The complete beginners guide to betting on the Melbourne Cup

Have you ever watched the news in the lead up to the Melbourne Cup and wondered how they come up with 'favourites' and a list of horses who are the best chances to win the race? You may have decided over the years of watching the race that you would always back the one with the best name or the jockey is wearing the most flamboyant colours. But you are ready to stop with that. You want to know how to use your money wisely with betting, you say. Then this is the guide for you.

This guide is designed for people whose only interaction with horse racing or gambling of any sort comes on the first Tuesday of November every year.

Before we jump in though, the thing to remember is that there is no 'best' method to working out which horse to back. Everyone has their own reasons. A horse may put in a surprisingly excellent performance that defies everything people thought about it, or a champion may have an unlucky day and finish dead last. That's racing for you. But with some knowledge you can at least make an educated decision about what you want to get behind.

So let us start at the basics of betting. If you are familiar with 'returns,' 'odds,' 'each way' and 'favourites' then you can give this a skip if you please.

PART ONE: What is betting?

1) What do these dollar values next to the horses mean?

This is the amount of money you will receive for every dollar you spend betting on the horse to win. If a horse is at $7, that means if you put $1 on the horse to win you get $7 back. This amount you get back is usually referred to as the return.

$7 (Horse's price) 

x 

$1 (Your bet) 

= 

$7 (Your return)

In this simple example you made seven times back what you bet! So your one dollar becomes seven! But you feel a little more risky and decide to put $10 on a horse to win instead of your $1. So if that same horse wins, this happens instead...

$7 (Horse's price)

x

$10 (Your bet)

=

$70 (Your return)

But remember, to go for the bigger return you have to risk more money!

Example time!

This first horse you see on the form guide is $6. The next one is $10. But the one after is $35! How do they come up with that? And does that mean you should go for that $35 one that will get you more money back?

Simply put, the lower the dollar value is on a horse, the more likely it is to win. The horse with the lowest dollar value next to its name is referred to as the favourite. But of course what this means is that if a horse that is deemed more likely to win does so, then you will get less money back. This is what makes betting such an exciting feature of horse racing, trying to weigh up whether you want to either...

A) Back a lower value horse for a better chance of winning, or

B) Back a higher value horse with a lower chance of winning.

So that horse at $35 is believed to have a very small chance of winning, while the $6 one is deemed to have a very good chance. A horse around $1.50 to $2 is believed to be near impossible to beat while a horse around $150 is deemed not a chance to get close to winning (but upsets still happen!).

My Kingdom of Fyfe was a horse who came out to Australia from England to begin a career here in Autumn 2011. In his first race here he started at $150... and won! Miracles do indeed happen!

On the other end of the scale Black Caviar had odds of $1.04 in many of her races! Odds that incredibly low are reserved for legendary horses. If you put a dollar on her to win you wouldn't even make five cents back! A $10 bet would only make you 40 cents! Unless you have thousands of dollars on hand, betting for a win on a horse like her isn't worth your time! And betting against them? You're very brave.

How they come up with those values for the horses anyway? We'll get there soon.

2) How to place a bet

There are almost limitless ways to bet on a horse race, but there's only two that should concern you if you don't want to lose your head. Those two methods are betting on a horse to win and betting each way.

If you bet on a horse to win, to get any money back your horse must come first! That's it. If he or she finishes in any of the other 23 places on Melbourne Cup day then your money is gone. However, betting to win is the most simple method to understand and it's very easy to calculate what you stand to gain and what you stand to lose (as shown in question 1). It's recommended if you are completely new to betting to bet on the win.

Maths warning! 

If you bet on a horse each way, you can make money back if your horse finishes first, second or third. For example, lets say you back a horse at $11 each way. To make an each way bet you put the same amount of money on the horse to win and get a place. So if you, for instance, go $5 each way on this $11 horse, this is what happens...

You put $5 on the horse to win and $5 on the horse to run a second or third... So you are actually spending $10! This is very important to remember. Why? Because if your horse wins, despite the fact you spent $10, only five of it goes to it winning! So using that equation back in question one assuming our horse wins...

$11 (Horse's price for winning)

x

$5 (Your win bet)

=

$55 (Your return)

Had you spent that $10 entirely on the horse to win, you would have got $110 back instead. But the beauty of betting each way, in this case splitting your bet into two $5 halves, is having some backup in case your horse gets second or third! If your horse just gets beaten in the last few metres of the race, there's no need to be sad because you can still make money! So let us go and cash in that bet...

