What age is best for Melbourne Cup winners?
The 2023 Melbourne Cup will jump at 3pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 7 at Flemington Racecourse. This year’s race has drawn a bumper field and promises to be one of the toughest to tip in recent years.
Several factors come in to play when picking a horse at Melbourne Cup betting sites, including the weights, the barrier draw and the lead-up races. Another key point to consider is the age of the runners – in particular, which age range has produced the most winners over the past 162 years of Melbourne Cup racing.
Melbourne Cup winners by age
| AGE | WINS |
|---|---|
| Three-year-olds | 23 Wins |
| Four-year-olds | 46 Wins |
| Five-year-olds | 44 Wins |
| Six-year-olds | 35 Wins |
| Seven-year-olds | 11 Wins |
| Eight-year-olds | 3 Wins |
The table above clearly demonstrates that some horses are better candidates than others in the Melbourne Cup betting depending on their age. More than half of all Melbourne Cup winners have been either four-year-old or five-year-old horses, with 90 wins combined from 162 runnings to date.
At the other end of the spectrum, horses aged seven or older have won the great race only 14 times in total. In this century, only Makybe Diva (2005) and Almandin (2016) have won the race as seven-year-olds. The last eight-year-old winner of the Melbourne Cup was Twilight Payment.
2021 Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant won the race as a six-year-old.
2023 Melbourne Cup Field & Age
1. Gold Trip (2)
- T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
- J: James McDonald
- W: 58.5kg
- F: 0x4135
- Age: 7YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Outstrip (GB)
- Dam: Sarvana (USA)
2. Alenquer (9)
- T: Michael Moroney
- J: Damien Oliver
- W: 56.5kg
- F: 00×059
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Adlerflug (GER)
- Dam: Wild Blossom (GER)
3. Without A Fight (16)
- T: Anthony & Sam Freedman
- J: Mark Zahra
- W: 56.5kg
- F: x11x61
- Age: 7YO
- Color: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Teofilo (IRE)
- Dam: Khor Sheed (GB)
4. Breakup (18)
- T: Tatsuya Yoshioka
- J: Kohei Matsuyama
- W: 55kg
- F: 0340×8
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Chestnut
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Novelist (IRE)
- Dam: Little Dun (USA)
5. Vauban (3)
- T: Willie Mullins
- J: Ryan Moore
- W: 55kg
- F: 34211x
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Gallway (GB)
- Dam: Waldfest (IRE)
6. Soulcombe (4)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Joao Moreira
- W: 53.5kg
- F: 2×1437
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Frankel (GB)
- Dam: Ribbons (GER)
7. Absurde (8)
- T: Willie Mullins
- J: Zac Purton
- W: 53kg
- F: 7×1261
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Fastnet Rock (AUS)
- Dam: Incroyable (IRE)
8. Right You Are (15)
- T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
- J: John Allen
- W: 53kg
- F: 1×2505
- Age: 7YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: So You Think (NZ)
- Dam: Leica Ding (NZ)
9. Vow And Declare (19)
- T: Danny O’Brien
- J: Billy Egan
- W: 53kg
- F: 60×022
- Age: 8YO
- Color: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Declaration Of War (USA)
- Dam: Geblitzt (NZ)
10. Cleveland (23)
- T: Kris Lees
- J: Michael Dee
- W: 52kg
- F: x49621
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Camelot (GB)
- Dam: Venus de Milo (IRE)
11. Ashrun (11)
- T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
- J: Kerrin McEvoy
- W: 51.5kg
- F: 10×762
- Age: 8YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Authorized (IRE)
- Dam: Ashantee (GER)
12. Daqiansweet Junior (12)
- T: Phillip Stokes
- J: Daniel Stackhouse
- W: 51.5kg
- F: 0x0074
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay or Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Sweet Orange (USA)
- Dam: Paulette (NZ)
13. Okita Soushi (20)
- T: Joseph O’Brien
- J: Dylan Gibbons
- W: 51.5kg
- F: 115130
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Stallion
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Amicus (UNR)
14. Sheraz (22)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Beau Mertens
- W: 51.5kg
- F: 1×2341
- Age: 7YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Sea The Stars (IRE)
- Dam: Shemiyla (IRE)
15. Lastotchka (21)
- T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr
- J: Craig Williams
- W: 51kg
- F: 1×2341
- Age: 4YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Myboycharlie (IRE)
- Dam: Muthia (GB)
16. Magical Lagoon (7)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Mark Du Plessis
- W: 51kg
- F: 06×906
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Mare
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Night Lagoon (GB)
17. Military Mission (5)
- T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
- J: Rachel King
- W: 51kg
- F: 920141
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Grey/Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Mastercraftsman (IRE)
- Dam: Atlantic Isle (GB)
18. Serpentine (1)
- T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
- J: Jye McNeil
- W: 51kg
- F: 129243
- Age: 7YO
- Color: Chestnut
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Remember When (IRE)
19. Virtuous Circle (6)
- T: Liam Howley
- J: Craig Newitt
- W: 51kg
- F: 2×0908
- Age: 4YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Horse
- Sire: Almanzor (FR)
- Dam: She Is Stryking
20. More Felons (24)
- T: Chris Waller
- J: Jamie Kah
- W: 50.5kg
- F: 657285
- Age: 5YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Churchill (IRE)
- Dam: Pivotalia (IRE)
21. Future History (13)
- T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
- J: Hollie Doyle
- W: 50kg
- F: 721213
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Bay
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Showcasing (GB)
- Dam: Likelihood (USA)
22. Interpretation (17)
- T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
- J: Teo Nugent
- W: 50kg
- F: x32591
- Age: 6YO
- Color: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Galileo (IRE)
- Dam: Daldiyna (FR)
24. True Marvel (10)
- T: Matthew Smith
- J: Ben Thompson
- W: 50kg
- F: 138080
- Age: 8YO
- Color: Brown
- Sex: Gelding
- Sire: Masked Marvel (GB)
- Dam: Anecdotique (GB)
2023 Melbourne Cup Odds
Flemington - Race 7
Lexus Melbourne Cup
Status: Final
Track Rating: Good4
Weather: Overcast
AUS
3200m
03:00pm - Tue 7th Nov
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
Melbourne Cup Runner-by-Runner betting guide & racing tips
Article about age of winners; table below showing runners without age. :/