Australian Cup

Race Preview

The Australian Cup is one of three Group 1 races held on 'Super Saturday' of the Flemington Carnival - one of the richest race meeting on the Australian racing calendar. The race itself is almost as old as the Melbourne Cup with the first race being run in 1863.

The Australian Cup is open to any ages and carries a whopping $1,000,000 in prize money making it one of Australia's richest races. It is raced over a distance of 2000m and is widely regarded as the yardstick for Australasia's elite gallopers and is the premier staying event held at Flemington during the autumn racing carnival.

The honour roll of winners is a who's who of champions and includes Makybe Diva, Lonhro, Northerly, Octagonal and Saintly. The Cup is a favourite race of the master, Bart Cummings. In 2008, Sirmione gave Cummings his 13th Australian Cup win. Makybe Diva ran a time of 1:58.70 in 2005 which is the fastest winning time on record for the Australian Cup.

When analysing this race, it's important to pay close attention to lead up races, as these can generally provide a good guide as to who could perform. The St George Stakes, raced a fortnight earlier, is the key race to look. Almost every winner of the Australian Cup in the past decade has performed strongly at the St George Stakes.

Previous Australian Cup Winners