Horses that finish second or third have a place value next to them in place of their standard win one. This number will always be significantly lower than their standard win value. Using our $11 example, lets say our fella tried his hardest but just fell short and finished second instead. Luckily for us, we bet $5 each way on him instead of the whole $10 on the win! We find out our horse paid $4 for the place. So...

$4 (Horse's price for getting a place)

x

$5 (Your win bet)

=

$20 (Your return)

Well, it's certainly not as good as winning the $55 if our horse won, but guess what! You still get $20 back meaning we made a $10 profit (since we started by spending $10). Very nice!

But a word of warning! It's not always efficient to bet each way. Lets say you decided to put a $5 each way bet on the favourite, who ran at $3 instead of . So we put $5 on the win and $5 on the place (again, spending $10 in total). This seems great because if he wins we get $15 back - a $5 profit.

But the race doesn't go so well. Our favourite runs third. So what's his place value? $1.40 it seems.

$1.40 (Horse's price for getting a place)

x

$5 (Your place bet)

=

$7 (Your return)

We actually lost three dollars despite our horse running a third place! What went wrong? What happened was that we put our bet each way on a horse with a rather low value. This isn't a good idea. If your horse runs a place and its place value is under $2, then you have actually lost money!

So backing each way is an excellent idea if you are backing is horse that is less favoured to win! What this means is that having a successful each way bet does not guarantee a profit!

If mathematics makes you throw up in repulsion, don't worry too much. Just remember this rule of thumb instead: If you want to pick a horse to back each way then try to pick a runner whose value is around $7 or higher. Though there is certainly some give either side of that number, it's a safe one to work with. This guarantees that a top three finish for your horse will at least give you some sort of a return instead of a loss!

If that's a little too much to take, you can't go wrong simply betting only on the win!

PART TWO: Reading and understanding form guides

1) A form guide at its most basic

To know what to back, we have to compare horses. To make that happen, we need to understand the form guide! Remember when we asked how we come up with the different values on horses? This the starting point to finding out.

A form guide is a list of races taking place that also includes a lot of interesting and relevant information about the horses racing, including their past results, where they have ran. You may be very familiar with them or have heard about how important they are. The most basic part of a form guide is the race list or summary. They are unique and laid out in different ways, but most follow a similar format. Form guides usually contain much more in depth information, which I'll come to a touch later.

A word of warning to those unfamiliar with reading form guides, the following example may give you a fright at first - but have no fear because we'll make reading it look like child's play soon enough! Here is an example I've prepared for the first three horses out of 24 listed in this year's Melbourne Cup....

1. x43228   Dunaden.....................................................................................58.5kg (1)     C. Williams

2. 44x599   Green Moon..............................................................................57.5kg (10)    B. Pebble

3. 389624   Red Cadeux...............................................................................56.5kg (23)    G. Mosse

So now that we've got some information, let's study it.

2) Horse numbers + weight

Horse racing numbers are always given out the same way no matter what the race. Horses are listed in descending order of the weight they have to carry. In this year's edition, Dunaden will be carry the most weight with 58 and a half kilograms (what people refer as the top weight). This means he will carry the number one saddlecloth. More weight obviously makes running the race more difficult for a horseAs you can see, moving down the sheet the weights continue to decrease. 

These weights are calculated depending on what level of racing we are at and how well the horse has raced in his or her career. The weights then get given based on the handicapper's rating. Good results add to the rating and poor results either result in nothing or even loss of points. Simple enough. Dunaden currently holds a rating of 118, Green Moon 116 and Red Cadeux 114. This explains the weight distribution as well as their listed order. Good so far? Excellent!

Weights don't always perfectly match the rating, other factors mean some horses can jump up or fall down the race order. But they are the basis for which horses qualify for races through!

This means generally that the most successful horses over a longer time are listed towards the top in a race! Of course, the trade-off for these good results is that the horse has to carry more weight! Dunaden carried 54.5kg to win the 2011 Melbourne Cup. The following year he had to carry 59kg because his rating had increased so much! That was a massive increase in weight. He finished the race in 14th position. It is very likely that a big factor for the lower finish was the additional weight on board - but of course there are many other things going on that could have contributed, don't forget!

