Melbourne Cup roughies 2024
There is only one thing better than picking a winner in the Melbourne Cup and that’s getting a result at odds. Our guide to the top Melbourne Cup roughies is updated regularly in the lead-up to the 2025 edition.
The Melbourne Cup is a hard race to pick at the best of times which means getting a winner is going to pay a higher dividend than almost any other race in the country. This means however finding a roughie in the race that stops a nation going to be that much more lucrative for backers.
Roughie backers have been rewarded for their patience in the Melbourne Cup with just one horse, Protectionist in 2014, winning the race as a single figure runner in the last five years. The top Melbourne Cup betting sites have extensive odds available with it important to use odds comparison when betting on roughies, because their can be big discrepancies.
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Who Are The 2024 Melbourne Cup Roughies?
The Melbourne Cup is always a wide open race and the 2024 edition is no different, with plenty of roughies in the mix. While most of the attention will go towards well-backed runners like Vauban ($6) and Buckaroo ($7), there are plenty at longer odds that can win on their day.
While plucking the successful Melbourne Cup roughie is very much an inexact science, there are some horses that have legitimate staying credentials and can go the 3200m journey in the 2024 field.
At our last update about two weeks out from the 2024 Melbourne Cup, there are several horses at longshot odds that stand out to our tipsters, with these being Sharp ‘N’ Smart ($71), Saint George ($34) and Interpretation ($21).
Can A Roughie Win The 2024 Melbourne Cup?
Although unlikely, these are the three horses HorseBetting think can cause an upset in the 2024 Melbourne Cup.

Sharp ‘N’ Smart
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Redwood (GB)
- Dam: Queen Margaret (NZ)
Sharp ‘N’ Smart 2024 Melbourne Cup Odds
6. Sharp ‘N’ Smart (15)
5yo G | T: Graeme & Deborah Rogerson | J: Michael Dee (53.5kg)
Sharp ‘N’ Smart is a ridiculous price with horse betting sites. The Graeme & Deborah Rogerson-trained Kiwi has had plenty of excuses this campaign, but can turn it all around at a +7000 quote on Tuesday. He struggles on wet ground, which is what he faced at his first three runs this campaign, before finding the bright lights at Moonee Valley a bit too much in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup. It could all be coming together nicely at Flemington. A NZ Derby winner at three over 2400m, he seemingly will get the trip and has the ability to settle closer to the speed than some. He may not win necessarily, but a top five or six bet with certain bookmakers could be the play at the right price.
- Age: 7YO
- Color: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Daldiyna (FR)
Interpretation 2024 Melbourne Cup Odds

Saint George (9)
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Grey
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Roaring Lion (USA)
- Dam: Lady Dragon (IRE)
Saint George 2024 Melbourne Cup Odds
22. Saint George (9)
5yo H | T: Ciaron Maher | J: Tyler Schiller (50kg)
Saint George has continually put in eye-catching performances in his four runs this campaign, and despite not winning, cannot be discounted in the 2024 Melbourne Cup. The five-year-old trainer by Ciaron Maher was hitting the line as well as anything in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup and seemingly would have finished closer if it wasn’t his first look at the track. He returns to Flemington, albeit the track he put in his worst performance at this campaign, but the step up to 3200m at this stage of his prep looks perfect. Tyler Schiller will have him settled midfield with cover and if he can replicate his finish from last time out, he is certainly a trifecta hope at a big price.
For a full breakdown on every 2024 Melbourne Cup horses chances in the race that stops the nation, see our full feature race guides:
Who are longest priced winners in Melbourne Cup history?
Four horses in the history of the Melbourne Cup have won the big one at odds of $100 or more.
The Pearl was the first to do it in 1871, Wotan (1936) and Old Rowley (1940) all did it over 60 years ago. The Darren Weir-trained Prince Of Penzance was the last to do it 2015.
A triple figure winner is hard to find at the best of times, and in the modern age it seems even more unlikely.
Just one runner in 2017, Gallante ($126) jumped in triple figures, while the year before there were no runners in the Melbourne Cup that jumped at a price of $100 or over.
