2008 Melbourne Cup Betting and Information
The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s biggest horseracing event, and the best attended horserace in the world. Run in early November every year, the Melbourne Cup brings the whole of Australia to a standstill as people throughout the country tune into the race to watch some of the greatest racehorses in the world compete in front of massive crowds.
Open to three year old and above thoroughbred racehorses, the 2008 Melbourne Cup will see contestants take on a two mile course on Flemington Racecourse under weights. As easily the most prestigious two mile handicap run anywhere in the world the Melbourne Cup offers Australia’s biggest prize fund, with the winner taking home A$3,000,000.
Melbourne Cup History
The Melbourne Cup dates back to 1861, when 17 horses contested the first race for the prize of a gold watch and A$170 in cash. From the outset the race drew a big crowd, with 4000 Melbourne locals witnessing Archer take the first Melbourne Cup title.
In more than a century of racing at Flemington Racecourse, the Melbourne Cup has witnessed some great horseracing moments. Highlights included the performances of the legendary Phar Lap, and the win of Comedy King in 1910 which marked the Melbourne Cup transition into a race of international importance.
In recent years the Melbourne Cup has managed to sustain the interest of punters and racing fans, and for several decades has annually hosted crowds in excess of 100,000 people for the big race. Massive public interest in the event led to the race day being designated an official public holiday in the host state of Victoria.
2008 Melbourne Cup Betting
Approximately three quarters of Australia’s adult population bet on the Melbourne cup each year. This massive interest and investment in Melbourne Cup betting means that the race can lay claim to some of the largest betting markets in international horseracing.
Unlike the equally famous Ascot Gold Cup, the Melbourne Gold Cup is a handicap race, which sees additional weight added to form horses in order to even the field. This transforms 2008 Melbourne Cup betting into a challenging undertaking, and punters need to understand the history of the race and pay attention to race trends to earn good dividends.
Bookmark Melbourne Cup betting for all the information you’ll need to make the most of your 2008 Melbourne Cup betting opportunities.
Horseracing News
- Viewed wins 2008 Melbourne Cup 4 Nov 2008, 9:59 am
Australian trainer Bart Cummings won his 12th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday when his 40/1 priced entry, Viewed, came out of nowhere to clinch Australia’s biggest race by a nose. A horse that had been. […] - A look at the 2008 Melbourne Cup favourites 3 Nov 2008, 12:28 pm
The race that stops a nation has drawn one of the strongest fields in its history this year, making it even more challenging for punters to make their selections from the large field that will partici. […] - Raven’s Pass wins Breeders Cup Classic 26 Oct 2008, 10:49 am
Raven’s Pass produced the upset of the Breeders Cup series on Saturday by defeating a world class field in the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic. John Gosden’s entry was never considered a r. […] - Europeans thrive on synthetic turf 26 Oct 2008, 10:38 am
European trainers enjoyed their finest outing in the history of the Breeders’ Cup yesterday as several horses trained in the United Kingdom achieved wins in the world’s richest thoroughbr. […] - O’Brien in 17th Heaven 2 Aug 2008, 7:22 pm
Halfway to Heaven handed Aidan O’Brien his 17th group one win of the season on Saturday, defeating a star-studded field to take the 2008 Nassau Stakes. Johnny Murtagh will claim a lot of the cre. […]
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