It can be hard for horses to lose handicap weight, even if they don't continue racing very well. A horse could be nine years old, but because he or she had a very successful four and five year old career they are constantly stuck towards top weight wherever they go! This is actually quite a common occurrence for many horses and something that should always be taken into consideration! Dunaden hasn't won a race since last year's Caulfield Cup but still has carry just half a kilo less than last year's Melbourne Cup.

These ratings mean if a horse such as Dunaden were to race in a lower-standard event, he would be slapped with a significant weight penalty! But a horse that has never raced in something the standard of the Melbourne Cup will enjoy a much lower weight in Tuesday's big one.

Makybe Diva is pictured here winning the 2005 Melbourne Cup. The number one saddle cloth indicates she was carrying more weight than any other horse, but she still managed to win! It's a rare feat for top weight horses to win the Melbourne Cup

  

This means that in handicap events, such as the Melbourne Cup, the more successful a horse has been the more weight they have to carry. It comes as no surprise then that the winners of the last two Melbourne Cups are carrying the most weight in this year's event! The aim of a handicap race is to balance out the competition to keep the racing as close as possible.

2) Previous form

See that string of numbers and x's following on from the horse's number? That jumble of numbers actually represent how the horse has run over his or her past six starts (the number of starts listed usually is different between publications). Look at Dunaden. He has x43228. The numbers represent finishing position. 8 for eighth. 2 for second. Easy.

Note: the most recent start is always on the right. So Dunaden finished 8th at his last start and second in both races before that.

What these numbers won't tell you though is what class of racing they took place at. A horse could have 111111 next to its name, but that wouldn't mean much if I told you it had only been racing at country races against soft competition! You may need to look at the extra details in a form guide to see what competition a horse has been up against. But these numbers alone are a good start! 

The Melbourne Cup is a Group One race. Group racing in Australia is the peak of the sport. The best of the best. One is the top with three being the lowest - but only a fraction of horses in the country are capable of racing at any group level! Below group racing are listed events and open races. Try to take note of what standard a horse has previously raced in. How many starts at group level have they had? Group experience counts for a lot. A horse with an 8th in a group one may have scored a win in the same distance in a group three. Always take that into account!

What on earth is that 'x' though? That is when the horse was spelled or rested, usually a couple of months minimum. It may always be indicated by an 's' or '-'. How you can use this to your advantage is to find out how the horse performs after being spelled, or perhaps two or three starts afterwards. Some horses may need more than a single race to get back into the groove, while some really enjoy coming back from a lengthy break and run excellent while fresh!

If a horse in the Cup has finished well in any group-level race over 2000 metres or so, then you certainly can't rule them out. Horses who race against classy horses will always be easier to judge than those pushing aside easy opposition.

3) Barrier

Horse racing doesn't mirror athletics in that the start is handicapped so runners get to run a similar distance. The straight line of barriers means one very important thing: Horses towards the outside have to run slightly further than those inside. This is a very big advantage. A bad barrier even has the potential to push a horse's value out! A horse with a price of $15 for example, could find itself out to $25 if the horse gets the dreaded barrier 24! That's the importance people place on having a good starting position! But then again, although a barrier can be a godsend or a hindrance, being on the outside doesn't mean you are doomed.

The horses to the right of the picture have the 'inside draw' or the barriers lower in number. They start closer to the inside rail and thus get to run a slightly shorter race and gain a desired position in the field much easier

That little number in the brackets is the barrier the horse will start from. The numbers are drawn at random by owners or trainers. Some horses have even shown a tendency to race between from certain barriers, but knowing this will take a bit of dedication and more research!

In all, barriers do help a lot and starting from anything in the inside half is usually considered an advantage. But a bad draw won't always end someone's race before it begins!

Fun fact: No horse has ever won from barrier 18!

PART THREE: Dissecting the details and making a choice

So this is it. Time to make a choice. You've decided what type of bet you'll make and had a look through the form guide. Now it's time to dive a bit deeper if you're feeling up to it! In the form guide you will usually find more details like distances won or lost by, how track conditions were and even the horse's parents. Trust me, it's all very important!

These points below are useful for those looking to go an additional step beyond that of part two. The following factors take much more time to look at and question, but they can help you narrow down some choices and improve your punting in the future!

1) Race distance

* Has the horse raced at this distance before? What's the longest the horse has ever raced? The Melbourne Cup is very long for an Australian race at 3200 metres. You will find many Australian horses entering the Cup have not won at this distance before, usually being restricted to races around 2000 to 2400 metres. This makes it very difficult to ascertain whether they can run the extra distance... though many still manage to, don't worry.

