First run in 1956, the Melbourne Cup has has captured the imagination of generations of greyhound racing fans. Its honour roll boasts some of the sport’s greatest champions including Rapid Journey, Highly Blessed, Rookie Rebel, El Grand Senor, Bombastic Shiraz, and Dyna Double One.

In all, 10 Melbourne Cup winners have been named Victorian Greyhounds of the Year (first awarded in 1973) and six are in the Victorian Hall of Fame. Since its establishment in 2002, five Melbourne Cup winners have also been named Australian Greyhounds of the Year and three are in the Australia Hall Of Fame.

To win the Cup is a lifechanging achievement, the pinnacle for any greyhound trainer, owner or breeder. And the financial rewards are befitting such a prestigious achievement – the 2022 edition of the race has $1,000,000 in prize money – a far cry from the £500 first prize (the equivalent to approximately $16,000 in today’s dollars) won by the race’s inaugural winner, Rocketeer.

The 2023 edition of the Melbourne Cup, the 68th renewal of the world’s greatest greyhound race, was run on Saturday 2nd December.

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