Melbourne Cup Champions

A win at the Melbourne Cup means an instant entry into the history books of Australian thoroughbred racing. During a century and a half of Melbourne Cup racing at Flemington racecourse, some of the most talented racehorses and trainers in history have built their reputations and inspired legends.

Melbourne Cup Champion Trainers

With a A$5 million prize fund at stake, winning the Melbourne Cup is the ultimate ambition of any thoroughbred trainer in the world. Although dozens of trainers have been fortunate enough to claim this honour in the last decade, only a few have managed to win the Melbourne Cup several times.

Two of the most notable trainers in recent Melbourne Cup history have been Australians Bart Cummings and Lee Freedman. Lee Freedman has taken five Melbourne Cups during his brilliant career, with two of these coming courtesy of the record breaking Makybe Diva.

Whilst Freedman, only aged 51, will doubtless win many more Melbourne Cups during his career, the award for the greatest Melbourne Cup trainer has to go to Bart Cummings. With more than double the Melbourne Cup wins of Lee Freedman to his credit, Bart Cummings is the undisputed king of the Melbourne Cup. His eleven Melbourne Cup champions have accounted for nearly a quarter of the Melbourne Cups run in the last four decades.

Melbourne Cup Champion Racehorses

Whilst trainers earn most of the plaudits, and money, for a Melbourne Cup win, it is the superb Australian thoroughbreds that the crowds come to watch on Cup Day. Several of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses in the history of Australian racing have taken the Melbourne Cup during their careers.

Of these Phar Lap is perhaps the most famous Melbourne Cup winner. While other racehorses have claimed multiple wins at the Melbourne Cup, there is little doubt that Phar Lap was a almost a freak in terms of physique and power, and had he run under the current handicap system may have captured many more titles.

While Phar Lap holds a unique place in the hearts of the Australian racing public, several other thoroughbred have accomplished inspiring feats at the Melbourne Cup. Both Rain Lover and Kingston rule ran almost perfect races to set record times over the old and new distance respectively. More recently Makybe Diva became the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup three times, a remarkable feat for a filly in this race.