WATCH BELOW: Prince Of Penzance wins the Melbourne Cup as one of the longest priced winners in history
Without A Fight won the 2023 Melbourne Cup at the odds of $7.50 with the Australian TAB, after firming late in the betting.
Who Are The 2023 Roughies?
There are plenty of long-shot roughies in 2023 Melbourne Cup, with some having legitimate staying ability over the 3200m. HorseBetting.com.au’s racing expert will update our 2023 Melbourne Cup roughies guide in the coming days.
Can A Roughie Win The 2023 Melbourne Cup?
Our 2023 Melbourne Cup roughies page will be updated over the weekend, well in advance of the 2023 Melbourne Cup, which will be raced on November 7.
For a full breakdown on every 2023 Melbourne Cup horses chances in the race that stops the nation, see our full feature race guides:
2022 Melbourne Cup field
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 1 Gold Trip Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Mark Zahra 14 57.5kg $13 2 Duais Edward Cummings Hugh Bowman 10 55.5kg $21 3 Knights Order Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Tim Clark 24 55.5kg $21 4 Montefilia David Payne Jason Collett 11 55.5kg $11 5 Numerian Annabel Neasham Tommy Berry 7 55.5kg $61 6 Without A Fight Simon & Ed Crisford William Buick 18 55.5kg $11 7 Camorra Ben & JD Hayes Ben Melham 17 55kg $41 8 Deauville Legend James Ferguson Kerrin McEvoy 9 55kg $3.80 9 Stockman Joseph Pride Sam Clipperton 2 54kg $34 10 Vow And Declare Danny O’Brien Blake Shinn 4 54kg $18 11 Young Werther Danny O’Brien Damian Lane 21 54kg $26 12 Hoo Ya Mal Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Craig Williams 15 53.5kg $21 13 Serpentine Robert Hickmott John Allen 23 53.5kg $61 14 Daqiansweet Junior Phillip Stokes Daniel Moor 13 53kg $51 15 Grand Promenade Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Harry Coffey 1 53kg $61 16 Arapaho Bjorn Baker Rachel King 19 52.5kg $101 17 Emissary Mike Moroney Patrick Moloney 3 51.5kg $21 18 Lunar Flare Grahame Begg Michael Dee 12 51.5kg $21 19 Smokin’ Romans Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Jamie Kah 16 51.5kg $21 20 Tralee Rose Symon Wilde Dean Yendall 22 51kg $101 21 Point Nepean Robert Hickmott Wayne Lordan 20 51kg $71 22 High Emocean Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Teo Nugent 8 50kg $51 23 Interpretation Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Craig Newitt 6 50kg $41 24 Realm Of Flowers Anthony & Sam Freedman Damien Thornton 5 50kg $15 Who Are The 2022 Roughies?
The roughies or long shots in the the 2023 Melbourne Cup Odds are not long enough in the betting to break and records with the middle and tail of the betting market quite open.
Grand Promenade and Tralee Rose are the longest priced horses in the race but you won’t betting triple figures about them on Cup raceday as they are both $71.00.
Arapaho, with female jockey Rachel King aboard is next at $67.00; and then comes international horse Camorra and Lloyd Williams-owned Serpentine at $61.00.
Can A Roughie Win The 2023 Melbourne Cup?
