Australia Cup 2024
Australian Cup 2024
Preview, Trends & Analysis
- Date: 30/3/2024
- Distance: 2000 metres
- Course: Flemington
- Conditions: WFA
- Level: Group 1
- Australia Cup Prize money: $3,000,000
The Rundown
The Australia Cup is the feature 2000-metre Weight-for-Age event at Flemington during the autumn carnival.
Run in early March, the race is one the oldest on the racing calendar having been inaugurated all the way back in 1863.
Interestingly, it was Australia’s longest distance race for a period of time with a circuit of 3,621 metres until the VRC pulled back the distance in the 1960s.
Since then, the race has attracted some of our most the famous horses to ever grace the turf.
The Australia is endowed with a prize pool of $1,500,000.
It has mixed its status as a handicap and weight-for-age race throughout history but has been kept under weight-for-age criteria since 1987.
It also gained Group 1 status back in 1979 and has also remained as this class of race without change since that year.
The Famous Winners and Record Results
When you talk about Australian Cup’s your mind almost instantly goes to champion colt and breeding sensation Lonhro.
The Hawkes-trained and Ingham-family owned warrior scored one of the most famous wins this race has ever seen back in 2004.
The question that remains; “How on earth did he win that race?”
After being checked and buffeted multiple times in the straight, he was angled off heels by his regular jockey Darren Beadman as the crowd roared him home.
The pair would end up catching three-year-old Delzao right on the line as commentator Greg Miles exclaimed; “YES, LONHRO WON IT! WHAT A CHAMPION!”
Makybe Diva took the honours in 2005, which was the same year she brought up her third successive Melbourne Cup.
Northerly or as he was more colloquially known, ‘The Fighting Tiger’, won the race in 2001 and 2003.
Harlem (2019, 2018) has been the only horse since to have won the race twice in his career.
Bart Cummings, who is always referred to as ‘The Cup King’ in reference to his unrivalled winning record in the Melbourne Cup, actually won this race 13 times.
The list of champions is almost endless with the likes of Vo Rogue, Saintly, Better Loosen Up, Bonecrusher, Ming Dynasty and Hyperno all victorious.
The biggest upset in the race would have to have been Dandy Any back in 1988 as he chased down Vo Rogue to win the race at just over $101.
The Statistics
Barriers seven and eight have provided the most winners since 1983 with five horses each.
No winner of the race has ever jumped from barrier one.
In the last 38 years only 10 favourites have been successful in the race with Humidor back in 2018 being the last outright favourite to have won.
You can almost put a line through the mares in this race with only two winning since 1998.
Those two were Dane Ripper (1998) and Makybe Diva (2005).
Both were absolute champions of the turf, so it takes an unbelievable filly to able to win this race.
The Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield over 1800 metres is generally the most popular lead-up race for the Australia Cup.
The Australian Cup Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
| 2023 | Cascadian | James Cummings | Ben Melham | $4.1 |
| 2022 | Duais | Edward Cummings | Joshua Parr | $7 |
| 2021 | Homesman | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Jye Mcneil | $26 |
| 2020 | Fifty Star | David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig | John Allen | $5.5 |
| 2019 | Harlem | David Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Jamie Kah | $26 |
| 2018 | Harlem | David Hayes & Tom Dabernig | Michael Walker | $51 |
| 2017 | Humidor | Darren Weir | Damian Lane | $4.50 |
| 2016 | Preferment | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | $7 |
| 2015 | Spillway | David Hayes | Michael Walker | $13 |
| 2014 | Fiorente | Gai Waterhouse | Damien Oliver | $1.90 |
| 2013 | Super Cool | Mark Kavanagh | Michael Rodd | $5 |
| 2012 | Manighar | Peter Moody | Luke Nolen | $7 |
| 2011 | Shocking | Mark Kavanagh | Michael Rodd | $8 |
| 2010 | Zipping | Robert Hickmott | Nicholas Hall | $6 |
The Questions
The race will be run and won on the 30th of March, 2024 at Flemington.
- There are host of races on the card outside of the Australia Cup, in particular, the running of the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m).
- Other races on the program include the Kewney Stakes, The Incognitus Stakes and The Matron Stakes.
- Punch in betdeluxe.com.au to your browser and find your home for all your different types of ways to bet not only on Australia Cup Day but every horse race across Australia.
Most winners and runners of the Australia Cup will often rest up and head to the spelling paddock.
Some may even opt to take a freshen up and head toward Queensland for the winter carnival up north.
