there are basic win and place bets, just like any normal race. But with so many runners in the Cup, picking the winner is always tough. That’s where the exotics are usually more favourable.

Melbourne Cup Common Betting Types 

• Win Bet – Simply back a horse to win the Cup. Not the easiest bet out there but if you get it right, the winnings will be worth the gamble.
• Place Bet – A place bet means that the horse just needs to finish inside the top 3. So it’s much easier compared to a win bet, but the odds aren’t as good unless you pick a big roughie.
• Cup Double – a slightly riskier bet in that the horse needs to win 2 races. Popular Cup Double Bets with the Melbourne Cup are the W S Cox Plate (28 October 2023, 2,040m) and the longer Caulfield Cup (21 October 2023, 2400m). Get this right and the winnings are more than worth the effort.  

Melbourne Cup Other accepted betting options, especially the exotics 

Exotics are a huge thing when it comes to the Melbourne Cup, everyone wants to hit a massive trifecta or first four. So let’s discuss the different bet types that you can use during the Spring Racing Carnival.

• Each Way Bet – A Melbourne Cup each way bet is a bet in which you select a runner to finish 1st or to place in a race by finishing 2nd or 3rd. Ideally you want your runner to finish 1st in which case you win both the Win Dividend together with the Place Dividend, which is the fallback win if your runner comes in the placings of 2nd or 3rd.
• Quinella – A Melbourne Cup Quinella can be seen as the first of the exotics and is a bet that allows you to predict the first two horses past the post, and this can either be in an order (unboxed) or it can be in no particular order (boxed). If there are two horses in the race that are evenly matched that you think are going to finish strongly then a boxed Quinella could be the bet to place. 
• Exacta – A Melbourne Cup Exacta is similar but not exactly the same as a Quinella in that you select two horses to run first and second, however, this must be in exact finishing order, and because of this, payouts are typically (but not always) better than what you would see with a Quinella.
• Trifecta – A Melbourne Cup Trifecta is similar to an Exacta except that it requires you to select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd. You can include a number of runners in your bet and this can either in order (unboxed) or with no order (boxed). 
• First Four Bet – Try finding the Melbourne Cup First Four past the winning post and you will be in with a chance of a big win. If you are looking at Melbourne Cup First Four payouts history, look no further than 2022 when the Melbourne First Four winnings were over 100K, very impressive. You can include any number of runners in your betting slip and this can be boxed, in no specific order, or be unboxed, in a specific order.  
• Quadrella – A Melbourne Cup Quadrella (‘Quaddie’) is the last of exotic bets, with a twist, in that it requires you to pick the winners of four nominated races from the Melbourne Cup race meeting. So you will need to see what the bookmaker has chosen for the four races. You can use any number of selections per leg, but your winnings will grow the fewer your selection. In addition, to attract a large Quadrella prize pool, races with the biggest punter interest are likely to be the chosen races. 

Melbourne Cup Other less common betting options 

Here are some more betting options to consider, such as odds v evens or live betting. Just keep in mind, that not every site offers these bet types.

• Odds v Evens – A Melbourne Cup Odds v Evens offers the chance to look at the runners’ numbers and if you think the horses with Even race numbers look a stronger field than those with Odd race numbers then place an Odds v Evens Bet in favour of the Evens. Of course, if you think the Odd numbers look stronger place a bet in favour of the Odds. Note, the bookies should also be looking at the top horses in the betting and adjust their Odds v Evens odds accordingly, but you never know that may be slow in their calculations allowing a window of opportunity. 
• Head-to-Head – A Melbourne Cup head-to-head bet allows you to simply choose two horses and bet on the one which you think will finish the race ahead of the other.  A simple bet and it is worth looking at the odds as money starts to flow in the betting.
• Live Betting – In the Head-to-Head item above I mentioned, “as money starts to flow” (in the betting) and it reminded me that if you want to react to odds changing DURING the race, numerous bookmakers offer Melbourne Cup live betting once the race has actually started. As the horses are jockeying for, or losing, position so the odds change. Just look for the bookmakers who offer a phone number to call for live betting.
• Mystery Bet – To encourage a Melbourne Cup Mystery bet there are bookmakers who technically take the guesswork out of betting and offer computer generated randomly selected popular bets mentioned earlier, including exacta, trifecta, quinella, even first four and quadrella. I am a little uncomfortable with the bookmaker making the suggestions.

