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80-698: The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual "race that stops a nation", the Melbourne Cup , which was first contested in 1861. From its foundation in 1864 until 2001, the Victoria Racing Club was the responsible authority for the conduct of thoroughbred racing in

160-491: A Filipino father and a half-Aboriginal mother. The race has undergone several alterations in recent years, the most visible being the entry of many foreign-trained horses. Most have failed to cope with the conditions; the three successful "foreign raids" include two by Irish trainer Dermot K. Weld successful in 1993 and 2002, and one in 2006 by Katsumi Yoshida of Japan 's renowned Yoshida racing and breeding family. The attraction for foreigners to compete was, primarily,

240-703: A Pallion company, was awarded the rights to make the Melbourne Cup. The winning trophy contains 1.65 kg of 18-carat gold estimated at over $ 200,000. The cup is produced by W. J. Sanders , a sister division within Pallion and takes over 250 hours to produce. W. J. Sanders has produced each Melbourne Cup from 2016 to present. Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday for all working within metropolitan Melbourne and some parts of regional Victoria , but not for some country Victorian cities and towns which hold their own spring carnivals. For federal public servants it

320-553: A greyhound by some people. The last Melbourne Cup trophy manufactured in England was made for the 1914 event. It was a chalice centred on a long base which had a horse at each end. The trophy awarded in 1916, the first gold trophy, was a three-legged, three-armed rose bowl. The three-handled loving cup design was first awarded in 1919. In that year, the Victorian Racing Club had commissioned James Steeth to design

400-399: A 'result adjustment' style handicap event, the outcome may be adjusted by some factor determined by the handicap. Some forms of car or yacht racing. In this case, the winner, on elapsed time, may differ from the fastest competitor when the times have been adjusted for the different competitors' handicaps. In a 'pursuit' style handicap race, all participants are clocked in a time trial before

480-619: A Melbourne Cup winner. She also won the Caulfield Cup , a 2,400-metre race also held in Melbourne, and therefore has won the "Cups Double". Maree Lyndon became the first female to ride in the Melbourne Cup, when she partnered Argonaut Style in 1987, in which she ran second-last place in the 21-horse field. In 2004, Makybe Diva became the first mare to win two cups, and also the first horse to win with different trainers, after David Hall moved to Hong Kong and transferred her to

560-693: A Nuisance", was the first race run in Australia with prize money of $ 1 million. The winner of the first Melbourne Cup in 1861 received a gold watch. The first Melbourne Cup trophy was awarded in 1865 and was an elaborate silver bowl on a stand that had been manufactured in England. This is currently owned by Australian wine personality Wolf Blass and is on display at the Wolf Blass Gallery & Museum/Adelaide Hills Wine Bar in Hahndorf, South Australia. The first existing and un-altered Melbourne Cup

640-469: A bet (the "juice" or "vig" taken by the house). For example, Book 1 has Team A as a 3-point favorite, and Book 2 has team B as a 3-point favorite. If a player bets Team B at Book 1, and Team A at Book 2, he will win both bets if either side wins by 2 or fewer points, and will win one bet and lose the other (known as a "side") if either team wins by 3 points. Another strategy, known as arbitrage, or an "arb" or "scalp", involves finding different moneylines for

720-463: A formula using advanced statistical techniques that has shown consistency correctly predicting NFL winners. Handicapping, as a profession, is very similar to being a stock analyst . Like Wall Street did in the 1970s, the sports handicapping industry is undergoing a quantitative revolution. Many successful handicappers also use money management systems similar to financial investment professionals. The most popular, and mathematically superior, system

800-418: A half or full day off work to celebrate the occasion. Many people feel that the day should be a national public holiday as sick leave is said to increase on the day and productivity wanes. As early as 1865, Cup Day was a half-holiday in Melbourne for public servants and bank officials. Various businesses also closed at lunchtime. It took some years before the purpose of the declared holiday was acknowledged in

880-548: A handicap horse race is in determining which horse can overcome its handicap. In addition to the Daily Racing Form , other data sources include Brisnet, Equibase, The Ragozin Sheets, and Thoro-Graph. In rugby, one of the teams will start with a points advantage, and one will start with a deficit to make up in the match. If a team starts with the advantage, as long as they finish above the points different covered in

