The official Melbourne Cup draw is an important aspect of the famous race, with some barriers clearly better than others in a historical analysis of winning horses.
The barrier draw is released only a few days before the race takes place, announced on Saturday, 2nd November on Victoria Derby Day.
FIELD: View the Final Melbourne Cup 2024 Field
| Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VAUBAN (FR) | Willie Mullins | William Buick | 11 | 55.5kg |
| 2 | BUCKAROO (GB) | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira | 21 | 54.5kg |
| 3 | CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra | 24 | 54.5kg |
| 4 | WARP SPEED (JPN) | Noboru Takagi | Akira Sugawara | 3 | 54.5kg |
| 5 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 17 | 53.5kg |
| 6 | SHARP ’N’ SMART (NZ) | Graeme & Deborah Rogerson | Michael Dee | 15 | 53.5kg |
| 7 | JUST FINE (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jye McNeil | 13 | 53kg |
| 8 | LAND LEGEND (FR) | Chris Waller | Zac Purton | 18 | 53kg |
| 9 | ABSURDE (FR) | Willie Mullins | Kerrin McEvoy | 7 | 52.5kg |
| 10 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | Zac Lloyd (a) | 2 | 52kg |
| 11 | KNIGHT’S CHOICE | John Symons & Sheila Laxon | Robbie Dolan | 6 | 51.5kg |
| 12 | OKITA SOUSHI (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Ms Jamie Kah | 10 | 51kg |
| 13 | ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA) | Brian Ellison | Craig Williams | 12 | 51kg |
| 14 | ZARDOZI | James Cummings | Andrea Atzeni | 4 | 51kg |
| 15 | SEA KING (GB) | Harry Eustace | Ms Hollie Doyle | 1 | 50.5kg |
| 16 | VALIANT KING (GB) | Chris Waller | Craig Newitt | 22 | 50.5kg |
| 17 | FANCY MAN (IRE) | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | Ron Stewart | 19 | 50kg |
| 18 | INTERPRETATION (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Teo Nugent | 14 | 50kg |
| 19 | MANZOICE | Chris Waller | Declan Bates | 8 | 50kg |
| 20 | MOSTLY CLOUDY (IRE) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Karis Teetan | 16 | 50kg |
| 21 | POSITIVITY (NZ) | Andrew Forsman | Ms Winona Costin | 20 | 50kg |
| 22 | SAINT GEORGE (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Tyler Schiller | 9 | 50kg |
| 23 | THE MAP | Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray | Ms Rachel King | 23 | 50kg |
| 24 | TRUST IN YOU (NZ) | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | Mark Du Plessis | 5 | 50kg |
Is the Barrier Draw televised?
Usually the barrier draw for the Melbourne Cup is televised on the main racing channels. The 2024 draw should be televised on Racing.com (Channel 78). Not near a TV? No need to worry we will post the barrier draw here as it’s announced.
2024 Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw
The barriers will be published here following the 2024 barrier draw takes place.
Melbourne Cup Barrier Statistics
Every year hopeful punters will scour over statistics in hope of finding a winner. There are some key stats to note when it comes to the Melbourne Cup barrier draw.
A total of 8 horses have won after jumping from barrier 5 making it the most successful barrier in the Cups history. Barrier 10 has seen 7 wins while barriers 11, 14 & 17 have all seen 6 winners.
Barrier 18 might be a barrier to avoid with not a single horse having won the race jumping form the 18th stall.
When is the Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw?
The Melbourne Cup barrier draw will take place at Flemington Racecourse on the evening of Saturday November 2. The draw takes place at the conclusion of Victoria Derby day, which is the traditional start of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
What is the best Melbourne Cup barrier?
This is a commonly discussed topic and there is no correct answer. Most people in the racing industry, be that trainers or owners, will tell you they don’t want to be to close to the inside and certainly not drawn to far out wide.
However tactics can play a big part and the barrier draw can either be an advantage or disadvantage should a horse want to run on or off the speed.
