Melbourne Cup 2024 – The Unconventional Form Guide

For once-a-year punters, the form guide is not the essential tool in looking to find the Melbourne Cup. It’s the saddlecloth number, the name, the colours, and just about every other little detail like that which frustrates punters who actually do the form and come up with nothing while the novice collects because he/she likes the colour blue.

Well if you are one of those punters, here are the best 24 quirky facts about the Melbourne Cup.

1. Seven letter names have won the Melbourne Cup on 32 occasions, including the 1996 Cup winner, Saintly. In the last 30 years however, only four have saluted. Breakup and Absurde are the 2023 runners with seven letters in the name.

2. Only one grey has won the Melbourne Cup in the last 30 years. Efficient won in 2007. No greys are represented in 2020.

3. 12 runners have done the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double. The last to do it was the champion kiwi mare Ethereal in 2001. Duke De Sessa won’t be contesting the Melbourne Cup.

4. 14 six year olds have won the race over the last 30 years, the latest being Verry Elleegant in 2021. 7 of the 24 runners engaged are six years old.

5. In the last ten years, five horses has come through the Caulfield Cup to win the Melbourne Cup. 9 of the 24 runners for the 2023 Cup come through the Caulfield Cup.

6. Three eight year olds have won the Melbourne Cup, the latest being Twilight Payment in 2020. In 2024, there are no eight year olds.

7. Horses with their manhood have won nine Melbourne Cups since 2008. 4 of the 24 runners on Tuesday haven’t had to have the worst kind of surgery.

8. Since 2007, horses drawn gate 10 or wider have won the Cup on 11 occasions.

9. The number 20 saddlecloth hasn’t won since 1897 when Gaulus won with 48kg on his back. Mostly Cloudy will carry that saddlecloth number on Tuesday.

10. Horses with more than one word in their name have a fair record in the last 30 years. 19 of the last 30 have had more than one word, so that keeps the dream alive for 11 runners in the field on Tuesday. However, since the inaugural running in 1861, only seven horses with more than two words have won, so that dents the chances of three runners.

11. The traditional final ditch effort to squeeze into the final field of 24 for the race came on the Saturday prior in the Archer Stakes (2500m), but that race has moved. Not since Shocking in 2009 has a horse won a golden ticket race, a free entry race, and won the Cup.

12. Out of 163 runnings of the Melbourne Cup, the favourite has won 35 and placed in 72. Vauban will likely start favourite in the race on Tuesday.

13. The obvious trainer is the legend himself, James Bartholomew “Bart” Cummings, who has trained 12 Melbourne Cup winners. Other trainers in the 2024 race to have won it previously are Ciaron Maher (Gold Trip 2022), Chris Waller (Verry Elleegant 2021, Gai Waterhouse (Fiorente 2013) and Sheila Laxon (Ethereal 2001).

14. Jockeys who have won the race before that are riding it on Tuesday are Mark Zahra (Twice), Craig Williams (Vow And Declare, 2019), Jye McNeil (Twilight Payment 2020) and Kerrin McEvoy (Three Times).

15. Number 18 hasn’t been kind to the Melbourne Cup. Barrier 18 has never been a winning Melbourne Cup gate, while only two Melbourne Cup winners have carried the 18 saddlecloth. That will make it harder for Interpretation and Land Legend.

16. Only two four year old mares have won the Melbourne Cup in the last 30 years, with Let’s Elope winning in 1991 and Ethereal in 2001. Good luck Zardozi.

17. Over 80 international gallopers have attempted to win the Melbourne Cup at the start of their Australian campaign. Vintage Crop had been the lone victor, back in 1993, until Rekindling did the deed in 2017 and then Cross Counter last year. 2 of the 24 will be first up into the race.

18. Non-Victorian based riders have dominated the Cup in recent times, winning all but nine since 2000. Numbers 1,2,4,8,9,10,11,14,15,17,20,21,22,23 and 24 all have non-Victorian based riders.

19. Since the barriers were first used in the Cup in 1924, only two horses have come from barrier seven to win- Blackwood in that year, and then 80 years later with Makybe Diva. Good luck Absurde!

20. Weights between 53kg-56.5kg have been prominent in recent years, albeit Gold Trip won the race in 2022 with 57.5kg and before him, Verry Elleegant with 57kg. Besides Makybe Diva, only Think Big has carried 58kg or more to win the Cup, back in 1975.

21. 19 Cup winners have had black as their predominate colour. Recent winner with black in their silks was Shocking in 2009. Okita Soushi is predominantly black in silks.

22. Horses $31 or longer in the market have won seven Cups since 1861, the last being Twilight Payment in 2020. 12 runners in the 2020 Cup are $31 or longer in betting.

23. In 162 runnings of the race, 141 have been male winners. Sorry to Zardozi, Positivity and The Map.

24. Since 2000, Jockeys that have worn gloves in the Cup have won 16 times. Joao Moreira (Buckaroo), Kerrin McEvoy (Absurde), Robbie Dolan (Knight’s Choice), Craig Williams (Onesmoothoperator), Jye McNeil (Just Fine), Craig Newitt (Virtuous Circle), Jamie Kah (Okita Soushi), Hollie Doyle (Sea King), Craig Newitt (Valiant King), Ron Stewart (Fancy Man), Winina Costin (Positivity), Tyler Schiller (Saint George) and Mark Du Plessis (Trust In You) are all known glove wearing riders.