The countdown is on to the world’s greatest greyhound race, with just 100 days until we crown a new TAB Melbourne Cup champion.
Winning the Cup is a career defining – and life changing – moment for a greyhound trainer. It is the ultimate reward for decades of hard work and dedication to their craft. Speak to a Cup winning trainer about the moment they got their hands on the most sought after trophy in the sport of greyhound racing and watch for the sparkle in their eye and smile on their face. They can try and play it cool, but there’s no hiding what winning the Cup means to them.
And so as trainers across Australia plot their path to TAB Melbourne Cup night on Friday 26th November just 100 days away, here’s 100 facts about the TAB Melbourne Cup.
| 1 | The Melbourne Cup was first run in 1956 |
| 2 | The first Melbourne Cup was won by Rocketeer |
| 3 | The first Melbourne Cup was run on grass |
| 4 | Hard Style Rico owns the race record – 28.909. It is also the track record |
| 5 | Hua (1988) is the only other greyhound to break the track record in winning the Cup |
| 6 | Whiskey Riot won by the closest margin – a nose – in 2019 |
| 7 | Fox Hunt won by the biggest margin – 9 lengths – in 1991 |
| 8 | Kantarn Bale (1999) is the youngest Cup winner at 641 days (1 year, 9 months, 3 days) |
| 9 | Box 1 is the winningest box with 18 winners |
| 10 | Box 6 has provided the least number of winners with just 4 |
| 11 | Shanlyn Prince is the only greyhound to wear the green rug to Melbourne Cup success (number 6 was brown before 2003) |
| 12 | 12 female greyhounds have won the race |
| 13 | 53 male greyhounds have won the race |
| 14 | 50 Cup winners were trained in Victoria |
| 15 | Kwik Metal, winner of the 1974 Cup, was bred in New Zealand |
| 16 | Paul Wheeler owned seven finalists in the 2011 Cup. They were the first seven across the line |
| 17 | 29 Cup winning greyhounds were black |
| 18 | Excite Ability is the only blue dog to win the Cup |
| 19 | Rocket Jet, New Tears, Black Top and Collision have each sired three winners |
| 20 | Five of the last 11 winners were the fastest qualifiers |
| 21 | The first Melbourne Cup was worth 500 pounds to the winner |
| 22 | The 500 pound winners purse in 1956 is the equivalent to $16,505 in today’s money |
| 23 | Chariot Supreme sired the trifecta in 1990 |
| 24 | Dyna Double One is the only winner in the last 11 years that didn’t lead through the first turn |
| 25 | Classic Capri (2001), Cheltenham Lass (1966) and Saskaview (1963) each won the Cup at their second attempt |
| 26 | Five Cup winners have sired Cup winners – Rookie Rebel, Tangaloa, Light Of Fire, Bombastic Shiraz amd El Grand Senor |
| 27 | The Melbourne Cup was a handicap event from 1956 until 1965 |
| 28 | The 1996 Melbourne Cup, the first on the current circuit, was the first to carry $100,000 to the winner |
| 29 | New Tears sired the trifecta in 1994 |
| 30 | No Western Australian trained greyhound has ever won the Melbourne Cup |
| 31 | Classic Capri (2001) is the longest priced winner of the Cup – $25.90 |
| 32 | Gold Grotto is the shortest priced winner at 1/2 |
| 33 | The 2005 edition – the 50th Melbourne Cup – was worth $150,000 to the winner, then the richest race in the world |
| 34 | In 2012 the Melbourne Cup was the first race in the world worth $500,000 |
| 35 | The distinctive Melbourne Cup trophy with greyhounds for handles was first introduced in 2012 |
| 36 | Since 1987, El Grand Senor is the heaviest greyhound to contest the Melbourne Cup (39kg). He won the 2010 Cup |
| 37 | Since 1987, Got A Moment is the lightest greyhound to contest the Melbourne Cup (24.9kg). She won the 2012 Cup |
| 38 | Graeme Bate has the record for most Cup finalists with 25 |
| 39 | 57 different trainers have won the Cup |
| 40 | Since 1988, 143 different trainers have had a Cup finalist |
| 41 | 13 trainers have won the Cup with their first – and only – Cup finalist |
| 42 | Cameron Taylor quinellaed the 2005 Cup with his only two Cup finalists (Closing Argument, Bonshaw Boy) |
| 43 | The Britton family – Allan, Robert, Jeff and Linda – have had 19 finalists without a win. They have been runner up 5 times |
| 44 | 23 favourites have won the race |
| 45 | Whiskey Riot (2019) was the first greyhound in 24 years to win from box 3 |
| 46 | Since 2000, Ando’s Mac (2016) is the only Cup winner to have been trained outside of Victoria |
| 47 | Since 2010, the winner’s average first split is 5.04 |
| 48 | All of the last 11 Cup winners broke 19 seconds to the second split (at an average of 18.68) |
| 49 | Black Magic Opal (2013) has the fastest first split in a Cup final – 4.93 – run a week after setting the split record (4.90) |
