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Melbourne Cup Day 2023: Date, History, Facts About It’s Famous Winners

Phar Lap, the 1930 Melbourne Cup-winning New Zealand horse, was verified by scientists to have died of arsenic poisoning; however, foul play remains unknown.

Melbourne Cup Day 2023: This year, November 7 is Melbourne Cup Day, which is celebrated annually at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, on the initial Tuesday of November. As it is a state holiday, the majority of businesses and educational institutions close in order to accommodate all attendees. Approximately 650 million people worldwide watch the 3,200-meter turf race live on television, whereas the attendance at Flemington is around 100,000. “Cup Day,” as it is colloquially referred to, is the preeminent horse racing occasion in Australia, which is the country with the greatest number of racecourses. It is a component of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, a weeklong celebration of style and festivities.

Melbourne Cup Day 2023: History

In 1840, the gold-rush settlement of Melbourne made the strategic decision to establish a horse racing track along the riverbanks. There was a ridge to the northwest that served as a vantage point for onlookers. The following year, the organizers erected scaffolding, but a formal grandstand did not materialize until 1848. The venue was subsequently renamed the Melbourne Racecourse.

The landowner gave the area the name “Flemington” in honor of a piece of Scottish property that his wife owned. By the 1850s, all individuals were referring to the course as the “Flemington Racecourse.” It is Australia’s earliest racecourse.

In the Australian Championship Sweepstakes, horses from New South Wales, Tasmania, and New Zealand were participating as of 1859. Sydney witnessed its first-ever televised Australian sporting event, which drew 40,000 spectators. During that time, the racing power players in Melbourne conceived of a more opulent and sizable event with the potential to generate funds for the track’s development.

In 1861, the Melbourne Cup was first held. During that period of time, the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club were two competing racing clubs. As a result of their disagreement, the Cup and course management were negatively impacted, the track was sabotaged, and both organizations descended into debt. Thus, in 1864, they merged to create the Victoria Racing Club, which currently serves as the governing body of Flemington. The Club was ecstatic the following year when Melbourne Cup Day was officially designated as a half-day vacation.

The Victoria Racing Club leased the land rather than owning it, which presented one challenge. The Victorian Racing Club Act, enacted by the government in 1871, delegated land proprietorship to the club. In 1875, the Melbourne Cup was initially held on a Tuesday. Victoria declared the day an official state holiday two years later in recognition of the event’s magnitude and significance.

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5 Facts About It’s Famous Winners

Homicide of a horse was suspected.

Scientists have determined that Phar Lap, the New Zealand horse who won the Melbourne Cup in 1930, died of arsenic poisoning; however, foul play is still unknown.

The second winner was the initial victor.

A bay known as Archer won the first two races in 1861 and 1862.

The woman was victorious.

The mare Makybe Diva won the event for three consecutive years, in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

That mare was swift.

Filly Auraria was the initial female to win the Melbourne Cup in 1895.

The initial record endures.

Rain Lover not only established a course record for time but also triumphed by eight lengths in 1968, the largest margin since Archer in 1862, who still holds the 10-length record. This victory marked the first of back-to-back triumphs for Rain Lover.