The Melbourne Cup is the country’s most prestigious thoroughbred race and the richest two-mile contest in the global racing calendar.
The Melbourne Cup is a 3200m race for three-year-olds and over, run by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria.
It’s the pre-eminent race of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and Melbourne Cup week and a day where people in Melbourne are given a public holiday to enjoy it.
This year the prize money stands at a handsome $10 million dollars, but it's the prestige of the race that mainly draws an all-star field of leading stayers from around the world.
In terms of prize money, the biggest horse race in the world is the Saudi Cup with a whopping $30,974,616 AUD on offer or $20 million USD. After the Saudi Cup, The Everest in Sydney has the second-highest prize money with $20,000,000 AUD ahead of the Dubai World Cup ($18584769 AUD) and The Golden Eagle ($10,000,000 AUD).
The Melbourne Cup is at ninth on the prize money list at a more than respectable $10,000,000 AUD. But in terms of history and prestige, the Melbourne Cup is right up there with one of the biggest horse races in the world. The Melbourne Cup is alongside other historic horse races with long traditions like the Epsom Derby, the Grand National at Aintree, the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders Classic.
When it comes to prize money, nothing beats The Everest in Australia with $20,000,000 in prize money. This is followed by The Golden Eagle ($10,000,000) and then the Melbourne Cup ($10,000,000). However, when it comes to tradition, prestige and media attention there is nothing bigger than the Melbourne Cup. After all, it's the only race in Australia that gives people a public holiday and isn’t called the race that stops a nation for nothing.
The Melbourne Cup is called the race that stops a nation because it’s the most prestigious horse racing event in Australia and also a cultural phenomenon that captures the nation's attention every year. The Melbourne Cup holds a unique and profound historical relevance to Australian society and has become an integral part of the Australian identity since first being held in 1861.
In the week before the Melbourne Cup there is Victoria Derby day at Flemington on the Saturday before the Cup, featuring the Group 1 Victoria Derby, an historic and prestigious race of its own. There is a full outline of all the Melbourne Cup carnival races HERE. A week before Derby day is Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley and the week before that is Caulfield Cup day. There really is a smorgasbord of serious racing during the Victorian spring, but to check out all the racing that’s happening, head to our Melbourne Spring Carnival page.
In 2026 the Melbourne Cup Prize Money stands at $10 million dollars. This includes $250,000 in trophies for connections.
The initial Melbourne Cup weights 2026 should be released around mid-September 2026 and can be found through the link below when available. Please note these may change a little depending on upcoming results.
The 2025 winner Half Yours carried 53kg to victory while 2024 winner Knight's Choice had 51kg while Without A Fight carried 56.5kg to victory in 2023.
The overall prize money for the Melbourne Cup 2026 is $10 million dollars.