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960-788: A horse brought into Australia from Japan, neither Delta Blues nor Pop Rock participated in the 2007 Melbourne Cup . Both horses had been stabled in Japan. Corowa, NSW-trained "Leica Falcon" also was not permitted to race in Victoria despite Corowa being close to the Victorian border. Leica Falcon was ordained as the new staying star of Australian racing in 2005 when he ran fourth in both the Caulfield Cup and in Makybe Diva's famous third Melbourne Cup victory. But serious leg injuries saw

1040-415: A part of Melbourne and Australian culture, having been run every year since 1861 (except for an intermission during World War I and World War II ). The day of the race has been a public holiday for much of Victoria since 1876. It was originally run over two mi (3.219 km) but was shortened to 3,200 m (1 mi 1,740 yd) in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric system . This reduced

1120-465: A player to start a certain number of games ahead or behind in the match. The calculated match average is a handicap calculated for every motorcycle speedway rider. Handicapping in competitive cycling is most commonly used in track cycling and road racing in Australia and New Zealand. Handicap events are rare outside these two countries. In track cycling, distance-based handicaps are typically used. The highest-profile example of this racing format

1200-635: A thundering rush. Briseis, ridden by what one writer termed a mere child, (in the Cup) captured a rare double, the Victoria Race Club Derby and the Melbourne Cup. Shouts and hurrahs were heard, hats were thrown in the air and one excited individual fell on his back in the attempt to do a somersault. The boy who rode the winner was carried around the pack and is the hero of the day," reported the "Australasian Sketcher" in 1876. Both Peter St Albans and Briseis have now become racing legends, and Briseis

1280-487: A trophy that would be in keeping with the prestige of the race, little realising that it would become the iconic Melbourne Cup still presented today. In the Second World War years (1942, 1943 and 1944), the winning owner received war bonds valued at 200 pounds. A new trophy is struck each year and becomes the property of the winning owner. In the event of a dead heat, a second cup is on hand. The present trophy

1360-513: Is a numerical measure of a golfer's potential or "average best". Better players are those with the lowest handicaps. Types of chess handicaps include: Handicapping in go includes the weaker player being given an advantage by placing a number of stones before the stronger player commences, and by final points adjustment. Handicapping in shogi is achieved by removing one or more pieces from the stronger player's side. Shogi (Japanese chess) and many of its variants have handicaps . The polo handicap

1440-482: Is also observed as a holiday in the entire state of Victoria, and from 2007 to 2009 also in the Australian Capital Territory known as Family and Community Day replacing Picnic Day. The Melbourne cup captures the public's imagination to the extent that people, whether at work, home, school, or out and about, usually stop to watch or listen to the race. Many people from outside of Melbourne take

1520-465: Is an estimation of the player's worth to his or her team. It is an overall rating of a player's horsemanship, team play, knowledge of the game, strategy and horses. The difference between the total of the polo handicaps for the players on each team is then used to determine the minimum score difference for the better team to score to enable them to win. In polo, every player is awarded an individual handicap depending on performance. Handicap commissions of

1600-625: Is from 1866, presented to the owners of The Barb ; as of 2013, it is in the National Museum of Australia . The silver trophy presented in 1867, now also in the National Museum of Australia, was also made in England, but jewellers in Victoria complained to the Victorian Racing Club that the trophy should have been made locally. They believed the work of a Melburnian, William Edwards, to be superior in both design and workmanship to

1680-538: Is hand spun from 1.65 kg of 18-carat gold. The winning trainer and jockey also receive a miniature replica of the cup (since 1973) and the strapper is awarded the Tommy Woodcock Trophy, named after the strapper of Phar Lap . In 2003, an annual tour of the Melbourne Cup trophy was initiated to provide communities across Australia and New Zealand with an opportunity to view the Cup trophy and highlight

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1760-406: Is implemented using extra weight. A handicap race in horse racing is a race in which horses carry different weights, allocated by the handicapper. A better horse will carry a heavier weight, to give him or her a disadvantage when racing against slower horses. The handicapper's goal in assigning handicap weights is to enable all the horses to finish together (in a dead heat). The skill in betting on

1840-950: Is on the Thursday following the Cup, and LKS MacKinnon Stakes is on the Saturday following the Oaks. The VRC also hosts race meetings during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival . These meetings include Group 1 races for the Australian Cup , the Newmarket Handicap and the Black Caviar Lightning . Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne , Australia , at

