Bringing specialist expertise in rugby (both league and union) and cricket, Ella Miller is a dedicated member of the Wetten team with years of experience in creating betting-related content. Having started writing about sports with her own blog while at university studying journalism and, post-graduation, turned her wordsmith abilities to writing for a variety of different sites. She joined the Wetten team in 2019 and is now a Contributing Editor for various sections of the site. When she's not working for Wetten, Ella loves attending any rugby or cricket match she can get to, horse riding, and tending to her garden.
What are the best sites for Caulfield Cup betting in Australia? This just so happens to be the right place to find out!
The Caulfield Cup race is one of the most important events held Down Under, so you need a great place to get your bets on it. We recommend global sportsbook brand Unibet for doing just that. You can see all the top sportsbooks where wagering on the Caulfield Cup in Australia gets the seal of approval from Wetten.com experts.
Here, all the best betting sites for Caulfield Cup wagering are listed so you know what the top gambling platforms in Australia are. We used industry experts to conduct thorough reviews of these sportsbooks operating in the region, so that you know what the all-round experience is like. They look beyond the Caulfield Cup betting to the security and quality of mobile services like betting apps.
Besides that, there is also customer support, payment options and even loyalty programs considered. Any leading bookmaker in Australia offering great service on all that and more earns our recommendation. It’s worth you knowing that the best betting sites for Caulfield Cup gambling need to provide more than just great odds on this key event and other races.
While we are on the subject, there are certain specific areas relating to the Caulfield Cup in Australia that the top sportsbooks will also have. The best in class offer these particular things, so make sure that you look out for the following:
Expert betting tips highlighting the best handicapped horses
Ante post or futures Caulfield Cup betting markets
Non-runner no bet promotion that covers your stake back on any balloted out horses
Caulfield Cup race deals like extra places or money back if second
Live streaming services, so you can watch the Caulfield Cup in Australia
While great horse racing odds are essential for the best betting sites for Caulfield Cup wagers, because bigger prices mean larger profits if you back the winner, it is worth considering the above carefully. All of these elements play their part in your gambling experience. You can view all of the top sportsbooks for Caulfield Cup betting on this very page.
What is the Caulfield Cup in Australia?
The Caulfield Cup race is a Group 1 Flat turf handicap over a middle-distance of 2,400m (roughly a mile-and-a-half) open to racehorses aged three and above at the eponymous Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. Held annually on the third Saturday in October, it is the climax of the Caulfield Carnival – part of the wider Spring Carnival organised by the Victoria Racing Club.
A key stepping stone to the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup winners get automatic entry into the race that stops a nation. There is a short turnaround time between runs for horses that are successful, however. Just as the Caulfield Cup in Australia grants the victor ballot exemption for the Melbourne Cup, racehorses can similarly qualify for this event by winning other races earlier in the year. There are more details about these in the corresponding section below.
For over 20 years now, the Caulfield Cup betting has included runners from overseas. The internationalisation of Australia’s major horse races has happened to ensure wider global interest and to help get a handle on how form from different parts of the world is brought together. It is difficult for the Victoria Racing Club to handicap foreign racehorses, however, hence why they have been among the Caulfield Cup winners in recent years.
As Caulfield Cup race terms state, a maximum field of 18 runners is permitted. This is a smaller size than the Melbourne Cup, but that does have more ballot exemption races. As you will see from the past victors section below, multiple Caulfield Cup winners are actually pretty unusual. It is a tricky race for horses to repeat their past exploits, but that’s common with handicaps. The Victoria Racing Club have considered making this a weight for age contest.
First held in 1879, the Caulfield Cup in Australia has developed into a key middle-distance race for Flat thoroughbreds. Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne is one of several venues operated by the Victoria Racing Club that organises the Spring Carnival in the area during October and November.
Opened up to international runners outside of Australia and New Zealand in 1998, it was not unheard of for Caulfield Cup winners to go on to the Melbourne Cup at Flemington and follow-up with victory there some 16 days later. Ten horses during the Twentieth Century managed to complete this double, but it has only been managed once since by Ethereal in 2001.
That increased participation from overseas in the Caulfield Cup race has been something of a double-edged sword for domestic Australian horses and New Zealand thoroughbreds, then. Holding Group 1 status since 1979 when horse racing in Australia was reclassified, its status as a Melbourne Cup trial has only been enhanced even without horses managing to complete the double over the last 20 years.
Legendary Australian racehorse trainer Bart Cummings holds the record for most victories in the Caulfield Cup after saddling six different horses to a total of seven victories in his glittering career. Since foreign runners were allowed to compete in this event, there have been six from overseas to triumph. These horses represented stables from Japan, the Middle East, France and the UK.
