Melbourne Cup 2008

Efficient winning the 2007 Melbourne Cup

The 148th Melbourne Cup thoroughbred horse race was scheduled for November 4, 2008. The 3200 meter handicap race is run on the first Tuesday of November each year at the Flemington Race Course outside Melbourne, Australia. The Melbourne Cup, considered one of the most prestigious internet thoroughbred races in the world, is known as "the race that stops a nation."¹ ²

Fast Facts

Race date: November 4, 2008

Race time: 3:00 p.m., Australian Eastern Standard Time²

Location: Flemington Race Course, Flemington, Australia¹

Distance: 3,200 meters (nearly two miles)¹

Winner's purse: $4.4. million³

Field limit: 24 horses; final field is decided after final race on Saturday, November 1, 2008⁴

2008 Cup is the 148th consecutive race since 1861⁴

Strict quarantine protocols were put in place for the Melbourne Cup after an outbreak of equine influenza in 2007; outbreak was first of its kind in Australia³

2007 winner: Efficient

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: Melbourne Cup Carnival
Victoria Racing Club: Emirates Melbourne Cup Day 2008
Melbourne Herald Sun: Leading trainers commit for Melbourne Cup... (September 26, 2008)
Sydney Morning Herald: Tactics Won't Cut It for Cup Raiders (September 29, 2008)
Bloomberg.com: O'Brien, Weld Get Quarantine Clearance for... (September 17, 2008)
Guardian.co.uk: O'Brien given Cup quarantine boost (September 17, 2008)
The Australian: Aidan O'Brien cools on Septimus Melbourne Cup bid (September 17, 2008)