1920-458: Is regarded as one of the greatest mares foaled in Australia. Briseis wasn't the only sensation surrounding the 1876 Melbourne Cup. Two months before the event, on Saturday 9 September, the City of Melbourne sailed for Melbourne from Sydney with a cargo including 13 racehorses, many of whom were considered serious contenders for the Melbourne Cup. The following day the ship ran into a savage storm and

2000-415: Is selected based on a range of factors, including each horse's age, weight, and previous racing performance. Weights were theoretically calculated to give each horse an equal winning chance in the past, but in recent years the rules were adjusted to a "quality handicap" formula where superior horses are given less severe weight penalties than under pure handicap rules. After the declaration of weights for

2080-421: Is the Melbourne Cup on Wheels . In road cycling, pursuit-style handicaps are most common, and are mostly restricted to grassroots amateur events. In the past, higher-profile national events such as the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic were run as handicaps, but with larger entry numbers and a preference for scratch racing among elite-level national competitors, these are no longer run as handicaps. Because of

2160-661: The Flemington Racecourse . It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival . It is the richest two-mile handicap in the world and one of the richest turf races. The event starts at 3:00 pm on the first Tuesday of November and is known locally as "the race that stops the nation". The Melbourne Cup has cemented itself as

2240-519: The Lee Freedman stables. The 2005 Melbourne Cup was held before a crowd of 106,479. Makybe Diva made history by becoming the only horse to win the race three times. Trainer Lee Freedman said after the race, "Go and find the youngest child on the course because that's the only person here who will have a chance of seeing this happen again in their lifetime." Due to the 2007 Australian equine influenza outbreak , believed to have been started by

2320-440: The point spread . A favored team that wins by less than the point spread still wins the game, but bets on that team loss. In either case the handicapper is the person who sets the handicaps for the activity. The term handicap derives from hand-in-cap , referring to a system wherein players placed bets or money into the cap of a neutral arbiter to reach an agreement as to the relative values of items sought to be traded. In

2400-521: The "Exeter Farm". As early as 1865, Cup day was a half-holiday in Melbourne for public servants and bank officials. Various businesses also closed at lunchtime. It took some years before the purpose of the declared holiday was acknowledged in the Victoria Government Gazette. The Gazette of 31 October 1873 announced that the following Thursday (Cup Day) be observed as a bank and civil (public) service holiday. The Melbourne Cup

2480-469: The 1862 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Randwick , Sydney, and returned to win his second Melbourne Cup carrying 10 stone 2 pounds. He defeated a field of twenty starters by eight lengths, a record that has never been beaten, and that was not matched for over 100 years. Mormon again running second. Winning the Melbourne Cup twice was a feat not repeated until more than seventy years later when Peter Pan won

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2560-637: The Australian Government Standards. The Werribee International Horse Centre at Werribee Racecourse is the Victorian quarantine station for international horses competing in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival . The facility has stabling for up to 24 horses in five separate stable complexes and is located 32 km from the Melbourne CBD . The total prize money for the 2023 race was A$ 8,410,000, plus an 18-carat solid gold trophy weighing 1.69kg and valued at $ 600,000 to

2640-467: The English-made trophy. No trophy was awarded to the Melbourne Cup winner for the next eight years. In 1876, Edward Fischer , an immigrant from Austria, produced the first Australian-made trophy. It was an Etruscan shape with two handles. One side depicted a horse race with the grandstand and hill of Flemington in the background. The opposite side had the words "Melbourne Cup, 1876" and the name of

2720-527: The Melbourne Cup race and 1,400 horses have died on the Australian racetracks. Some brands that have boycotted Melbourne cup include Myer , David Jones and Country Road. The race is a quality handicap for horses three years old and older, run over a distance of 3200 metres, on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington Racecourse. The minimum handicap weight is 50kg. There is no maximum weight, but

2800-530: The Melbourne Cup, the winner of any handicap flat race of the advertised value of A$ 55,000 or over to the winner, or an internationally recognised Listed, Group, or Graded handicap flat race, shall carry such additional weight (if any), for each win, as the VRC Handicapper shall determine. Entries for the Melbourne Cup usually close during the first week of August. The initial entry fee is $ 600 per horse. Around 300 to 400 horses are nominated each year, but

2880-641: The State of Victoria , Australia. Since 2001, this role has been managed by Racing Victoria Limited . The VRC is managed by an unpaid committee, elected by club members. In 1871, the Victorian Government appointed the VRC as trustees of a site of 352 acres (1.4 km) of Crown Land, next to the Maribyrnong River , which became known as Flemington Racecourse . Much of the early success of