Camorra
T: Ben & JD HayesJ: Ben Melham- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Zoffany (IRE)
- Dam: Mauralakana (GB)
2023 Melbourne Cup Horses
7. Camorra (17)
5yo G | T: Ben & JD Hayes | J: Ben Melham (55kg)
Ben & JD Hayes will have their second ever Melbourne Cup starter as the reigning Curragh Cup champion Camorra makes his Australian debut. The five-year-old gelding brings elite level formlines throughout the Curragh Cup and has shown in his career that he can sustain a long-sustained run which he may have to do having drawn out in barrier 17. He will need a tonne of luck from the draw as he has never won a race when not settling in the first four and with plenty of key speed influencers drawn further out than he, we’re happy to let Camorra go around without our hard-earned on.Serpentine
T: Robert HickmottJ: John Allen- Age: 5YO
- Color: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Remember When (IRE)
13. Serpentine (23)
5yo G | T: Robert Hickmott | J: John Allen (53.5kg)
Prior to his second placed finished in the heavily reduced Archer Stakes field, the Robert Hickmott-trained Serpentine had been in shocking form since arriving in Australia. The result reads better than it should and despite likely being up on speed, his form is just too hard to ignore and we expect to see him finish towards the rear of the field.Grand Promenade
T: Ciaron Maher & David EustaceJ: Harry Coffey- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Champs Elysees (GB)
- Dam: Zacchera (USA)
15. Grand Promenade (1)
6yo G | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: Harry Coffey (53kg)
Despite drawing the rail, the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Grand Promenade just isn’t quite up to it this campaign. The winner of the 2021 Bart Cummings is a shadow of his former self having risen through the staying ranks this time last year and despite having the Maher & Eustace polish, Grand Promenade cannot be entertained.Arapaho
T: Bjorn Baker/span>J: Rachel King- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Lope de Vega (IRE)
- Dam: Alzubra
16. Arapaho (19)
5yo G | T: Bjorn Baker | J: Rachel King (52.5kg)
To be fair to the Bjorn Baker-trained Arapaho, we have seen worse $101 shots going around in the Melbourne Cup. He managed to beat the dominant Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner Francesco Guardi five runs back at Newcastle in the Group 3 Premiers Cup on August 20 and has been racing in decent enough form in Sydney to suggests a first-half finish is not beyond him. He produced the best last 600m of the ATC St Leger Stakes when chasing home Stockman and was arguably doing his best work late. He will beat a few of these home on recent form.Tralee Rose
T: Symon WildeJ: Dean Yendall- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Tavistock (NZ)
- Dam: Star Of Tralee (NZ)
20. Tralee Rose (22)
6yo M | T: Symon Wilde | J: Dean Yendall (51.5kg)
12 months ago, the Symon Wilde-trained Tralee Rose started a shorter price in the Melbourne Cup than what Verry Elleegant did when winning. However, the six-year-old mares form has been putrid this time in and despite being held up for a run in the Caulfield Cup when finishing 13 of 18, she deserves to be the rank outsider in the 2022 Melbourne Cup.Who’s the best roughie in the 2021 Melbourne Cup?
The best long priced roughies in the 2021 Melbourne Cup are Future Score who is $201 at most horse betting sites, and Miami Bound at $151.
Future Score
Future Score
T: Matt CumaniJ: Dean Yendall- Age: 7YO
- Color: Black
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Cape Cross
- Dam: Theola
Career stats for Future Score
- Career: 22: 6-2-4
- Flemington: 3: 1-0-1
- Distance: 0: 0-0-0
- Wet: 6: 2-1-0
- Good: 14: 4-1-4
- Group 1: 0: 0-0-0
- Win %: 27%
- Place %: 55%
Melbourne Cup results for Future Score
The 2021 Melbourne Cup will be Future Score’s first start in the great race.
Can Future Score win The Cup?
Simply put; No. Future Score looks to be a mile out of his depth here in what is his first Group 1 start.
Last Start: Future Score runs 6th to Lunar Flare in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup
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Miami Bound
Miami Bound
T: Danny O’BrienJ: Patrick Moloney- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Reliable Mare
- Dam: Arapaho Miss
Career stats for Miami Bound
- Career: 26: 5-0-5
- Flemington: 9: 2-0-3
- Distance: 3: 0-0-1
- Wet: 9: 3-0-1
- Good: 17: 2-0-4
- Group 1: 7: 1-0-2
- Win %: 19%
- Place %: 38%
Melbourne Cup Results for Miami Bound
Melbourne Cup Results Year No. Result Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 2020 23 Miami Bound finishes 14th of 23 Danny O’Brien Daniel Moor 13 51kg $41 Can Miami Bound win The Cup?
Simply put; no. Miami Bound simply isn’t in the form to trouble the likes of Incentivise and Spanish Mission. A Top 10 finish would be almost deemed a win for the Danny O’Brien-trained mare.
