July 20th, 2017 | 
Author: Generally accepted as the ‘Blue Riband’ event of the National hunt season, the Timico Cheltenham…
Do as the Victorians Do: Place Your Bets on the Melbourne Cup
A local racing’s calendar year in Australia will never be complete without the Melbourne Cup. One of the biggest in the country, it attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees annually with many coming from Victoria, Melbourne, and other parts of the world. There are also thousands more tuning on their TV. In this article, you’ll find out why you should never miss this yourself, and why you’re at it, don’t forget to use your Melbourne Cup free bets.
A Grand Throwback
There’s a good reason why the Melbourne Cup is called the race that stops a nation. The race, which happens every first Tuesday of the eleventh month (it’s scheduled on November 7, 2017), is a public holiday in the city. But it is also rich in history and has created a culture that helped shape and define Australia’s horse racing.
The Melbourne Cup began in 1861 as part of the city’s spring racing carnival. It is a competition among Thoroughbred racehorses. Earlier, it used to be that only local horses competed. Today, it’s not unusual to have foreigners run. Nevertheless, the basic rule remains unchanged: only those that are three years old and above can join.
The race was supposed to be a two-mile handicap, which is about 3.22 in distance. However, in the 1970s, the distance decreased by almost 19 metres when the country shifted from English to metric system. Today, the horses run a distance of only 3,200 metres.
Like a lot of local events, the annual horse race started with small races until it moved to Flemington and two clubs, racing and jockey, combined to become the Victoria Racing Club.
Gaming Process
As a handicap event, the riding gear and the jockey weight are taken into consideration. The weight is also adjusted depending on the age of the horse. Either way, the minimum weight for the handicap is no less than 50 kilograms.
Although many horses – as many as 300 of them – try to join the event, only 24 of them will get to race. The fee to join is $600, which is charged per hours, and it’s usually paid during the month of August. Horses that are qualified to race would have to accept before paying the fee. The acceptance fee differs on when it was done. The first acceptance is the cheapest at $960. If it’s done a Saturday before the actual event, the fee can rise to as much as $1,450. To determine who qualifies, judges used different factors such as the weight of the handicap allotted as well as the prize money of the horse over the last two years.
Winners and Frontrunners
As in any other race, the star isn’t the jock but the horse, and for the many years the Melbourne Cup has been around, it has already produced icons.
Archer holds the distinction of the first horse to ever win the race. He’s also the first among the few who bagged two major wins in two consecutive years. By 2017, he became part of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Besides winning the Melbourne Cup, he also earned major wins in All-Aged Stakes, among others.
Phar Lap is one of the most celebrated thoroughbred horses to ever grace the Melbourne Cup. Not only its achievements but also its journey captured the attention and hearts of both fans and non-fans of the race. Although he didn’t win his first few races, he competed and won in others until he moved up in class. He survived threats to life. From 1930 to 1931, he won fourteen consecutive races such as the Melbourne Cup.
In 2016, the winner is Almandin, but can he still hold his victory this year? To help you out, here are a few statistics to remember to increase the odds.
One, barriers 5 and 11 have the most number of wins. Only gate 18 remains to have zero winnings. The colour bay tends to be the lucky colour among the bunch followed by brown and chestnut. Male horses still dominate the female ones while in the field. For the past few years, horses coming from Japan, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand also joined, but those that grew in Australia remained the likeliest to win.
Punters would have to wait until the middle of September, in which the order of entry will be released. By then, you will have a clearer idea on who’s the best bet. However, as early as now, bookmakers are putting their money on Almandin for 20/1 who’s in a tie with Vazirabad. These betting odds are right over at Bet365.
In other words, you can start placing your bets and changing your strategy as more information comes in. To see to it you have the funds to play, use these Melbourne Cup free bets now.