* If so, how did they fare over the distance? Simply running it doesn't mean the horse ran well or pulled up well after the race. Look for how the horse fares over different distances.

2) Quality of the race

* Has the horse won or placed well in any Group 1, 2 or 3 races, especially those beyond 2000m? This is a sure sign they can match the pace in the Melbourne Cup.

* How many starts has the horse had at group level? Quality opposition always looks excellent on a horse's resume.

3) Ground

* Does the horse race better or worse when the track is in a particular condition? Race tracks in Australia can be broken down into five categories depending on how soft the ground is. So from hardest to softest...

FAST --- GOOD --- DEAD ---- SLOW --- HEAVY

Fast tracks are a rarity, usually extremely hard with little give in the ground. Heavy tracks meanwhile are a sloshy mess usually due to rain! Nearly every Melbourne Cup you would have seen will have taken place on a good or dead Flemington track. Try to determine how horses go in different weather. There's a reason many punters wait until the day of the race to make their pick! Rain or sunshine can make or break a race

Note: European horses may sometimes struggle to run on firm Australian tracks. Our racecourses differ very much to those in the cooler European climate. If you want to back an overseas horse, look into how conditions of the track can hinder or help them them. Trainers have even withdrawn horses on a Melbourne Cup morning following a big downpour the night before or because some expected rain didn't show up.

4) Location

* Following on from the track condition, has the horse every run in Australia? Though recent events are continuing to prove the theory of 'every horse should have at least one race in Australia before racing the Cup' wrong, many find Australian experience important!

5) Weight

* As mentioned earlier. Has the horse carried this weight before? Some horses might not cope with the extra baggage

6) Race timetable

Remember, doing additional research can actually be fun. Trying to sift through the details can be rewarding. If a horse manages to go as you predicted you can tell your friends they were silly for betting on that horse that hasn't raced on a good track at this distance and then proceed to laugh at them, beaming with pride at how brilliant you are at reading form. From there you can pretend you know more about the sport than you actually do. At least that's what I do.

Thank you very much for reading. Happy punting!
- Alex

Mighty Mosheen a class above in Oaks

Horse Racing

It was all too easy for Mosheen as she lead from start to finish to take out the Crown Oaks by an impressive nine lengths.

Mosheen ($6) show her class as she burned favourite Dowager Queen ($3.50) and Roman Giaconda ($26) down the final straight, showing doubters she could stay beyond the mile, running out the 2500m in full.

Jockey Danny Nikolic said his ride relaxed immediately as she found the lead from her smart barrier two jump.

"As soon as she left the barriers I put her to sleep," he said. "She pulled up super. Today that was a walk, trot and canter. She just played with them."

The victory in the three year old classic is the fifth group one victory for trainer Robert Smerdon.

"I'd hope that she'd relax enough, and she didn't go too hard with the blinkers," Smerdon said. "Most fillies cant quicken like she can."

Mosheen got the best jump, and was joined from Gioe out wide within the first 100m. Dowager Queen and Bart Cummings hope Gliding sat two lengths behind.

With a lax tempo, positions remained stagnant until the final turn where the Fastnet Rock filly blew her opposition away with plenty of energy left to spare.

Gliding slipped away immediately, while Dowager Queen couldn't make the most of her favourable position and watched the eventual winner power ahead.

The winning margin was reminiscent of early market favourite Atlantic Jewel in the Wakeful Stakes on Derby Day.

Smerdon stated last weekend that if Atlantic Jewel had not withdrawn due to a hamstring injury, he would have taken Mosheen on a path that didn't clash with the unbeaten star.

Two races, two different emotional experiences

Horse Racing

The first Tuesday of November turns to night, and following my second trip interstate to Flemington for Australia's biggest annual sporting event I feel I've experienced a great range of emotions of the Melbourne Cup as a spectator. This year and last have been perfect in demonstrating opposites. Weather. Media focus. Even my own personal vantage point. It took me just a single visit to the carnival to experience the crushing blow of popped expectations, but a second helped me see the drama and the tension. As a man behind the fence watching it all unfold, I couldn't ask for a more vivid and encompassing experience of this iconic day.

