1- Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is the most famous horse racing event in Australia. Over 80,000 people came to attend the 2019 edition of this race, which was the lowest crowd since 1995. The Melbourne Cup 2020, which will take place on 3 November, could see a rise in these numbers again.
This popular event takes place at the Flemington Racecourse every year on the first Tuesday of November. It is the richest two-mile handicap in the world.
The Melbourne Cup can boast of a long history, with its inaugural race held in 1861. Originally, the racehorses were required to cover two miles distance, which was shortened later to 3200 metres in 1972. The winner of this race gets $4.4 million while the second and third finishers receive $1.1 million and $550,000 respectively.
Makybe Diva is the only horse who won this prestigious competition three times. Think Big, Rain Lover, Peter Pan and Archer also won the Melbourne Cup more than once.
2- W.S. Cox Plate
W.S. Cox Plate is the richest weight-for-age race in Australia, and it is held every year in late October at Moonee Valley Racecourse. The horses are required to cover a distance of 2040 metres and the winner of the Cox Plate receives an incredible $3 million.
This famous race is named after William Samuel Cox, the founder of the Moonee Valley Racing Club. Winx and Kingston Town are two of its most successful horses with the former winning the race four years in a row while the latter winning three times. Phar Lap, the Melbourne Cup winner, also won this race two years in a row. Lys Gracieux, who was trained by Yoshito Yahagi, won the latest edition of the Cox Plate in 2019.
3- Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is known as one of the oldest horse racing events in Australia. Every year, a huge number of people flock to the Caulfield Racecourse to attend this racing event. Its inaugural race was held in 1879 and it is considered as one of the richest thoroughbred horse races of Australia.
Besides the honour and glory, the winning horse also receives a huge A$5,000,000. The latest 2019 Caulfield Cup was won by Mer De Glace who was trained by Hisashi Shimizu.
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