The Caulfield Cup betting shapes the Melbourne Cup even though the races have two different distances. Running over the shorter trip at Caulfield can help a racehorse’s fitness to peak when tackling the two miles around Flemington just over two weeks later. It can also help the international runners to acclimatise to competing in Australia.
Caulfield Cup Ballot Exemption Races
There are three ballot exemption events for the Caulfield Cup race held in advance. If a horse wins one of these, then they are guaranteed a run. With the field size limited to a maximum of 18 runners, only 15 of the highest horses in the handicap are also allowed to take part. Here is the list in full of ballot exempt races for the Caulfield Cup in Australia now:
Mornington Cup Handicap (Listed), 2,400m, Mornington, middle of March
Toorak Handicap (Group 1), 1,600m, Caulfield, early October
Herbert Power Stakes Handicap (Group 2), 2,400m, early October
Two of the three “win and you’re in” races for the Caulfield Cup in Australia are also at the same track. Both are right at the start of the Spring Carnival, but over different distances. The Toorak Handicap has a much shorter trip at only a mile, while the Herbert Power is the same course and distance as the Caulfield Cup race just a few weeks beforehand.
The Mornington Cup Handicap at one of Melbourne’s minor tracks is a long time in advance, taking place during the Southern Hemisphere’s autumn in March. These events all influence the Caulfield Cup betting as horses book their slots for this big event. With international runners heading Down Under to take part, knowing how to get into the race is important from a gambling perspective.
Among many Caulfield Cup winners during its long history, only seven horses have won the race more than once. Just two of those, Poseidon way back in 1906 and 1907 and Rising Fast in 1954 and 1955, have earned consecutive victories. It’s a very rare feat indeed. This is often reflected in the Caulfield Cup betting as trying to win the race again when higher in the handicap is obviously more of a challenge. These are the previous winners since it obtained Group 1 status in 1979:
2020: Verry Elleegant
2019: Mer De Glance
2018: Best Solution
2017: Boom Time
2016: Jameka
2015: Mongolian Khan
2014: Admire Rakti
2013: Fawkner
2012: Dunaden
2011: Southern Speed
2010: Descarado
2009: Viewed
2008: All The Good
2007: Master O’Reilly
2006: Tawqeet
2005: Railings
2004: Elvstroem
2003: Mummify
2002: Northerly
2001: Ethereal
2000: Diatribe
1999: Sky Heights
1998: Taufan’s Melody
1997: Might And Power
1996: Arctic Scent
1995: Doriemus
1994: Paris Lane
1993: Fraar
1992: Mannerism
1991: Let’s Elope
1990: Sydeston
1989: Cole Diesel
1988: Imposera
1987: Lord Reims
1986: Mr. Lomondy
1985: Tristarc
1984: Affinity
1983: Hayai
1982: Gurner’s Lane
1981: Silver Bounty
1980: Ming Dynasty
1979: Mighty Kingdom
Caulfield Cup Race FAQs
🏆 Who won the Caulfield Cup?
Down the years, many great racehorses in Australia have been able to call themselves Caulfield Cup winners after earning victory on the Melbourne track. From 1998 onwards, thoroughbreds from overseas started competing in this event. It has become a target for international runners heading Down Under for horse racing in Australia because winning the Caulfield Cup race now carries a ballot exemption for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington the following month.
📅 What date is the Caulfield Cup?
As with all black type and pattern races across the world, the Caulfield Cup in Australia has its set place in the horse racing calendar. While the exact date on which it is run varies slightly from season to season, it is always contested at roughly the same time of year. One thing that the best betting sites Australia has to offer will tell you the day on which the Caulfield Cup race takes place, so you know when to watch out for any horse racing wagers you might have placed on this event.
💰 How much is the Caulfield Cup worth?
Prize money for Group 1 and Grade 1 horse races around the world, including the Caulfield Cup in Australia tends to change with inflation year on year. All you need to know is that this is a very valuable event indeed with the total purse reflecting the history and prestige attached to Caulfield Racecourse’s feature contest. Whatever its precise value, some top thoroughbreds will be involved, and the horse racing betting tips trying to pick out Caulfield Cup winners know that.
❓ What distance is the Caulfield Cup?
Believe it or not, if you look back into the history of famous horse races, you will find that their precise distances have often changed down the years. Take the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick, for example. This was originally a three-mile event, yet is contested over less than half that distance now. The Caulfield Cup race is a rare exception to this rule, however, in that it has been run over pretty much the same trip throughout its 140 plus years.
✔️ How do you qualify for the Caulfield Cup?
The Caulfield Cup in Australia has something in common with the Melbourne Cup across town in that both events have ballot exemption races leading up to them. In other words, a horse can qualify automatically and guarantee itself a place in the line-up by winning another contest elsewhere. This can have a huge impact on the Caulfield Cup betting and Melbourne Cup market as a result with the bookies shortening the odds for those who can definitely take part.
