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Your ultimate last-minute guide to the 2017 Melbourne Cup

Caulfield. What a place. (AAPImage/George Salpigtidis)
7th November, 2017
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The race that stops a nation has finally arrived! It’s Melbourne Cup day and The Roar has you covered with everything you could possibly need to know about the race in one place so you can be prepared for 3pm (AEDT) this afternoon and not miss a moment.

More 2017 Melbourne Cup
» Race report: Rekindling wins
» Who came last
» Complete finishing order
» Watch video highlights replay
» Re-live the race with our live blog
» Regal Monarch’s horror fall
» Winning trifecta and quinella
» Winning exact and first four

When is the race?

While there are ten races on the card for the day, the Melbourne Cup itself starts at 3pm (AEDT). The race will be over in a matter of minutes though.

Where is the race?

The Melbourne Cup, as always is being held at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. It’s located just to the north of the CBD, just across the Maribyrnong river from Footscray Park and Victoria University.

How long is the race?

The race is over in minutes. It’s run over a distance of 3200 metres, which alongside the Sydney Cup is the longest Group 1 race in Australia. It typically takes around three and a half minutes, with the record belonging to 1990 winner Kingston Rule, who set a time of 3:16:30.

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How can I watch the race?

There are multiple ways you can watch the race on TV. The first of those is on the Seven Network. They are broadcasting live all day from Flemington.

Racing.com, which can be found on both free-to-air TV and Foxtel will also broadcast the race and others from around the country, as will Foxtel exclusive channel Sky Racing, however, it will be on delay as Channel 7 have exclusive rights to show the race live.

How can I stream the race?

As with the TV coverage, there are multiple ways to stream the race online. The first way will be to stream Channel Seven’s coverage on their 7live website or application. It allows you to stream the channels of seven for free, meaning Racing.com will also be available in this way.

If you want to watch the day’s coverage on Sky Racing, you will need to use Foxtel Now or the Foxtel app.

You can also stream the action through Twitter or multiple betting companies like Sportsbet.com.au, CrownBet.com.au or Ladbrokes.com.au.

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For a more detailed guide on live streaming the race, click here.

What’s the best way to follow the race if I can’t watch it?

On The Roar of course. We are running a live blog all day long. We will cover all ten races, the news, updates and information from Flemington as it happens throughout the course of the day.

What does the weather forecast say?

Look, let’s just say it’s going to be a typical Melbourne day. Rain in the morning will turn into a cool day, but the good news is that it should be dried up in time for the big race. The temperature isn’t expected to rise above 16 degrees.

How much prizemoney is on the line?

This is Australia’s richest horse race and the fifth richest in the world, with the total purse totalling a whopping $6.2 million.

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Here is a complete breakdown of how that’s awarded.

Place Prizemoney
First $3,600,000
Second $900,000
Third $450,000
Fourth $250,000
Fifth $175,000
Sixth $125,000
Seventh $125,000
Eighth $125,000
Ninth $125,000
Tenth $125,000

Full Melbourne Cup field

No. Horse Trainer Jockey Weight Barrier
1 Hartnell James Cummings Damian Lane 57.5kg 12
2 Almandin Robert Hickmott Frankie Dettori 56.5kg 14
3 Humidor Darren Weir Blake Shinn 56kg 13
4 Tiberian Alain Couetil OlivierPeslier 55.5kg 23
5 Marmelo Hughie Morrison Hugh Bowman 55kg 16
6 Red Cardinal Andreas Wohler Kerrin McEvoy 55kg 24
7 Johannes Vermeer Aidan O’Brien Ben Melham 54.5kg 3
8 Bondi Beach Robert Hickmott Michael Walker 54kg 1
9 Max Dynamite William Mullins Zac Purton 54kg 2
10 Ventura Storm David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Glen Boss 54kg 6
11 Who Shot Thebarman Chris Waller Tommy Berry 54kg 20
12 Wicklow Brave William Mullins Stephen Baster 54kg 8
13 Big Duke Darren Weir Brenton Avdulla 53.5kg 5
14 US Army Ranger Joseph O’Brien Jamie Spencer 53.5kg 22
15 Boom Time David & B Hayes & T Dabernig Cory Parish 53kg 9
16 Gallante Robert Hickmott Michael Dee 53kg 18
17 Libran Chris Waller Dwayne Dunn 53kg 7
18 Nakeeta Iain Jardine Glyn Schofield 53kg 19
19 Single Gaze Nick Olive Kathy O’Hara 53kg 11
20 Wall of Fire Hugo Palmer Craig Williams 53kg 15
21 Thomas Hobson William Mullins Joao Moreira 52kg 21
22 Rekindling Joseph O’Brien Corey Brown 51.5kg 4
23 Amelie’s Star Darren Weir Dean Yendall 51kg 10
24 Cismontane Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Beau Mertens 50kg 17

Which horse won in 2016?

The defending champion is back to try and defend the crowd at Australia’s richest race. Almandin took out the Melbourne Cup in 2016 ahead of Heartbreak City, Hartnell and Qewy. Hartnell is also in the field for 2017, while Qewy (who pulled out last week) and Heartbreak City aren’t in the race.

What do the betting odds say?

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All the betting odds for the Cup.

Who are the experts tipping?

The Roar‘s experts are almost unanimous in declaring Marmelo will win the race in 2017. Four out of five have tipped the favourite to win, while Tristan Rayner has tipped Almandin with Marmelo to finish second. Wall of Fire and Humidor are among the other horses expected to be at the head of affairs.

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