2960-525: The VRC is attributed to the administration of the first Secretary of the club, R. C. Bagot and his successors H. Byron Moore and A. V. Kewney . The Victoria Racing Club hosts four race meetings at Flemington during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival . The Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday in November, the Victoria Derby are held on the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup, the VRC Oaks

3040-440: The Victoria Government Gazette. The Gazette of 31 October 1873 announced that the following Thursday (Cup Day) be observed as a bank and civil (public) service holiday. Handicapping Handicapping also refers to the various methods by which spectators can predict and quantify the results of a sporting match. The term is applied to the practice of predicting the result of a competition, such as for purposes of betting against

3120-474: The Victorian Turf Club and steward on the day of the first Cup, was credited with forming the idea to hold a horse race and calling it the "Melbourne Cup". Seventeen horses contested the first Melbourne Cup on Thursday 7 November 1861, racing for the modest prize of 710 gold sovereigns ( £ 710) cash and a hand-beaten gold watch , winner takes all. The prize was not, as some have suggested,

3200-466: The area where Archer was trained but was actually John 'Cutts' Dillon, the son of a Sydney clerk, a jockey who rode for many trainers in his long career, and who was one of the best known, best-liked and most respected jockeys in New South Wales. It is thought that Peter St Albans was the first Aboriginal jockey to win the cup, on Briseis in 1876. Because St Albans was not quite 13 years old,

3280-402: The captain as token of their appreciation for his part in saving them many thousands of pounds in bets already laid on the favourites who had perished. Perhaps they should have kept their money, however. The outsider Briseis comfortably won by 1 length in the biggest field of all time and in an extremely good time, so it is unlikely that the horses who perished could have beaten her. 1877 is also

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3360-653: The contribution the Melbourne Cup has made to Australia's social, sporting and racing culture. Each year, communities in Australia and New Zealand apply for the cup to tour their community and the tour also takes in cities around the world as part of the Victoria Racing Club's strategy to promote the Melbourne Cup and the Melbourne Cup Carnival internationally. The Tour has visited schools and aged-care and hospital facilities, and participated in community events and celebrations including race days across Australia and New Zealand. Frederick Standish , member of

3440-496: The distance by 18.688 m (61 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 4  in), and Rain Lover 's 1968 race record of 3:19.1 was accordingly adjusted to 3:17.9. The present record holder is the 1990 winner Kingston Rule with a time of 3:16.3. Due to animal cruelty, Melbourne Cup has been steadily declining in popularity, a massive amount of organisations and individuals have boycotted Melbourne Cup. From 2014 - 2024, six horses have died in

3520-610: The excitement of the Cup. The next day, Archer was raced in and won another 2-mile long-distance race, the Melbourne Town Plate. It has become legend that Archer walked over 800 km (over 500 miles) to Flemington from de Mestre's stable at "Terara" near Nowra, New South Wales . However, newspaper archives of the day reveal that he had travelled south from Sydney to Melbourne on the steamboat City of Melbourne , together with de Mestre, and two of de Mestre's other horses Exeter and Inheritor. Before being winched aboard

3600-399: The final field is limited to 24 starters. Following the allocation of weights, the owner of each horse must on the four occasions before the race in November declare the horse as an acceptor and pay a fee. First acceptance is $ 960, second acceptance is $ 1,450 and third acceptance is $ 2,420. The final acceptance fee, on the Saturday prior to the race, is $ 45,375. Should a horse be balloted out of

3680-424: The final field, the final declaration fee is refunded. The race directors may exclude any horse from the race or exempt any horse from the ballot on the race, but in order to reduce the field to the safety limit of 24, horses are balloted out based on a number of factors which include prize money earned in the previous two years, wins or placings in certain lead-up races and allocated handicap weight. The winners of

3760-459: The following races are exempt from any ballot: The limitation of 24 starters is stated explicitly to be for safety reasons. However, in the past far larger numbers were allowed – the largest field ever raced was 39 runners in 1890. International horses (except from New Zealand) entering Australia must undergo quarantine in an approved premises in their own country for a minimum period of 14 days before travelling to Australia. Premises must meet

3840-519: The game. The first very well known sports handicapper in American culture was Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder . During his career he worked for CBS on their Sunday morning show, The NFL Today . Because sports betting had a social taboo at the time, Snyder was not allowed to mention betting on games specifically. Instead, he would predict the score. Over the years the attitude towards sports betting, and handicapping in general, has changed. Billy Walters