Melbourne Cup betting offers a whole range of options, that are most likely far more extensive than any other horse race in Australia to attract as many punters as possible. 

1. The weight to carry for all of the 3,200 metres of the Melbourne Cup is an important factor to remember. Look out for the weight penalties that are handed out and compare these with the weight the horses carried in their more recent wins and races.  

A huge number of horses try to make the Melbourne Cup field. Winning recent races, having won a large amount of prize money, success in well-known Group 1 or International racing all help ballot exemption, but they can also mean an additional weight penalty.  

Other factors that can influence the weight penalty include age and sex as a mare will automatically receive a 2kg allowance over its male rivals. 

Also, winning any of the following important races all allow Melbourne Cup ballot exemption: 

• Lexus Stakes (Group 3, 2,500m 4 November 2023) 
• W S Cox Plate (Group 1, 2,040m, 28 October 2023) 
• Caulfield Cup (Group 1, 2,400m, 21 October 2023) 
• The Bart Cummings (Group 3, 2,500m, 7 October 2023) 
• Roy Higgins Quality (Listed, 2,600m, 25 March 2023 – winner Goldman) 
• Andrew Ramsden Stakes (Listed, 2,800m, 13 May 2023 - winner Lunar Flare)  
• Ebor Handicap (Class 2, 1mile 6 furlongs, 26 August 2023 – winner Absurde (Frankie Dettori!) 

The thing to look out for here is the date of the race, how close that is to the Melbourne Cup date and whether these winnings horses are maintaining or losing form. 

The top weighted horse must carry at least 57kg or more whilst the lowest weight is 49kg. 

2. Once you´ve looked at the horse, the next is the trainer, once the full list of runners is announced (or beforehand look at the ballot exempt horses) take a look at the trainers with big race winners. 

This does not necessarily mean recent Melbourne Cup wins as few trainers have won more than once. Australian winning Melbourne Cup trainers of note are, Gai Waterhourse (2013) Chris Waller (2021) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace (2022), Joe O´Brien (2017, 2020), Danny O´Brien (2018) and Robert Hickmott (2012,2016). 

The racing savviness these trainers have in the way they set up their horse(s) for long races is usually a factor in high profile races like the Melbourne Cup. 

3. If there was to be a fairy tale ending with the jockey, I would have to go with Frankie Dettori, what an unbelievable career this man has undertaken with over 280 group 1 wins. 

4. Watch the bookmakers and be ready to pounce. Having an account with more than one bookmaker is highly recommended as it allows you the freedom to place your bet where it will be of the most financial benefit. Bookmakers do not always offer the same odds as each other, therefore the betting site offering the highest odds (Win, Place, Exotics or whatever your fancy) will give you the maximum Melbourne Cup profits! If your horse wins! The key is the more sites you can peruse, the more odds you have available and the more choices you can give yourself, the better! 

Bookmakers are so important for the Melbourne Cup, I cannot stress how important this race is to their business. Two other webpages that are worth reviewing are New betting Sites and Small Betting sites, those who are new will really want to earn your business and those who are small (at present) may be nimble enough to do something different from the big players. 
Good Luck! 

Before you bet on the Melbourne Cup, an important consideration to think about is - will you be betting via a website or app? The most obvious benefit of a website is the ability to view markets on a laptop screen or computer monitor. But of course, if you’ll be away from the computer at the time, an app just makes sense. The best betting apps come with excellent features these days so you don’t have to worry about missing out if you’re betting on a mobile device.