Last year's lead-up always boiled down to three words: So You Think. Anything other than a Cup victory for the dual Cox Plate champion would be a disaster, not really for his connections, but for the Australian public. Almost anyone you talked to wanted to see Bart Cummings-trained horse become only the second runner to take two Cox Plates and a Melbourne Cup, the other being the one and only Phar Lap. But the burden of five Group 1 victories, but especially the two mile distance, got the better of him as he slipped over the 200 metres to third. I can still remember the huge groan of disappointment that flooded through the stands as Americain passed the post first. It's like no form of sadness I've ever experienced before - something truly depressing to me as an Australian sports fan. This was the 150th running, the perfect moment for national pride to come busting to life through a local hero. Instead, it was as if we were watching the script to a fairytale movie stutter in the final frames before grinding to a halt. Under such a mockingly beautiful, sunny day, it hurt all the much more.

I walked out of Flemington straight after the race's conclusion and boarded the train. I tried to make light conversation at times, but it never felt right. Silence spoke better about what we thought better than words ever could. There was a specific moment during the exodus, however, that I thought we were being overdramatic about it all. But people grow attached to anything that can give them hope of being a part of our national history - particularly when that history involved is an Australian treasure in Phar Lap. For a day every year we cheer on an animal we've never followed, heard of or perhaps even seen on television. Yet the sense of national involvement, that everyone drops everything for around 200 seconds every November is what brings on such an emotional connection. So You Think's failure to succeed only served to bring to light the magic grasp that the Cup has on our society.

The sale of So You Think within a week of the carnival was like Irish salt being pressed forcefully into the gaping wound that had been left on every Australian racing fan's heart. Looking back on his effort in the 2010 edition of the great race, So You Think's third when he was unproven at the distance shows just what a magnificent creature he is. We never know when the next horse may come around that gives us such heightened expectations and a whirlwind of emotions. His departure overseas makes the wait that much more anxious.

This year swapped sadness for outright drama. As Dunaden and Red Cadeux hit the line together under threatening grey skies, the Flemington throng fell silent. It's not supposed to be like that. As the horses cross the line, the celebrations begin and the counter to next year begins immediately. Funny how that works, but that's the nature of the event. I'm sure many walk out feeling tired and washed out, with the peak of their day being that moment the winner passes by the post. But that peak lasted an agonizing three minutes, as everyone awaited a photo finish. I know I was mentally drained this year as I left the racecourse, but for a different reason - one more positive in nature.

It was easy to talk about the race at this time. I was riding home Godolphin's stayer Lost in the Moment, who almost hit the lead on the inside on the home straight before fading back. For the second year in a row my horse had been swamped at the 200 mark. I didn't care this time. This year provided a finish with more action than a Hollywood blockbuster could deliver. The thought that a few millimetres can keep millions of people on edge brought a smile to my face. My lost investment became irrelevant. There was another groan, backed by shock as opposed to disappointment, when a replay of the final 50 or so metres went up on the big screen. You could even hear it through  your TV screen. My view from the grandstand made the wait particularly cruel for me, being just out of line with the post. Being behind the line and above ground level made it look as if Dunaden, on the inside, had got there. He did. Tension lifts. The clock restarts for next year.

Post-race media attention now falls on the lack of local challengers for our treasured Cup. Interesting to note that last year's attention was spent on an individual failure, compared to the collective one today. A shift has gone from the hearts of the Australian people to heart of the local racing industry. But that's another story. What this does show is the uncertainty of what the next talking point will be. An up and coming Australian stayer could win us our own Cup back for the first time since 2009, or we could see a mare get up for the first time since a certain triple winner in 2005. It's enough to make me excited for November 2012 already.
We are entering a new chapter of the race that stops a nation. It's full of international raiders who dominate our local crop. I don't know how many pages the chapter goes for, but the final paragraph ends with an Australian-bred victory. Who cares how long it takes? Every year, a new hope arises - however small it may be. Aussies everywhere will worship those four legs that bring the Cup home.

I've only seen two of the Cups in person, and I can't help but feel I've only scratched the surface of the emotional range it can deliver.

2010-11 Australian Group One winners list

Horse Racing

A tribute to our nation's greatest horses, here is every Group 1 winner over this last year of racing. Although Black Caviar and So You Think may have stolen much of the limelight, take the time to think about the other amazing racing machines that have put in the hard yards to achieve Group 1 glory.

Notable inclusions on the Group 1 honour roll include:

*Australia's premier miler, More Joyous, who's unbeaten run in Sydney 1600m starts came to an end at the hands of Sarced Choice in a wet running of the Doncaster. Still, she's finished the season with an amazing four G1 wins, equal to So You Think, who was lost to the Coolmore stud in Ireland.