3920-468: The handicap, then your selection will win. The points handicap will be greater due to higher point scoring nature of rugby. With a basketball handicap, you will be backing a team to start with a points advantage or deficit to make up in the match. Basketball handicapping is often seen in matches that are predicted to be one-sided. Handicapping in the sport of golf enables players and teams of varying abilities to compete against one another. A golf handicap

4000-464: The hardy New Zealand bred, Martini-Henry won the VRC Derby, the Melbourne Cup and on the following Monday retained his undefeated record by winning Mares' Produce Stakes. Phar Lap , the most famous horse in the world of his day, won the 1930 Melbourne Cup at 11/8 odds on, the shortest-priced favourite in the history of the race. He had to be hidden away at Geelong before the race after an attempt

4080-526: The horse not race for another 20 months. Efficient , the previous year's VRC Derby winner, won the race. In 2013, Damien Oliver returned from an eight-month ban, after betting against his own mount at a previous race meet, to win his 3rd Melbourne cup. The 2019 Melbourne Cup was overshadowed by recent news of the ill treatment of horses in the Australian racing industry, and by the pulling out of celebrities including Taylor Swift , Megan Gale , and X-Men actress Lana Condor . In 2016, ABC Bullion,

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4160-435: The importance of drafting in cycling events, riders are usually grouped into a limited number of "bunches" based on previous results, with the bunches containing the weakest riders leaving first. Prizes are typically awarded to the first finishers, first female finisher (in mixed events), and fastest time recorded (who may not have crossed the line first due to the handicapping). There are strategies that involve differences in

4240-436: The jockey was too young to ride in the cup. Thus, to allow him to race Briseis in the Cup, it was argued his birthdate and parents were unknown, and from this, the legend of him being Aboriginal grew. Both these legends, however, can definitely be disproved, and history had to wait nearly another 100 years. The first jockey of Indigenous heritage to ride a Melbourne Cup winner was Frank Reys in 1973 on Gala Supreme , who had

4320-469: The largest purse up to that time. A large crowd of 4,000 men and women watched the race, although it has been suggested this was less than expected because of news reaching Melbourne of the death of explorers Burke and Wills five days earlier on 2 November. Nevertheless, the attendance was the largest at Flemington on any day for the past two years, with the exception of the recently run Two Thousand Guinea Stakes. The winner of this first Melbourne Cup race

4400-416: The lines on the same event at different books. One bet is called a "middle", which when a player finds two books that offer different point spreads for the same event. They will bet the more favorable spread at both books, and if the final score falls between the two, the bettor will win both bets. On the other hand, if the total falls outside the range of the "middle" the bettor only loses a small percentage of

4480-470: The low-profile change to the new "quality handicap" weighting system. The 1910 Melbourne Cup was won by Comedy King, the first foreign bred horse to do so. Subsequent foreign-bred horses to win Cup were Backwood, 1924; Phar Lap , 1930; Wotan, 1936; Beldale Ball , 1980; At Talaq , 1986; Kingston Rule , 1990; Vintage Crop , 1993; Jeune , 1994; Media Puzzle , 2002; Makybe Diva , 2003, 2004, 2005; Americain , 2010; and Dunaden , 2011. The 1938 Melbourne Cup

4560-413: The name Tim Whiffler ran in the Melbourne Cup. (The year before in 1866 two horses with the same name, Falcon, also ran in the Melbourne Cup.) To distinguish between the two Tim Whifflers they were called "Sydney" Tim Whiffler and "Melbourne" Tim Whiffler. "Sydney" Tim Whiffler actually won the Cup. He was trained by Etienne de Mestre, and like Archer before him raced in de Mestre's name but was leased from

4640-542: The national associations meet several times a year to decide players’ handicaps. Argentina: 0 to 10 USA: C (-2), B (-1), B+ (-0.5), A (0), A+ (0.5), 1.0, 1.5, 2 to 10 England: -2 to 10 Handicaps for sailing vessels in sailing races have varied throughout history, and they also vary by country, and by sailing organisation. Sailing handicap standards exist internationally, nationally, and within individual sailing clubs. Sailing race handicaps may be based on vessel capability and-or crew experience, and today typically adjust