So you´re ready, when and what is the best way to bet on the Melbourne Cup? But on what horse? Here are some straightforward steps to help with how to bet on the Melbourne Cup online: 

1. We´ve discussed this already, but sign up to online bookmaker(s) to create an account(s) 
2. Deposit funds, be ready to bet at anytime rather than possibly add time delays , some deposit methods can be instant (eg credit card) whereas others (bank transfer) can take a little longer. Betting Sites Payment Methods has a section discussing the Deposit (and Withdrawal) pros and cons for each bookmaker which depending on your financial capability may be of help. 
3. Pick a horse. It´s easier said than done, there are tools available, use a form guide or review commentary on the bookmakers’ websites/Apps.  
4. Navigate to race 7, the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on the bookmaker website or app and find the horse that you want to bet on.  
5. Click the Melbourne Cup horse odds. This places that horse into what is called a betslip (kind of like a shopping cart from e-commerce websites). 
6. Submit your bet. Click the button at the end of the betslip that will be called something like "place bets".

Without fail, the Melbourne Cup aims to be held at 3pm (usually race 7) on the first Tuesday in November each year at Melbourne’s most famous Flemington racecourse. 

One uniqueness of the Melbourne Cup is the distance, it is one of the few races in Australia run over 3,200m, almost 2 miles. Notable other races over 3,200m are the Group 2 Adelaide Cup and the Group 1 Sydney Cup. 

If you take a look overseas there are far more races of 3,200m or longer. 

• The UK Ascot Gold Cup is a Group 1 race over approx. 4,014m, 2023 winner Courage Mon Ami, trainer pair John & Thady Gosden with jockey Frankie Dettori (only saying, he´s only gone and won the race 9 times😊) 
• Longchamp in France holds the Group 1 Prix du Cadran over 4,000m (you know who has won that too) and the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak over 3,100m 
• Germany even hold a Group 2 race over 3,200m, the Oleander-Rennen 

There are so few stayer races of the distance of the Melbourne Cup in Australia that it could be worth looking at the overseas entries for possible clues, Ireland has a long history of thoroughbred racing and even though the Irish St Leger (yes FT has won it twice!) is a mere 1 mile 6 furlongs (2,816m) a winner from Ireland would not be a surprise. 

The late Australian trainer Bart Cummings between 1965 and 2008 won the Melbourne Cup a record 12 times and became known as the “Cups King”. 

Lee Freedman has trained 5 winners and together with his brothers Anthony, Michael, and Richard, it could be worth looking for a Freedman in the list of trainers on Melbourne Cup day. Even Anthony´s son Sam is starting to have racing success with his father. Just look at the 2023 Cup result with Without A Fight taking down the race that stops the nation.

Female jockeys have had less success in the Melbourne Cup with the one successful female jockey in the 2015 Melbourne Cup being Michelle Payne on $100 underdog, Prince of Penzance. 

Makybe Diva is the most successful horse in Melbourne Cup history with 3 back-to-back wins (2003, 2004 & 2005). At least 3 other horses have won back-to-back the most recent being 1974-75 in Think Big. So, if you too want to Think Big maybe look out for 2023 winner Gold Trip with Mark Kahra on board. 

If you want to know more about past winners then just look at the list below of the last 15 Melbourne Cup races, where if not the horse, the jockey and trainer may give clues if they are present in the 2024 Melbourne Cup race: 

The barrier draw determines the starting positions for each runner, starting with the first barrier and ending with the last barrier. In a race like the Melbourne Cup, the barrier draw is just as important as any other race. Why? Because with over 20 runners, the starting position is crucial for some horses. Such as, no horse has ever won the race from Barrier 18. So the outside barriers can be a disadvantage as the horse generally has to run further or work harder compared to inside barriers, especially if they have more weight. 

So it’s always advisable to bet on horses with a good barrier selection, usually from 1 to 10. For example, the 5 barrier is the most successful in the history of the Cup. The 2024 Melbourne Cup barrier draw takes place on Saturday night, 2nd of November. 