*French trained Americain destroyed the dreams of So You Think becoming just the 2nd horse in history to win two Cox Plates and a Melbourne Cup (the other being Phar Lap) by beating the Aussie champion in the latter race last November.

*Sepoy made a very promising start to his racing career for Darley by taking the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper double.

*Hay List's multiple Group 1's and close finishes to Black Caviar placed him firmly as Australia's 2nd best sprinter.

*The biggest surprise results included the 150/1 upset victories of import My Kingdom of Fife and veteran Zavite in the Queen Elizabeth and Ranvet Stakes respectively.

Here are all your winners once more...

Golden Rose Stakes (Rosehill, 21st August 2010, 1400m): Toorak Toff

Invitation Stakes (Caulfield, 18th September 2010, 1400m): Response

Underwood Stakes (Caulfield, 18th September 2010, 1800m): So You Think

Manikato Stakes (Moonee Valley, 24th September 2010, 1200m): Hay List

George Main Stakes (Randwick, 25th September 2010, 1600m): More Joyous

AJC Metropolitan Handicap (Randwick, 2nd October 2010, 2400m): Herculian Prince

Epsom Handicap (Randwick, 2nd October 2010, 1600m): Captain Sonador

Flight Stakes (Randwick, 2nd October 2010, 1600m): Secret Admirer

Spring Champion Stakes (Randwick, 2nd October 2010, 2000m): Erewhon

Caulfield Guineas (Caulfield, 9th October 2010, 1600m): Anacheeva

Yalumba Stakes (Caulfield, 9th October 2010, 2000m): So You Think (2)

Toorak Handicap (Caulfield, 9th October 2010, 1600m): More Joyous (2)

The Thousand Guineas (Caulfield, 13th October 2010, 1600m): Yosei

Caulfield Cup (Caulfield, 16th October 2010, 2400m): Descarado

W. S. Cox Plate (Moonee Valley, 23rd October 2010, 2040m): So You Think (3)

Coolmore Stud Stakes (Flemington, 30th October 2010, 1200m): Star Witness

Myer Classic (Flemington, 30th October 2010, 1600m): Sacred Choice

Patinack Farm Classic (Flemington, 30th October 2010, 1200m): Black Caviar

McKinnon Stakes (Flemington, 30th October 2010, 2000m): So You Think (4)

Victoria Derby (Flemington, 30th October 2010, 2500m): Lion Tamer

Melbourne Cup (Flemington, 2nd November 2010, 3200m): Americain

VRC Crown Oaks (Flemington, 4th November 2010, 2500m): Brazilian Pulse

Emirates Stakes (Flemington, 6th November 2010, 1600m): Wall Street

Railway Stakes (Ascot, 20th November 2010, 1600m): Gathering

Kingston Town Classic (Ascot, 4th December 2010, 2000m): Playing God

2011:

C F Orr Stakes (Caulfield, 12th February 2011, 1400m): Typhoon Tracy

Lightning Stakes (Flemington, 19th February 2011, 1000m): Black Caviar (2)

Blue Diamond Stakes (Caulfield, 26th February 2011, 1200m): Sepoy

Futurity Stakes (Caulfield, 26th February 2011, 1400m): More Joyous (3)

Oakleigh Plate (Caulfield, 26th February 2011, 1100m): Eagle Falls

Australian Guineas (Flemington, 5th March 2011, 1600m): Shamrocker

Chipping Norton Stakes (Randwick, 5th March 2011, 1600m): Danleigh

Australian Cup (Flemington, 12th March 2011, 2000m): Shocking

Newmarket Handicap (Flemington, 12th March 2011, 1200m): Black Caviar (3)

Randwick Guineas (Randwick, 12th March 2011, 1600m): Ilovethiscity

Ranvet Stakes (Rosehill, 19th March 2011, 1900m): Zavite

Coolmore Classic (Rosehill, 19th March 2011, 1500m): Aloha

William Reid Stakes (Moonee Valley, 25th March 2011, 1200m): Black Caviar (4)

Australiasian Oaks (Morphetteville, 26th March 2011, 2000m): Lights of Heavon

Robert Sangster Stakes (Morphetteville, 26th March 2011, 1200m): Response (2)

