Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is without doubt the biggest race in Australia, in fact it is one of the biggest races in the world. It is billed as the ‘Race That Stops A Nation’ with the entire nation coming to a standstill to watch the race.

It is in fact the richest 3200 metre (2 mile) handicap in the world carrying a prize purse of $6 million. The Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington each year at around 3pm in the afternoon.

The 2011 Melbourne Cup will be run on November 1st and a field of 24 horses will be vying to become the 151st winner in the history of the race.

Which Bookie Should You Bet With?

This is a very good question. There are plenty of great bookmakers in Australia and while they will all offer Melbourne Cup markets, they vary in what products they offer to punters.

Online bookie IASbet.com are generally regarded as the leader in thoroughbred racing as they offer early bird markets and odds greater than the 3 Australian TAB’s.

Centrebet.com are another highly rated bookmaker who offer a SuperPrice product, while Sportsbet.com.au and Sportingbet.com.au are popular as they offer clients Quaddie betting facilities which is very popular.

How To Pick a Winner?

With a large field of 24 horses that are among the best long distance runners in the world, picking winners is obviously fairly tough. But I usually follow a system which has proven successful numerous times.

History shows that 4yo, 5yo and 6yo colts or geldings have prevailed more times than any other horse. Also, horses carrying weight between 50.0kg and 56.5kg is the weight range majority of winners come from. Look for horses paying $20 or under as well.

While there is no exact science to picking winners, sticking to runners in this category will give you a better chance of picking out a winner. Usually there will be 4 or 5 horses that fit this criteria so you will well and truly be on your way.

What are the Key Lead Up Races?

Often races held earlier in the Melbourne spring racing carnival can prove to be an invaluable guide when analysing the form guides. I’d highly recommend checking out races such as the Mackinnon Stakes, Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate.

The Melbourne Cup combines with the Caulfield Cup to form the Cups Double. Usually you can get some pretty decent odds from the bookmakers to bet on the Cups Double.

By following the form early on in the carnival, you will be able to get on horses at fixed prices at some good odds before their odds drop prior to the Melbourne Cup. These three races mentioned will affect the odds greatly if a particular horse runs well.

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