Melbourne Cup Form Guide 

Circle of Fire is one of the top favourites at the moment. Trained by one of the best in the business (Ciaron Maher), it should be right in the mix. Watch out for it in the Caulfield Cup or Cox Plate as it’s nominated for those races too. Circle of Fire has one win in one start in Group 1 racing and holds a 3-1-3 record in 10 career starts. So it deserves favouritism.

Vauban is another runner to look out for. It has an excellent win rate in its career, winning 8 of 19 starts. Also, it’s been very successful in Group 1 races, winning 3 of 8 starts. It came 14th in the 2023 Cup but I think it should be better for the experience. 

Grosvenor Square will have it’s first crack at the Cup and could lineup in the Caulfield Cup/Cox Plate. How it goes in those races will be a key factor in it’s odds for the Melbourne Cup.

Saint George had a recent run at Caulfield and finished 1.9 lengths behind the leaders. That was over 1700m, so it’s not a great form guide for the Melbourne Cup. However, that should give it some good experience running in Australia. Rounding out the top 5 is Magical Zoe. This mare has been in good form, winning 6 of 15 career races. That is headlined by a recent win in the Heritage Handicap over 2816m. It has only raced once at Group 1 level and has yet to race in Australia. So keep that in mind.

Melbourne Cup Horses 

1. Absurde (FR, Willie Mullins)

2. Adelaide River (IRE, Kris Lees)

3. Age Of Sail (GB, Kris Lees)

4. Ahuriri (NZ, Chris Waller)

5. Alegron (Bjorn Baker)

6. Almairac (IRE, Cliff Brown)

7. Ardakan (GB, Ciaron Maher)

8. Arrest (IRE, John & Thady Gosden)

9. Athabascan (FR, John O'Shea & Tom Charlton)

10. Aurora's Symphony (Symon Wilde)

11. Balance Play (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

12. Bankers Choice (NZ, Michael Moroney & Glen Thompson)

13. Basilinna (NZ, Emma-Lee & David Browne)

14. Bear On The Loose (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

15. Berkshire Breeze (IRE, Ciaron Maher)

16. Birdman (IRE, Chris Waller)

17. Brayden Star (GB, Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

18. Buckaroo (GB, Chris Waller)

19. Changingoftheguard (IRE, Kris Lees)

20. Circle Of Fire (GB, Ciaron Maher)

21. Cleveland (IRE, Kris Lees)

22. Coco Sun (Tony & Calvin McEvoy)

23. Convener (FR, Ciaron Maher)

24. Dashing Duchess (NZ, Symon Wilde)

25. Delius (GB, Jean-Claude Rouget)

26. Denmark (GB, Chris Waller)

27. Deny Knowledge (IRE, Anthony & Sam Freedman)

28. Dillian (IRE, Ciaron Maher)

29. Divus Romulus (IRE, Nick Ryan)

30. Don't Doubt Dory (Julien Welsh)

31. Dunleer Lad (Amy Small)

32. El Bodegon (IRE, Chris Waller)

33. Eliyass (FR, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

34. Emissary (GB, Michael Moroney & Glen Thompson)

35. Etna Rosso (IRE, Chris Waller)

36. Fancy Man (IRE, Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald)

37. Fawkner Park (IRE, Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald)

38. Firestorm (NZ, Chris Waller)

39. Foxy Cleopatra (Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

40. Francesco Guardi (IRE, Chris Waller)

41. Future History (GB, Ciaron Maher)

42. Gear Up (IRE, Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald)

43. Good Oil (NZ, Andrew Forsman)

44. Grosvenor Square (IRE, Aidan O'Brien)

45. Haaracaine (IRE, Nick Ryan)

46. Harbour Wind (IRE, Dermot Weld)

47. Hipop De Loire (FR, Willie Mullins)

48. Horrifying (NZ, Lindsey Smith)

49. Illinois (IRE, Aidan O'Brien)

50. Immediacy (NZ, Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

51. Interpretation (IRE, Ciaron Maher)

52. Jan Brueghel (IRE, Aidan O'Brien)

53. Just Fine (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

54. Kalapour (IRE, Kris Lees)

55. Karburan (FR, Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

