Complete Melbourne Cup History

Melbourne Cup History: The Short Version

• First run at Flemington on Thursday, 7 November 1861, won by Archer.
• Moved to the first Tuesday of November in 1875.
• Makybe Diva won three straight from 2003 to 2005, the only horse to do it.

• Michelle Payne won in 2015, Jamie Melham in 2025; the only two female jockeys to win it. 

When you sit there wondering what the Melbourne Cup history is, you have to transport yourself back in time to well over 150 years ago. You’re going to find yourself at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, where a horse race took place that would go on to change the very fabric of the Australian sporting landscape.

That race is of course known today as the Melbourne Cup, and it is the biggest event on the Australian horse racing calendar.

These days it’s known as “the race that stops a nation”, attracts an annual viewership of well over one million people and has a prize pool of $10 million. Giving you a nice guess at answering how much does the Melbourne Cup winner get?

But it hasn’t always been that way. The Melbourne Cup has a long and storied history, one that is worth looking back on.

That’s why as part of our Spring Carnival series we’re taking a trot down memory lane and looking back on the Melbourne Cup history.

So, saddle up and get ready to learn all about the race that stops a nation before this year’s edition on Tuesday, November 3rd.

When did the Melbourne Cup Start?

To understand the history of the Melbourne Cup you must first know when the first Melbourne Cup started. The first-ever Melbourne Cup was run on Thursday, November 7th, 1861. You may be confused as the long-standing tradition has this great race beginning on a Tuesday. Well, the tradition of having it on the first Tuesday of November wasn’t introduced until 1875.

It was held at Flemington Racecourse, where it is still held to this day. About 4000 people gathered to see what all the fuss was about, a fraction of the approximately 100,000 spectators who turn up in their Sunday best these days.

At that first meeting, a total of 57 horses were scheduled to run, but for one reason or another, only 17 steeds ended up taking part in the inaugural Melbourne Cup.

Who Won the First Melbourne Cup?

Of the 17 horses that ran the first ever Melbourne Cup, it was a horse from NSW named Archer who would be first past the post.

Archer won by six lengths on that day in 1861 and successfully defended his title the following year, claiming back-to-back Melbourne Cups.

The prize Archer’s owners received back then was 710 gold sovereigns (yeah, we don’t know what they are either) and a gold watch (that’s more like it).

Still, this pales in comparison to the $10 million purse that is on offer these days, with $4.5 million of it going to the winner.

Who Has Won the Most Melbourne Cups?

Plenty of horses have won the Melbourne Cup twice. Only one has ever won three.

Makybe Diva took the 2003 Cup, backed it up in 2004, then came back a year later and did it again carrying 58kg — the heaviest weight any mare has ever carried to victory in the race, and the biggest winning weight by any horse this century.

Trained by Lee Freedman and ridden by Glen Boss for all three, she retired on the spot after that 2005 win. Two decades on, nobody has got close to matching her, and the weight she lugged around Flemington that afternoon is still the benchmark every top-weight gets measured against.

Who Won the Most Recent Melbourne Cup?

The most recent edition of the Melbourne Cup was won by Half Yours. Ridden by Jamie Melham and trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, the five-year-old gelding ran down Goodie Two Shoes inside the final 300 metres to win by three lengths.

Half Yours arrived at Flemington having already won the Caulfield Cup under the same rider, completing one of the toughest doubles in Australian racing.

Which Female Jockeys Have Won the Melbourne Cup?

These days everyone knows the name of Michelle Payne. With a smash hit movie focusing on the life of Australia’s first-ever female jockey Melbourne Cup winner, how could you not?

Michelle Payne won the Melbourne Cup in 2015, by half a length while riding Prince Of Penzance. This fairytale ending to Michelle Payne’s story was further accentuated by the odds, with her pairing not featuring in the top three for many bookmakers.

For 10 years she stood alone. Then, in 2025, Jamie Melham brought Half Yours down the outside at Flemington to become the second female jockey to win the race that stops a nation.

Melham had already won the Caulfield Cup on the same horse, making her the first woman to complete the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.

You can check out other famous Australian Jockeys as we continue to count down all things horse racing. 

History of the Melbourne Cup: A Timeline

1861 – The first ever Melbourne Cup is run.

1865 – A trophy opposed to a watch is awarded for the first time.

1873 – Melbourne Cup Day becomes an official public holiday in Melbourne.

1875 – The Cup is held on a Tuesday for the first time.

1930 – The legendary Phar Lap wins the Cup.

1965 – Legendary trainer Bart Cummings wins his first Melbourne Cup.

1985 – The Melbourne Cup becomes the first race in Australia with prize money of $1 million.

1987 – Maree Lyndon becomes the first female jockey to ride in the Melbourne Cup.

2003 – Record attendance of 122,736 people is set.

2005 – Makybe Diva makes history by becoming the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup three times in a row.

2008 – Bart Cummings wins his 12th and final Melbourne Cup as a trainer.

2015 – Michelle Payne becomes the first ever female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

2022 – Gold Trip carries the 57.5kg top weight to victory, the heaviest winning weight since Makybe Diva’s 58kg in 2005.

2023 - Without A Fight wins the race without a fight and storms home for Jockey Mark Zahra’s second win in a row.

2024 – Knight’s Choice edges out Warp Speed in a photo finish.

2025 – Jamie Melham becomes the second female jockey to win the Cup, riding Half Yours 10 years on from Michelle Payne’s breakthrough. 

If you’re looking for help selecting Melbourne Cup tips then head on over to check out our expert Melbourne Cup preview and predictions.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the fun this year. Watch the race that stops a nation live on Sportsbet. For more information check out our How to Stream the Melbourne Cup guide.