The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major annual thoroughbred horse race, held at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. It is one of the world's richest horse races. Nearly every person in Australia stops to watch or listen to this event, it is billed as 'The race that stops a nation'.

For many Australians, the first Tuesday in November is a de facto public holiday. Offices and schools close, and communities gather to watch the Melbourne Cup. This race has transcended its sporting roots to become a unifying national event.

In the moments leading up to the race, there's a palpable sense of anticipation, and then, for just a few minutes, the nation comes to a standstill as the horses charge down the home straight.

Melbourne Cup horse race - Phar Lap winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup Phar Lap winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup (more photos)

The Melbourne Cup is held by the Victoria Racing Club on the first Tuesday each November, at 3 p.m. The race is for three-year-olds and over, and covers a distance of 3200 meters. The start of the race is in the straight, 888 meters from the finish post. The runners race past the post and complete another lap (2312 m) after that.

The 2025 Melbourne Cup was held on Nov 4, 2025

This competition was held at the Flemington Racecourse and featured 24 horses that ran over 3200 meters. Here are the race results:

Position Horse Name
1 Half Yours
2 Goodie Two Shoes
3 Middle Earth
4 River of Stars
5 Torranzino
6 Vauban
7 Al Riffa
8 Absurde
9 Changingoftheguard
10 Meydaan
11 Furthur
12 Arapaho
13 Flatten The Curve
14 Smokin' Romans
15 Royal Supremacy
16 Valiant King
16 Onesmoothoperator
18 More Felons
19 Presage Nocturne
20 Parchment Party
21 Athabascan
22 Land Legend
23 Chevalier Rose
24 Buckaroo

Past and Future race dates:

  • 2026: 3 November

More Melbourne Cup Information