Rosehill Guineas (Rosehill, 26th March 2011, 2000m): Jimmy Choux

George Ryder Stakes (Rosehill, 2nd April 2011, 1500m): Rangirangdoo

Golden Slipper Stakes (Rosehill, 2nd April 2011, 1200m): Sepoy (2)

Queen of the Turf Stakes (Rosehill, 2nd April 2011, 1550m): More Joyous (4)

Storm Queen Stakes (Rosehill, 2nd April 2011, 2000m): Murjulisa Lass

The BMW (Rosehill, 2nd April 2011, 2400m): Cedarberg

WATC Derby (Ascot, 2nd April 2011, 2400m): Dreamaway

AJC Derby (Randwick, 9th April 2011, 2400m): Shamrocker (2)

AJC Sires Produce Stakes (Randwick, 9th April 2011, 1400m): Helmet

T. J. Smith Stakes (Randwick, 9th April 2011, 1200m): Black Caviar (5)

AJC Oaks (Randwick, 16th April 2011, 2400m): Absolutely

Doncaster Handicap (Randwick, 16th April 2011, 1600m): Sacred Choice

The Galaxy (Randwick, 16th April 2011, 1100m): Atomic Force

AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Randwick, 23rd April 2011, 2000m): My Kingdom of Fyfe

All Aged Stakes (Randwick, 23rd April 2011, 1400m): Hay List (2)

Champagne Stakes (Randwick, 23rd April 2011, 1600m): Helmet (2)

Sydney Cup (Randwick, 23rd April 2011, 3200m): Stand to Gain

The Goodwood (Morphettville, 7th May 2011, 1200m): Lone Rock

South Australian Derby (Morphettville, 7th May 2011, 2500m): Shadows in the Sun

BTC Cup (Doomben, 14th May 2011, 1200m): Black Caviar (6)

Doomben Cup (Doomben, 21st May 2011, 2200m): Scenic Shot

Doomben 10,000 (Doomben, 28th May 2011, 1350m): Beaded

Queensland Oaks (Eagle Farm, 4th June 2011, 2400m): Scarlett Lady

Queensland Derby (Eagle Farm, 11th June 2011, 2400m): Shootoff

Stradbroke Handicap (Eagle Farm, 11th June 2011, 1400m): Sincero

The T. J. Smith (Eagle Farm, 11th June 2011, 1600m): Benfica

Tattersall's Tiara (Eagle Farm, 25th June 2011, 1400m): Yosei (2)

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Multiple Group One Winners:

Black Caviar (6)

So You Think (4)

More Joyous (4)

Hay List (2)

Sepoy (2)

Shamrocker (2)

Helmet (2)

Response (2)

Yosei (2)

Sepoy wins Golden Slipper

Horse Racing

Sepoy has won the 2011 AAMI Golden Slipper, breaking clear at the 200m mark to win ahead of the filly pairing of Mosheen and Elite Falls.

The Darley horse spent majority of the race in second, holding the rail while chasing a fast-starting Karuta Queen.

But as the runners moved around the final turn, Sepoy went right past the outside of the Magic Millions winner and no-one could match his pace on the straight.

Mosheen ran strongly behind Sepoy from her barrier one start to finish 2 lengths adrift, while Elite Falls also ran impressively from a wide start to dart down the inside for a place a length and a half further back.

Nothing, however, could match the pace of the horse in front.

Sepoy goes down with horses such as Courtza, Manikato and John's Hope as Diamond/Slipper double winners.

It's the first Slipper win for both jockey Kerrin McEvoy and trainer Peter Snowden.

Black Caviar, a racing icon outside of the Melbourne Cup?

Horse Racing

Will Black Caviar become known as the horse that didn't need a Melbourne Cup to make the public smile?

When Makybe Diva won her third straight Melbourne Cup in 2005, people from not just outside of the racing industry, but all sport itself, had found themselves a champion to admire. They had discovered a horse that could rewrite history and find headlines outside of the sports column in their paper. It was a golden time for Australian racing in the media, following the triumphs of champion middle-distance runners Lonhro and Sunline in the years before, albeit sadly, with far less impact in the wider community. These are the horses that come to mind when considering runners that found their way into mainstream Australian sports folklore in the past decade.

But soon the hype and the joy after the Diva dominace died down, and all of sudden Australia was waiting for another horse, ready to take on history to a level that would once again captivate the nation next year around. However, the following year our nations great race was pinched in a 1-2 Japanese raid, and before long it looked as if horse racing appeared to be well and truly locked away in the inside pages of the newspaper for a long time.

