Interesting Trivia
In its 150+ year history, the Melbourne Cup has compiled many different facts.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
Most wins
That record goes to Makybe Diva, who won the race three times in succession between 2003 and 2005.
On each occasion she was ridden by Glen Boss.
Horses to have won the race twice include:
- Think Big (1974, 1975)
- Rain Lover (1968, 1969)
- Peter Pan (1932, 1934)
- Archer (1861, 1862)
Archer has the distinction of being the winner of the first ever Melbourne Cup (1861) plus he won it the following year.
Dual Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winners
Several horses have won the dual Cups event in the same year.
One horse in particular; Rising Fast not only won both Cups in 1954, he also won the WS Cox Plate the same year.
He’s the only horse so far to win the three major spring races in one campaign.
- Ethereal (2001)
- Might And Power (1997)
- Doremius (1995)
- Lets Elope (1991)
- Gurners Lane (1982)
- Galilee (1966)
- Even Stevens (1962)
- Rising Fast (1954)
- Rivette (1939)
- The Trump (1937)
- Poseidon (1906)
Fastest Time
The fastest time recorded so far is the 1990 Cup won by Kingston Rule, in a time of: 3:16:3.
Heaviest Weight Carried
Two horses stand out for most weight carried.
In 1890, the great Carbine carried 66kg in a field of 39 runners.
They certainly did things a bit different back in those days.
Out of his 43 career starts, he won or was placed 42 times; his only blemish was when he ran with a split hoof.
In 1930, the equally great Phar Lap carried 62.5 kg to win as a four year old.
Carrying that sort of weight in modern time is unheard of.
To top it off, he raced on each of the four days of the 1930 carnival and won a race on each day.
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