Last Start: Miami Bound runs 5th to Lunar Flare – 2021 Moonee Valley Gold Cup
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2021 Melbourne Cup
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 1 Twilight Payment Joseph O’Brien Jye McNeil 2 58kg $11 2 Incentivise Peter Moody Brett Prebble 16 57kg $2.50 3 Spanish Mission Andrew Balding Craig Williams 14 57kg $9 4 Verry Elleegant Chris Waller James McDonald 19 57kg $15 5 Explosive Jack C Maher & D Eustace John Allen 4 54kg $51 6 The Chosen One M Baker & A Forsman Damian Lane 5 54kg $61 7 Delphi A & S Freedman Damien Oliver 3 53.5kg $41 8 Ocean Billy Chris Waller Damian Thornton 13 53.5kg $101 9 Selino Chris Waller Ron Stewart 24 53.5kg $151 10 Johnny Get Angry Denis Pagan Lachlan King 22 53kg $101 11 Knights Order G Waterhouse & A Bott Daniel Stackhouse 9 53kg $201 12 Persan C Maher & D Eustace Luke Currie 11 53kg $31 13 Carif P & P Snowden Blaike McDougall 8 52.5kg $201 14 Master Of Wine Team Hawkes Fred Kersley 6 52.5kg $101 15 Pondus Robert Hickmott Rachel King 1 52.5kg $41 16 Grand Promenade C Maher & D Eustace Kerrin McEvoy 21 52kg $21 17 Miami Bound Danny O’Brien Patrick Moloney 17 52kg $151 18 Port Guillaume Ben & JD Hayes Harry Coffey 23 52kg $151 19 She’s Ideel Bjorn Baker Craig Newitt 20 52kg $101 20 Future Score Matt Cumani Dean Yendall 15 51.5kg $301 21 Tralee Rose Symon Wilde Dean Holland 12 51kg $17 22 Floating Artist C Maher & D Eustace Teo Nugent 10 50kg $18 23 Great House Chris Waller Michael Dee 7 50kg $31 24 Sir Lucan G Waterhouse & A Bott Glen Boss 18 50kg $26
2020 Melbourne Cup
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 1 Anthony Van Dyck Aidan O’Brien Hugh Bowman 3 58.5kg $8.50 2 Avilius James Cummings John Allen 10 57kg $51 3 Vow And Declare Danny O’Brien Jamie Mott 4 57kg $51 4 Master Of Reality Joseph O’Brien Ben Melham 11 56kg $26 5 Sir Dragonet C Maher & D Eustace Glen Boss 14 55.5kg $10 6 Twilight Payment Joseph O’Brien Jye McNeil 12 55.5kg $31 7 Verry Elleegant Chris Waller Mark Zahra 15 55.5kg $13 8 Mustajeer Kris Lees Michael Rodd 2 55kg $101 9 Stratum Albion Willie Mullins Jordan Childs 9 55kg $47 10 Dashing Willoughby Andrew Balding Michael Walker 19 54.5kg $101 11 Finche Chris Waller James McDonald 6 54.5kg $19 12 Prince Of Arran Charlie Fellowes Jamie Kah 1 54.5kg $12 13 Surprise Baby Paul Preusker Craig Williams 7 54.5kg $9.50 14 King Of LeogranceDanny O’BrienDamian Lane1853.5kgSCR 15 Russian Camelot Danny O’Brien Damien Oliver 16 53.5kg $13 16 Steel Prince A & S Freedman William Pike 21 53.5kg $44 17 The Chosen One M Baker & A Forsman Daniel Stackhouse 5 53.5kg $42 18 Ashrun Andreas Wohler Declan Bates 24 53kg $23 19 Warning A & S Freeman Luke Currie 8 53kg $51 20 Etah James C Maher & D Eustace Billy Egan 22 52.5kg $201 21 Tiger Moth Aidan O’Brien Kerrin McEvoy 23 52.5kg $8.60 22 Oceanex M Price & M Kent jnr Dean Yendall 17 51.5kg $101 23 Miami Bound Danny O’Brien Daniel Moor 21 51kg $41 24 Persan C Maher & D Eustace Michael Dee 20 51kg $42