Melbourne Cup Day 2025

Lexus Melbourne Cup Day

Tuesday 4th November 2025
Flemington Racecourse

Australia's most famous Tuesday Melbourne Cup is the "race that stops a nation"

Lexus Melbourne Cup Day

165th Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup Day sits at the pinnacle of the Australian racing calendar and is the focal point of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. There's nothing like being there amongst the 100,000 plus crowd to experience the day that puts Australia firmly in the international sporting spotlight.

Most Australians stop and listen to the race or watch it on TV, even people who don't usually gamble, have a bet on the race or a ticket in a sweep.

At 3pm on the first Tuesday in November, Australians stop for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup.

Trainers from around the world set their sights on the Melbourne Cup, a race widely considered to be the best-staying handicap in the world.

Over 3,200 metres, the Melbourne Cup offers the richest prize in Australian sport and a 18ct solid gold Hardy Brothers trophy valued at $175,000+ and a stake of the $8 million prize money and to cement their names in history.

With such significant international standing, the anticipation of history in the making creates the electric atmosphere that is 'the race that stops a nation'.

Race Day Info

Race 7: $8m Group 1 - Melbourne Cup (3200m), 3pm (AEST)

The Melbourne Cup is Race 7 (of 10 races), run at 3pm.

24 horses run over 3,200 metres (2 miles) at Flemington Racecourse.



Melbourne Cup Race Time

The Melbourne Cup race starts at 3:00pm (AEST). Here are the start times for when the Melbourne Cup will jump around the country.

Melbourne: 3:00pm
Sydney: 3:00pm
Brisbane: 2:00pm
Adelaide: 2:30pm
Perth: 12:00pm
Canberra: 3:00pm
Hobart: 3:00pm
Darwin: 1:30pm

Official Flower: Yellow Rose

The official flower for Melbourne Cup Day is the yellow rose and can be purchased from flower sellers near the entrances, upon arrival to Flemington.

Spring Racing Carnival Flowers

Weather Forecast

TBA

View Weather Forecast

Flemington Racecourse

The day is about what they will wear, eat, bet on and drink. Fashion is not only important, there are protocols. See above for the flower of the day. The girls will have planned their outfits, hats and fascinators. The boys with suits and ties. Both boys and girls may attend in groups dressed in special group outfits often funny or matching.

There are many areas at the track. Most famous is the bird-cage. Imagine 50 sectioned off plots where groups spend the day with a BBQ, tent or area with friends, eating, drinking and socializing.

Some fans head to the stands to watch the races, some to the grass area along the track. There are many food areas, bookies, tote and of course the sponsor marquees. Invite only marquees offering all manner of design, food and drink.

Racegoers start travelling to the course from 8am, with some enjoying a BBQ Breakfast in the Flemington Racecourse car park. Some drive, but many head to the track by public transport. Flemington has its own special railway line and station that operates on race days so it's very popular.

VISITING

Tickets to the course must be purchased prior to race day



Getting To Flemington - Short | Long Guide

DRIVING

Head to Epsom Road, Flemington | Map

Please be aware that due to the high number of racegoers heading to Flemington, traffic congestion is to be expected on Racecourse Road, Smithfield Road, Epsom Road and Union Road.

Limited parking is available in the Flemington car park ($) on Smithfield Rd at the Stables.

BUS

Bus 472 from Williamstown to Moonee Ponds to Riverbank entry, every 15 minutes. › Bus 404 from Moonee Ponds to Footscray Station to the Stables Drive entrance. › Two free shuttle buses leaving every 15 minutes

- To Southern Cross Station from 3pm, the other to Footscray Station from 4pm.

TRAIN

Special trains run direct to Flemington throughout each day of the Carnival. Metro Trains depart from Flinders Street Station, stopping at Southern Cross Station and North Melbourne Station, then run express to Flemington Racecourse.

TRAM

The 57 West Maribyrnong tram goes from the corner of Elizabeth St and Flinders St to Flemington Drive.

TAXI / UBER

Uber has its own pickup and drop-off zones. › A taxi line will form towards the Epson Rd entrance.

How To Get to Flemington | Public Transport

FLEMINGTON RACEDAY GUIDE MOBILE APP

Enhance your raceday experience by downloading the 'Flemington Raceday Guide' mobile app* on iPhone

Explore the best of what's on offer at Flemington, including on-course experiences, events, locations and social updates.

* Android APP no longer available.

Download APP

Melbourne Cup History

In Melbourne, Cup Day means champagne and canapes, hats, facinators, suits and ties, where race track fashions sometimes overshadow the business of the day - horse racing.

Said American writer, Mark Twain, on a visit: "Nowhere in the world have I encountered a festival of people that has such a magnificent appeal to the whole nation. The Cup astonishes me."

The first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861 at Flemington Racecourse, was won by Archer. It has run every year since. Through wars and depression, and the good times too, the Melbourne Cup racing carnival has been one of the stayers of Australian cultural experience.

The Melbourne Cup is one of the world's most challenging horse races, and one of the richest (AU$5million+), and picking winners is an imprecise art at best. Run over 3200 metres, it is a handicapped race which means, theoretically, that the better the horse is, the more weight it has to carry.

The Cox Plate (run between the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups) is considered the race most likely to provide an insight into a horse's form and likely Melbourne Cup performance, but even this is unreliable.

The distance and the handicap ensure that the Melbourne Cup is a horse race in which the mug punter has as good a chance of picking the winner as those who follow the form.

Phar Lap, in his last Melbourne Cup campaign in 1931, carried a 10 stone (68kg) handicap. Even a horse with a heart as big as Phar Lap's couldn't overcome it. The race was won by White Nose.

Facts And Statistics

Here are some of the most interesting Melbourne Cup facts and statistics:

Most Wins - Horse: Makybe Diva, 3 wins (2003, 2004, 2005)
Most Wins - Jockey: Bobby Lewis, 4 wins (1902, 1915, 1919, 1927); Harry White, 4 wins (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979)
Most Wins - Trainer: Bart Cummings, 12 wins (1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2008)
Fastest Time: Kingston Rule, 3:16.30
Slowest Time: Archer, 3:52.00
Longest Odds Winners: The Pearl, Wotan and Old Rowley all at 100 to 1
Shortest Odds to Win: Phar Lap at 8/11 (about $0.73 or so)
Percentage of favourites to win: 23%
First woman to train a winner: Sheila Laxon with Ethereal in 2001
First woman to ride a winner: Michelle Paye on Prince of Penzance in 2015

Melbourne Cup Day

❊ When ❊

Times: Race 7 at 3pm (AEST)

❊ Where ❊

 Flemington Racecourse View Venue
 448 Epsom Road Flemington Victoria 3031 Map

❊ Web Links ❊

→ Melbourne Cup Day 2025

❊ Also See.. ❊

➼ Geelong Cup 2025

---

→ Disclaimer: Details can change at any time. Always check with the advertiser before making plans, buying tickets or proceeding .. more

Update This Page

→ Tags: Melbourne Cup Day | Spring racing carnival