| 50 | Since 2010, the average age the Melbourne Cup winner is 957 days (or two years, seven months and 15 days) |
| 51 | Since 2010, the Cup winner entered the final withan average of 37 career starts under their belt |
| 52 | Got A Moment (2012) is the only female greyhound to win the Cup since 2007 |
| 53 | Just three favourites have won the Cup since 2003 |
| 54 | Just two favourites have missed a place since 2010 |
| 55 | Since 1987, five greyhounds have started an odds on favourite in the Cup. El Grand Senor is the only odds-on favourite to win |
| 56 | Bombastic Shiraz (2003) is the only greyhound to win the Melbourne Cup after winning the Shootout |
| 57 | Just three of the last nine Cup winners won the race in the fastest time of the night |
| 58 | 13 of the last 18 Cup winning greyhounds were black |
| 59 | Melbourne Cup Preludes were first introduced in 1995 |
| 60 | Fox Hunt (1991) is the only SA trained greyhound to win the Cup |
| 61 | TAB has been a proud sponsor of the Melbourne Cup for 10 years |
| 62 | Rapid Journey (1998) is the oldest Cup winner since 1987 at 1276 days (3 years, 5 months, 27 days) |
| 63 | Every Cup winner since 2001 has been two years of age |
| 64 | Jason and Seona Thompson have had 23 finalists between them for four wins and six place getters |
| 65 | The earliest footage of the Melbourne Cup is 1977 (Mile Post) |
| 66 | Six of the last 11 Geelong Cup winners have made the Cup final |
| 67 | The last 11 Cup winners have won multiple group races, seven of them multiple group 1 winners |
| 68 | Bombastic Shiraz (2003) is the only greyhound to win the ‘Triple Crown’ – the Melbourne Cup, the Topgun and Shootout |
| 69 | Ten Melbourne Cup winners have been named the Victorian Greyhound of the Year |
| 70 | Six Melbourne Cup winners are in the Victorian Hall Of Fame |
| 71 | Since 2002, five Melbourne Cup winners have been named Australian Greyhound of the Year |
| 72 | Three Melbourne Cup winners are in the Australian Hall Of Fame |
| 73 | At the 1980 Melbourne Cup – the 25th edition of the race – one lucky patron drove home in a silver Mercedes! |
| 74 | The 1978 Melbourne Cup was presented by Hollywood star Robert Stack |
| 75 | The 1979 Melbourne Cup was presented by Hollywood starlet Elke Sommer |
| 76 | Greg Norman presented the 1982 Melbourne Cup, and was paid a ‘monkey’ ($500) for his time! |
| 77 | Saskagay won the 1962 Melbourne Cup. The 1963 Cup was won by her litter brother, Saskaview |
| 78 | The 1989 Melbourne Cup winner Fair Sentence was owned by Collingwood footballers Mick Maguane and Paul Hawke |
| 79 | Aston Rupee was the $14 favourite for the 2021 Cup when the market opened in March. He’s now the $9 favourite |
| 80 | The TAB Melbourne Cup is the highest wagering turnover race meeting in Australia |
| 81 | There are eight feature races on TAB Melbourne Cup night |
| 82 | The first Cup Night Speed Star match race was run 2019 with Sennachie defeating Feral Franky |
| 83 | The Melbourne Cup was run on a Friday night for the first time in 2014 |
| 84 | Three of the last six Melbourne Cup winners qualified for the Adelaide Cup |
| 85 | Seven of the last nine Melbourne Cup winners raced at Sandown the week prior to the Cup heats |
| 86 | AFL Hall Of Famer Tony Lockett owned 2004 Melbourne Cup winner Hallucinate |
| 87 | Leviathan breeder Paul Wheeler has won four Melbourne Cups – Kantarn Bale, Dyna Tron, Dyna Villa, Dyna Double One |
| 88 | Luckie Karabitsakos (Hard Style Rico) was the first owner/trainer/breeder to win the Cup since Carolyn Jones and El Grand Senor in 2010 |
| 89 | Terry Adamson is preparing to drive the lure for 29th time in the Melbourne Cup |
| 90 | Ron Hawkswell holds the most Melbounre Cups called with 26 |
| 91 | There are Melbourne Cup exemption races in the United States, England, Ireland and New Zealand |
| 92 | Since 1987, Paul Wheler has breed 31 Melbourne Cup finalists |
| 93 | 21 greyhounds with ‘Bale’ in its name have made a Melbourne Cup final |
| 94 | Winning a Melbourne Cup leads to demands at stud – seven of the last eight winners stand at a fee of at least $2200 |
| 95 | The Melbourne Cup trophy is hand crafted in Melbourne and takes four people and several weeks to make |
| 96 | The Melbourne Cup is the Club’s longest running feature race – the first Cup run just 11 weeks after the track’s opening |
| 97 | The 10th, 20th, 30th and 40th Melbourne Cups were won from box 3 |
| 98 | Both Acclaim Star (1979) and Rapid Journey (1998) set Australian prize money records when winning the Cup |
| 99 | Arthur Ludlow, Darren McDonald and Jason Thompson have all won consecutive Melbourne Cups |
| 100 | The TAB Melbourne Cup is the world’s greatest greyhound race! |
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