56. Kinesiology (GB, Jessica Harrington)

57. Knight's Choice (John Symons & Sheila Laxon)

58. Kovalica (NZ, Chris Waller)

59. Land Legend (FR, Chris Waller)

60. Le Don De Vie (GB, Ciaron Maher)

61. Lionel (GB, Ciaron Maher)

62. Magical Zoe (IRE, Henry De Bromhead)

63. Mahrajaan (USA, Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray)

64. Manzoice (Chris Waller)

65. Mare Of Mt Buller (Chris Waller)

66. Medatsu (NZ, Chris Waller)

67.  Middle Earth (GB, Ciaron Maher)

68. Military Mission (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

69. Mission Of Love (John Symons & Sheila Laxon)

70. Molly Bloom (NZ, Chris Waller)

71. Mostly Cloudy (IRE, Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

72. Muramasa (Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

73. Nereus (NZ, Shaune Ritchie & Colm Murray)

74.  New Endeavour (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

75. Night Sparkle (IRE, Andrew Balding)

76. Okita Soushi (IRE, Ciaron Maher)

77. Onesmoothoperator (USA, Brian Ellison)

78. Pennyweka (NZ, Ciaron Maher)

79. Place Du Carrousel (IRE, Anthony & Sam Freedman)

80. Point King (IRE, Anthony & Sam Freedman)

81. Point Lonsdale (IRE, Aidan O'Brien)

82. Poptronic (GB, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

83. Positivity (NZ, Andrew Forsman)

84. Post Impressionist (IRE, Anthony & Sam Freedman)

85. Promises Kept (Ciaron Maher)

86. Quantum Cat (USA, Chris Waller)

87. Que Tempesta (IRE, Ben, Will & JD Hayes)

88.  Red Aces (Nick Ryan)

89. Relentless Voyager (GB, Andrew Balding)

90. Riff Rocket (Chris Waller)

91. Royal Champion (IRE, Anthony & Sam Freedman)

92. Royal Patronage (FR, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

93. Royal Supremacy (IRE, Ciaron Maher)

94. Saint George (GB, Ciaron Maher)

95. Sayedaty Sadaty (IRE, Ciaron Maher)

96. Sea King (GB, Harry Eustace)

97. Sea What I See (IRE, Danny O'Brien)

98. Sentimental Flame (Travis Doudle)

99. Serpentine (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

100. Shaiyhar (IRE, Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

101. Sharp 'N' Smart (NZ, Graeme & Deborah Rogerson)

102. Shonan Bashitto (JPN, Naosuke Sugai)

103. Sir Lucan (IRE, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott)

104. Strathtay (NZ, Chris Waller)

105. Suizuro (Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

106. The Equator (IRE, Aidan O'Brien)

107. The Euphrates (GB, Aidan O'Brien)

108. The Map (Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray)

109. Think 'N' Fly (David Noonan)

110. Trust In You (NZ, Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley)

111. Uncle Bryn (GB, Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young)

112. Unusual Legacy (NZ, Chris Waller)

113. Up And Under (FR, Chris Waller)

114. Valiant King (GB, Chris Waller)

115. Vauban (FR, Willie Mullins)

116. Via Sistina (IRE, Chris Waller)

117. Waltham (GB, Matthew Smith)

118. Warmonger (NZ, Mick Price & Michael Kent Jr)

119. Warp Speed (JPN, Noboru Takagi)

120. Way Up High (Dan O'Sullivan)

121. Whisky On The Hill (GB, Michael Moroney & Glen Thompson)

122. Without A Fight (IRE, Anthony & Sam Freedman)

123. Zardozi (James Cummings)

The Melbourne Cup odds usually give punters a lot of value, mainly because it’s such a hard race to predict. So you’ll rarely see a $2 favourite, for example, like other races. In the 2023 Cup, the shortest favourite was Vauban around the $5.50 mark. The winner, Without A Fight, was an $8 starting price as well. So in my experience, the sweet spot is generally around the $5 - $15 price mark for a winner. Of course, there have been some massive upsets in Cup history, such as Prince of Penzance in 2015 when it won at 100 to 1. That was definitely rare but it proves that nothing is impossible.

