Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Melbourne Cup
horse race
Melbourne Cup, annual horse race, first held in 1861, that is the most important Australian Thoroughbred race of the year and one of the most prestigious races in the world.
The Melbourne Cup takes place at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on the first Tuesday of November, which is a public holiday in the city. It is a handicap race (where the weights horses must carry during the race are adjusted in relation to their age) and is open to horses three years of age and older. The race takes place over 1.99 miles (3,200 metres), which was slightly shortened from the traditional two-mile distance in 1972 as part of Australia’s adoption of the metric system.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.