4720-812: The one of the premier NBA handicappers in the world. He claims to have developed a system that uses advanced statistical analysis to predict the outcomes of games. In the past, very few people did any mathematical calculations when handicapping sporting events. Predictions were usually made from hunches or information not readily available to the public. However, with the advancement of technology computers powerful enough to run advanced simulation models now frequent homes and offices. Advanced statistics such as DVOA, Win Shares and Points per Possession are talked about in mainstream media. Brian Burke, author of The Fifth Down blog featured in The New York Times , wrote

4800-458: The race in 1932 and 1934, and winning the Melbourne Cup two years in a row was a feat not repeated until more than 30 years later when Rain Lover won in 1968 and 1969. Archer travelled to Melbourne by steamboat yet again the next year (1863). Despite his weight of 11 stone 4 pounds, Archer would have contested the third cup in 1863, but due to a Victorian public holiday trainer Etienne de Mestre's telegraphed acceptance form arrived late, and Archer

4880-418: The race. When this takes place at the same event as the main race, it is known as the handicap. In the race itself, the participants do not all start at the same "Go"; the starts are staggered, based on the handicaps. The slowest swimmer, or cyclist, for example, starts first and the fastest starts last, making the end of the race (hopefully) close. An ideal handicap race is one in which all participants finish at

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4960-405: The recorded age thirteen (he was actually twelve, being 8 days short of his thirteenth birthday), Peter St Albans is also the youngest person ever to win a Melbourne Cup. Before 75,000 at Flemington Briseis, with St Albans in the saddle, comfortably won by 1 length in the biggest field of all time. "At 4 o'clock the starter released the 33 runners and they swept down the long Flemington straight in

5040-410: The same event. In this case, the bettor will bet the more favorable line at both books, and have a guaranteed profit. For example, if Book 1 considers Team A to be worth +200 (2-to-1 underdog), and Book 2 considers Team B to be worth +200, a bettor can bet Team A at Book 1, and Team B at Book 2, and guarantee a 100% profit. This is a no-risk bet, as the player is guaranteed a profit no matter the result of

5120-522: The same time. The winner is the person who beats his or her own time. Similarly, physically staggered starting positions can be used, for example, in greyhound racing a handicap race is where greyhounds (based on their ability) start from different starting traps set at different measurements from the finish line, and in human foot racing, for example, the Stawell Gift . Some motorsport events, especially in sports car racing , demand teams to stop

5200-572: The steamboat for the trip to Melbourne, the horses had arrived in Sydney in September 1861. Archer travelled to Melbourne by steamboat again the following year (1862) to run in the second Melbourne Cup. This time he won 810 gold sovereigns (£810) cash and a gold watch before a crowd of 7,000, nearly twice the size of the previous years large crowd in a time of 3.47.00, taking to two the number of Melbourne Cup wins by this horse. Archer had already won

5280-419: The time a vessel takes to reach the finish point of the race. The ATP, WTA, Challenger, and ITF events have plenty of matches which can be one-sided, which results in short odds being offered with various betting sites. Therefore, there is not ever much value in backing a specific player to win, which is why handicap betting is often popular. Handicap betting in tennis often means that you are wagering funds on

5360-427: The top allocated weight must not be less than 57kg. The weight allocated to each horse is declared by the VRC Handicapper in early September. The Melbourne Cup race is a handicap contest in which the weight of the jockey and riding gear is adjusted with ballast to a nominated figure. Older horses carry more weight than younger ones and weights are adjusted further according to the horse's previous results. The field

5440-516: The vehicle in the pitbox a fixed period of time depending on the drivers' classification, thus giving advantage to less skilled drivers. An example of a championship using this system is the International GT Open . The advantage of this system over ballast weight systems is that vehicles have the normal performance on track, so better drivers will be able to recover time and overtake slower drivers. Contrarily, horse race handicapping

5520-421: The winner. The first 12 past the post receive prize money, with the winner being paid $ 4.4 million, second $ 1.1 million, third $ 550,000, fourth $ 350,000, fifth $ 230,000, with sixth through to twelfth place earning $ 160,000. Prize money is distributed to the connections of each horse in the ratio of 85 percent to the owner, 10 percent to the trainer and 5 percent to the jockey. The 1985 Melbourne Cup, won by "What

5600-409: The winning horse. A silver-plated base sporting three silver horses was added in 1888, but in 1891 the prize changed to being a 15 in-high (380 mm), 24 in-long (610 mm) trophy showing a Victory figure offering an olive wreath to a jockey. From 1899, the trophy was in the form of silver galloping horse embossed on a 3 ft-long (0.9 m) plaque, although it was said to look like