Without A Fight took out the 2023 Cup, winning by 2 lengths. It was trained by Anthony Freedman & Sam Freedman. Mark Zahra was in the saddle, winning the Cup for the second straight year after ridding Gold Trip to victory in 2022. Soulcome from Great Britain finished second and Sheraz (France) rounded out the placings. The 2023 Cup trifecta (3-6-14) paid out $10, 668.10.

Wondering about Melbourne Cup prize money? Let’s discuss how it works and how much money is moving around.

Firstly, it’s important to note that the Melbourne Cup isn’t the richest race in Australia anymore. It’s been overtaken by The Everest, which gives out $14 million. 

At the moment, winning the Melbourne Cup will net $4,400,000. 5% of that amount will go to the winning jockey and trainers will get 10%. 

The lowest prize money is $160,000 and this is awarded to all runners from 6th to 12th. So overall, the top 12 runners at the Cup will earn some prize money.

I touched on this earlier subject regarding International connections, while the Melbourne Cup is Australia´s most famous race, it is also one of the most prominent races in the world, which gains an enormous amount of interest from the international racing community. Of course, the horse winning the Ebor Handicap in York, UK gains automatic entry but there are many other entries from international horses all entering with the hope of securing a place at the starting gates 

To date there have been 40 Melbourne Cup winners from closest neighbour New Zealand, 5 from the UK, 4 from the USA and Ireland and two from Germany as well as France. A truly International affair. 

The Melbourne Cup prize money alone totalling $8.4 million is cool enough to attract any entry wherever they may come from.  

The most recent foreign winners include Protectionist (2014, Germany), Fiorente (2013 Italy) and Delta Blues (2006 Japan). 

The Melbourne Cup is now a worldwide event with the race televised in numerous countries. At the racetrack the record attendance was over 123,000 in 2003, but there have regularly been over 100,000 at the racetrack on raceday and over 300,000 at the racetrack during the four days of the Melbourne Cup carnival.

It is truly the race that stops the nation! Everyone and their dog stop what they are doing to watch this magical event, and who could blame them! This is an iconic event that occurs annually, and with this in mind – let’s take a look at some fun facts when it comes to the Melbourne Cup! 

• The most horses ever in a Melbourne Cup race was 39 and this was way back in 1890! 
• Makybe Diva is not only the first horse to have ever won the Melbourne Cup 3 times, but also the first horse to win it 3 years in a row! 
• Trainer Bart Cummings is known to hold the record for most Melbourne Cup wins. He has had a whopping 12 wins from horses he has trained over the years. 
• No horse has ever won the race from Barrier 18! 
• The 1985 Melbourne Cup was the first race in Australia with prize money of $1m 
• Australia´s great (some say greatest) horse Phar Lap had to carry 68kgs in 1931 and came 8th 
• The 1st prize has been a golf watch, a silver punch bowl and even a golden horseshoe 
• The average bet by punters in New South Wales is $1,200 and this is a striking 22% above the national average!

2024 Melbourne Cup Field and Nomination Announcement dates: 

• Nominations: 12:00 pm (AEST) Tuesday 3 September
• Late Nominations: 12:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 10 September
• Weights: 12:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 17 September
• First Declaration: 12:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 1 October
• Second Declaration: 12:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 15 October
• Third Declaration: 10:00am (AEST) Monday 28 October
• Final Declaration: 4:30pm (AEST) Saturday 2 November
• Final Field: 6:30pm (AEST) Saturday 2 November
• Barrier Draw:  7:00pm (AEST) Saturday 2 November
• Melbourne Cup Race: 3:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 5 November