Every year on the first Tuesday of November, at exactly 3:00 pm, the entire Australian nation seems to stand still. Some take a day off from work. Others are lucky enough to work in places where managers organise luncheons in honour of the event. Some even think of the day as a genuine national public holiday. What happens on the first Tuesday of every November that keeps everyone so invested? The Melbourne Race Cup, of course!
This year, the race that stops a nation takes place in Melbourne on Tuesday, November 1st at Flemington Racecourse. As is the case every year, it will be one of the biggest betting days of the year in Australia, as punters look to find the winner of one of the richest races on the turf. There will also be a number of exciting welcome bonuses to take advantage of.
Find a top sportsbook on our site to place your bets on the 2022 Melbourne Cup:
Melbourne Cup Event Information
The Melbourne Cup is run at Flemington and sees the field race over a distance of two miles. A purse of A$8 million was available for the race in 2020, and this year’s race is set to get underway on Tuesday, November 1st at the traditional time of 3 pm. Horses that are aged three and older are able to enter the handicap at Melbourne.
Fans will be back on the course this year after missing out 2 years ago, which means that there will be a carnival atmosphere throughout the day, and the winning runner will be cheered home by over 80,000 fans at Flemington.
Melbourne Cup Leading Contenders
The race is all about winning, with famous horses such as Makybe Diva, Archer, and Think Big being fondly remembered by fans. But, which horses have we identified at Australia Casino that could be among the leading contenders to win the race in 2022?
Incentivise
The current leading contender in the betting is Incentivise for trainer Peter Moody. The five-year-old will be looking to give the trainer a first victory in this race and has been in excellent form throughout the season. His most recent win was a very eye-catching display in the G1 Makybe Diva Stakes, holding off late competition from Mo’unga and Sir Dragonet.
Prior to that run, he was slightly disappointing when fifth in a trial at Cranbourne. However, seven wins from ten starts highlight that he is a main contender in the Melbourne Cup.
Spanish Mission
Spanish Mission will be the leading British hopeful for the Melbourne Cup, but his preparation has already hit a stumbling block, as he was forced to miss his shipment to Melbourne, and will therefore not be in Australia for the Caulfield Cup. The five-year-old for Andrew Balding is American-bred and has run on five occasions so far this season.
His only win came at York when claiming success in the G2 Yorkshire Cup Stakes. He has been tested throughout the season against talented horses, finishing behind the likes of Subjectivist and Stradivarius already this term. The most recent of his runs was his second in the G2 Lonsdale Cup Stakes behind Stradivarius, but there was no shame in losing to the dual Group 1 winner.
Dawn Patrol
Dawn Patrol is another Australian-trained hopeful that will be travelling to Flemington to run in the Melbourne Cup. The four-year-old is now trained by Robert Hickmott, having joined the yard from Joseph O’Brien earlier in the season.
On his first start for his new yard, he could only finish eleventh over one mile at Moonee Valley. However, there is every chance that he will be stepped back up to two miles where his best form has come. His last win was over that distance back in September 2020 at the Curragh, as he won the G3 Comer Group International Loughbrown Stakes.
Twilight Payment
Joseph O’Brien-trained Twilight Payment was the winner of the Melbourne Cup last year and will be looking to become the sixth horse to win the famous race on more than one occasion. He held off Tiger Moth to win the race last year by a length and returned to the racecourse in May when sixth over one mile and two furlongs at the Curragh.
His only win of the season came at the same track when claiming victory in the G3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes, before finishing second behind Sonnyboyliston in the G1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger in the middle of September. The eight-year-old certainly looks like a value pick for the Melbourne Cup this year.
Melbourne Cup Betting Markets
There is more than one way to make a bet on the Melbourne Cup this year, with a number of outstanding horse racing betting markets available. You can learn more about the types of wagers that you can place on the famous race at Flemington below.
- Win- The most straightforward way to place a bet on the Melbourne Cup is to put a wager on the horse that you think will win the race.
- Place- Place value can always be found in the Melbourne Cup. To win in this market, you must find a selection that will finish in the first three.
- Each-Way- This betting market covers both the win and place selections. It is a good insurance bet to ensure returns even if your selection finishes second.
- Quinella- There are few more difficult betting markets for the Melbourne Cup than the Quinella. Here, bets must be placed on the horses that will finish in the first and second positions. However, they must be accurate to get the returns.
