When is the Melbourne Cup and how can I watch it? Your questions answered about Australia’s most famous race

We’re approaching the first Tuesday in November, which means it’s time for the most famous horse race on the Australian sporting calendar.

So, what time is this year’s race? How can you watch? Who are the favorites?

Here are the answers to these questions and everything you need to know ahead of the 163rd edition of the Melbourne Cup.

What time does the Melbourne Cup start?

The Melbourne Cup is the seventh race on the program, scheduled 3 p.m. AEDT – it’s Melbourne time, and also for those in New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania.

If you are in Queensland, the race will start at 2:00 p.m. AESTor in South Australia, at 2:30 p.m. ACDT. In the Northern Territory this will be 1:30 p.m. CDTand in Western Australia it will be 12:00 p.m. AWST.

How can I watch it?

If you want to watch the race, it will be broadcast on Channel tenwhich owns the rights to this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Their live broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. AEDT. If you are in other time zones, coverage will start at the equivalent time.

The broadcast will end at 5:30 p.m. AEDT (and equivalents) after the last race of the day.

Racing.com (digital channel 78) is also able to broadcast the Cup live. Foxtel Race in the sky is not able to broadcast the race live but will broadcast it on delay, a few minutes after the event.

The race will also be streamed on 10Play. Kayo Sports (subscription only) will also feature Racing.com coverage.

Where can I listen to the Cup?

The big race will be broadcast live on several radio networks. ABC Local RadioTHE Racing and Sports Network, SEN Radio, New Radiomore Triple-M in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

You can also follow all the action throughout the day on our live blog.

Who are the favorites?

Form observers noticed it when Vauban crushed the field at Royal Ascot in June – now the Willie Mullins-trained galloper is the favorite for the Melbourne Cup.(Getty Images: Alex Pantling)

As often happens lately, the big favorite for this year’s Melbourne Cup is one of the internationals: Vauban, trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins.

A great hurdler, Vauban made headlines on the flat in June when he blitzed a field at Royal Ascot (over 2,816m) by seven and a half lengths, before qualifying for the Cup field with victory in the Ballyroan Stakes at Naas. in Ireland.

However, Vauban did not race in Australia before the Cup.

Absurd, Vauban’s teammate, qualified for the Cup by winning the Ebor Handicap (2,816 m) at York in August, is also high on the list of chances.

Other main entries include Without a fight — trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman — who won the Caulfield Cup over 2400m this year, trained by Chris Waller Soulcombe and the Japanese stayer To break upcoached by Tatsuya Yoshioka.

Last year’s winner, Gold Trip — one of five riders in the training partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace — is back and in fine form, having finished third in the Caulfield Cup and fifth in the Cox Plate. However, he will have to carry a weight of 58.5kg – the last horse to win at this weight or more was Think Big in 1975.

Of the 24 horses in the Cup field, only six runners won over the 3,200m distance in the Melbourne Cup.

This is Vauban, Gold Trip, 2019 winner Make the wish and declarethe trained by Phillip Stokes Daiqansweet Junior, the Irish trained Okita Soushi and the Matthew Smith, trained and raised in France A true marvel.

What will the weather be?

When it comes to the weather for the Melbourne Cup, the forecast for this year is a gamble each way.

Last year, it was just 13 degrees Celsius when the race took place on a rainy afternoon, leading to unforgettable scenes during a sudden gust of wind.

This year, the temperature is expected to be more than twice as warm, with an expected maximum of 29°C.

However, there is a good chance that it will rain again this year.

The Bureau of Meteorology says showers are likely to begin in the afternoon and evening.

Thunderstorms could spoil the festivities for those not lucky enough to be in a marquee or grandstand, with storms expected to arrive some time before the race and persist throughout the afternoon and well into the race. evening.

What is the prize money this year?

The Melbourne Cup prize pool is $8 million.

The first 12 horses to cross the finish line will win cash prizes.

The breakdown: 1st: $4.4 million; 2nd: $1.1 million; 3rd: $550,000; 4th: $350,000; 5th: $230,000; From 6 to 12: $160,000.

The Melbourne Cup trophy, which contains 1.65kg of 18-carat gold, is worth $250,000 alone.