5680-430: The year that the trainer Etienne de Mestre won his fourth Melbourne Cup with Chester owned by Hon. James White. In 1878, as in previous years, De Mestre fielded more than one horse. He entered the favourite Firebell (owned by W. S. Cox) who finished last, Chester (owned by Hon. James White) the previous year's winner who fell, and Calamia (owned by de Mestre) who, though less fancied, won easily by two lengths. First prize

5760-619: Was a 16.3 hand bay stallion by the name of Archer in a time of 3.52.00, ridden by John Cutts , trained by Etienne de Mestre , and leased (and consequently raced in his own name) by de Mestre. As a lessee de Mestre owned and was fully responsible for Archer during the lease. Archer was leased from the "Exeter Farm" of Jembaicumbene near Braidwood, New South Wales . His owners were Thomas John "Tom" Roberts (a good school-friend of de Mestre's), Rowland H. Hassall (Roberts' brother-in-law), and Edmund Molyneux Royds and William Edward Royds (Roberts' nephews). The inaugural Melbourne Cup of 1861

5840-422: Was an eventful affair when one horse bolted before the start, and three of the seventeen starters fell during the race, two of which died. Archer, a Sydney outsider who drew scant favour in the betting, spread-eagled the field and defeated the favourite, and Victorian champion, Mormon by six lengths. Dismissed by the bookies, Archer took a lot of money away from Melbourne, 'refuelling interstate rivalry' and adding to

5920-522: Was first run on a Tuesday in 1875, the first Tuesday in that month. On 7 November 1876, the three-year-old filly, Briseis , owned and trained by James Wilson Snr. , won in a time of 3.36.25. Briseis then went on to create a record that is never likely to be equalled, winning the VRC Derby, the Melbourne Cup and the VRC Oaks in the space of six days. She was ridden in the Melbourne Cup by the tiny featherweight figure of jockey Peter St Albans . In 1876 at

6000-531: Was hit by several rogue waves, with Nemesis (the winner of the 1876 AJC Metropolitan Handicap in Randwick, Sydney and favourite for the Cup, owned by John Moffat) and Robin Hood (another favourite, owned by Etienne de Mestre) being among the 11 horses that were killed. Betting on the big race was paralysed. To the dismay and anger of the public, bookmakers, showing no feeling, presented a purse (loaded with coins) to

6080-435: Was made to shoot him and only emerged an hour before the race time of the Cup. Phar Lap also competed in 1929 and 1931, but came 3rd and 8th respectively, despite heavy favouritism in both years. There are a few legends of the first Aboriginal jockey to ride in a Melbourne Cup. It was believed to be John Cutts who won the first and second cups in 1861 and 1862 riding archer . He was reputedly an Aboriginal stockman born in

6160-491: Was profiled by 60 Minutes because of his handicapping abilities. Billy Walters, and other unknown members of the Computer Group, developed a system for handicapping games and beating Las Vegas sportsbooks. The Huffington Post covered Jon Price a reclusive sports bettor that hires Ph.D's and works off of algorithmic information for his predictions. ESPN wrote an article on Haralabos Voulgaris naming him as

6240-443: Was scratched on a technicality. In protest of this decision and in a show of solidarity, many of de Mestre's owners boycotted the third race and scratched their horses in sympathy. As a result, the Melbourne Cup of that year ran with only 7 starters, the smallest number in the history of the Cup. In 1865, Adam Lindsay Gordon wrote a verse in which the Melbourne Cup winner was called Tim Whiffler. Two years later in 1867 two horses with

6320-461: Was won by trainer Mrs. Allan McDonald , who conditioned Catalogue . Mrs McDonald was a successful trainer in New Zealand; however, at the time, women were not allowed to compete as trainers in Australia, so her husband's name was officially recorded as the winning trainer. The 2001 edition was won by New Zealand mare Ethereal , trained by Sheila Laxon , the first woman to formally train

6400-401: Was £1,790, the crowd was 80,000 and there were 30 starters. De Mestre's 1878 win with Calamia brought to 5 the number of Melbourne Cups he had won. This record was not to be matched for nearly 100 years when the trainer Bart Cummings won his fifth Melbourne Cup in 1975. Bart Cummings, regarded as the best Australian horse trainer of all time, went on to win 12 Melbourne Cups to 2008. In 1883,

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