Melbourne Spring Carnival

Everyone has heard of the Melbourne Cup, in fact we have dedicated a full page on this site to the Melbourne Cup here where you can find out how to tip winners. It is the biggest race on the calendar and every single bookie will have a stack of markets.

In summary though, to tip a winner in the Melbourne Cup, look for horses that are 4yo, 5yo or 6yo colts or geldings who are carrying between 50.0kg and 56.5kg and are paying under $20 with the bookmakers. This criteria has stacked up over time and did for last year’s Cup.

The 2011 Melbourne Cup will be run on Tuesday November 1st at Flemington and you will be able to get all the odds and a free form guide at our partner site RacingZone.com.au as they are the best form guides in Australia.

The Caulfield Cup is held a fortnight before the Melbourne Cup and combines with it to form the Cups Double, which most bookmakers will have odds on. You’ll actually get some pretty decent odds on the Caulfield/Melbourne Cups Double.

When picking a Caulfield Cup winner look for horses aged between 4yo, 5yo and 6yo who are carrying between 56.5kg and 59.5kg and are paying under $15 with the bookies. So often this criteria has been successful in the past.

Check out our Caulfield Cup page here with a further rundown on how to back winners as well as the latest field and odds. The race is run on October 15th at Caulfield.

The WS Cox Plateis the weight for age championship of Australasia and carries $3 million in prize money. The maximum field is 14 horses but is usually less and it always attracts a quality field. It was first run in 1922 and is one of the most anticipated races of the year.

When looking for a Cox Plate winner, look for horses aged 3yo and 4yo as they make up 56% of previous winners. Bart Cummings is the current leading trainer with 3 wins, while Greg Childs and Damien Oliver are the current leading jockeys.

Saddlecloth 1 has produced the most winners by far with 20 wins, while Barrier 7 has produced 10 winners which is the most. The race is held in late October a week after the Caulfield Cup. In 2011 it will be held on October 22nd at Moonee Valley.

The Victoria Derby is held on the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup and is the feature race on the day which kicks off the Flemington carnival during the spring. It is for 3-year-olds over a distance of 2500 metres at set weights with $1.5 million in prize money on offer.

Picking winners can be real tricky. Be sure to keep an eye on form during lead up races such as the Stutt Stakes, Cox Plate and AAMI Vase as these three races have been prolific in providing Victoria Derby winners.

The race has been dominated by males throughout its 150+ year history so perhaps steer clear of the fillies and mares. The 2011 Victoria Derby will be held on October 29th at Flemington and you can get the latest odds and final fields closer to the race at RacingZone.com.au.