Yes, it might seem a bit dramatic that when just one race fails to achieve what the public hoped for, the public switch off the sport completely. But that's the Melbourne Cup. Unless something sensational or historical has the potential of unfolding, then it's just another name on the winner's list and nothing more. Everyone enjoys their workplace sweep, has a couple of drinks, has a laugh and flicks the telly off. The intricacies and the sheer volume of horse racing can quite easily become a turn-off for those people outside of the industry to learn or watch more. The Australian sporting culture enjoys the 'one chance to shine' ideal in reference to the Melbourne Cup. Of course, in reality horses have to earn numerous group victories, placings and prizemoney before even thinking about a Cup start. But that's just some simply irrelevant backstory, rather sadly, to most Australian sport fans.

This ideal was on show again, in the Spring of 2010. It appeared that for the first time in several years, Australia had a horse prepared to make history to an extent that the public would do more than take a cursory glance at the racing world. His name: So You Think. Not only was this horse by champion stallion High Chaparral a dream headline for writers (i.e. "So You Think he can win?" etc.), but he boasted an envious race record and collection of victories. Most notably, on just his tenth start, winning his second Cox Plate - Australia's premier Weight-for-Age race. So You Think was shaping up for a challenging run in the 2010 Melbourne Cup, a race that appeared to be a touch long for his liking, but trainer Bart Cummings had confidence that his champion would bring him a thirteenth Cup. But there was something else worth running him for.

It didn't take long for the media to pick up on an interesting tidbit of info: So You Think, with victory at Flemington, would become just the second horse in history to win two Cox Plates and a Melbourne Cup. The other was some horse from a long time ago by the name of Phar Lap. No big deal, right? Well, when you look like equaling a record set by something beyond a champion - an icon - then people swarm over you like bees to the hive. It's a frenzy.

So You Think ran third to Americain and Maluckyday. I was on the winning post that day in Flemington. As the horses crossed the line, I heard the biggest groan of disappointment I've heard in my life. It was followed by a short, unnerving silence. But soon we learnt to smile. He had ran beyond his means, and still did a fine job. History wasn't made, he was sold to Coolmore, he was gone. Australian racing was undoubtedly feeling a little empty on the inside.

Come present day. It's Autumn 2011. There's a change on the horizon. Is it possible that Australia can switch, just for a moment, from its love affair with tradition and find the need for speed? Quite possibly. The driving force behind the temporary change might just be a speedy mare by the name of Black Caviar. You might have heard of her. The "Cav" will be chasing an unprecedented 10th straight victory from as many starts in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap on Saturday. And it seems we love to see a new form of dominance in Australian racing. I've noticed BC creeping slowly outwards from the middle of my newspaper pages, I've noticed her working closer towards the front of sports segments on television. Since when do we pay attention to sprinters?

The thing in Black Caviar's favour is the possibility of having the title of "World Champion." If Australia can't see history made in its own race, then what better thing to do than make history across the globe. It's no secret that Australians love being better than other countries at any sport wherever possible. Imagine having a horse so good that people will bring their runners down under instead. You could be looking at something that will rapidly expand foreign interest beyond the great distance races of Australia. Just maybe.

Trainer Peter Moody recently stated that Black Caviar wouldn't take a step off Australian soil. So it's like having a bonus: An Australian horse, that races like a world-beater, that you know you go just around the corner to see. Makes a nice change. After the affair with Dato Tan Chin Nam's sale of So You Think, done effectively behind Cummings' back, it makes loyalty to the Aussie tracks only further appreciated. The public loves having that extra piece of security knowing that a champion will reside among us forever, and will only serve to heighten her already mighty profile.

If (sorry, when) Black Caviar wins her third straight Group 1 on Saturday, I hope that those who just take a passing glance at the racing world can stop for a while and take in what a truly remarkable beast we have tearing up the turf of this country. And she won't even need a Melbourne Cup to make you notice. You'll see.

Video: Black Caviar

Horse Racing

What is there to say about Black Caviar? The champion sprinter has won all 8 of her races thus far, and the 4yo is shaping up as a world-beater, for sure. This video is from her latest victory in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) in the Spring of 2010. The explosion of speed at the end of the race, coupled with the apparent lack of any necessary effort anywhere else, is just frightening. A die-hard racing fan or not, how can you not enjoy watching this?