Melbourne Cup 2022 Ultimate Preview: Info, Field, Prize Money, Betting & Tips
The world’s finest stayers will converge upon Flemington to vie for glory in the $8 million Melbourne Cup on 1 November.
English raider Deauville Legend is the favourite to win the race that stops a nation after winning the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last start and has been drawn in barrier 9.
Read on to learn more about the Melbourne Cup 2022, including key winner trends, details on the top contenders and our tips for the race.
What time is Melbourne Cup 2022?
The 2022 Melbourne Cup will start at 15:00 AEDT on the first Tuesday in November. You can watch the action unfold on Channel 10. It will be the 162nd running of the Melbourne Cup.
Melbourne Cup 2021 Winner
James McDonald delivered a brilliant ride to steer Verry Elleegant to an exhilarating upset victory over red-hot favourite Incentivise last year. Incentivise began the race as the shortest-priced Melbourne Cup favourite since Phar Lap in 1930. He looked as though he would live up to the hype as they charged into the straight, but he was ultimately upstaged by reigning Australian Racehorse of the Year Verry Elleegant.
The mare had largely been written off in the build-up to the race that stops a nation, but she finished with a phenomenal late burst to surge past Incentivise and clinch a famous victory. The favourite held on for second, with Spanish Mission finishing third. Verry Elleegant, an 11-time Group 1 winner who also landed the 2020 Caulfield Cup, will not defend her crown this year, as she has been retired.
Melbourne Cup Winner Trends: What To Look For When Picking Your Melbourne Cup Horse
- Nineteen out of 21 winners this century were aged between four and six. The only outliers were Twilight Payment and Verry Elleegant, aged eight and seven respectively.
- Four-year-olds and five-year-olds have dominated this race since its inception. There have been 46 winners aged four and 44 winners aged five.
- The last two Melbourne winners have defied recent history. Twilight Payment (2020) was the first eight-year-old to win since Catalogue in 1938, while Verry Elleegant (2021) was the first mare to win since Makybe Diva in 2005.
- Since the turn of the century, 18 of the 21 Melbourne Cup winners finished in the first four in their previous race.
- All 21 winners this century were beaten by no more than seven lengths last start, and none had previously run further than 3200m.
- The average starting price for the Melbourne Cup winners over the last seven years is $27.52. Last year’s winner, Verry Elleegant, was priced at $18, while 2020 winner Twilight Payment went off at $26.
- The last favourite to win the Melbourne Cup was Fiorente in 2013. The favourite finished second in the last two years – Tiger Moth in 2020 and Incentivise in 2021.
- All but one winner in the 21st century had run within the last 42 days and placed in at least a Group 2 race. Prince of Penzance, who defied odds of $101 to win the Melbourne Cup, is the outlier.
- There have been 40 New Zealand-bred winners, five British-red champions, four Irish-bred winners, two German-bred champions and one apiece bred in France and Japan.
- Barrier 5 has yielded eight winners, making it the most successful in Melbourne Cup history.
- The most common winning weights have been 53kg, 54.5kg, 52.5kg and 56kg, in that order.
Melbourne Cup 2022 Prize Money
The prize money available for this year’s Melbourne Cup is $8 million. That makes it the third richest race in Australia, after The Everest and The Golden Eagle, but its prestige is unparalleled.
The winner will earn $4.4 million. The runner-up takes home $1.1 million, while there is $550,000 for third, $350,000 for fourth, $230,000 for fifth and $160,000 apiece for the horses that finish between sixth and 12th.
Melbourne Cup Fourth Declarations
Thirty-four of the world’s most talented stayers remained in the hunt for the Melbourne Cup after the fourth declarations. There were no dropouts among the top 23 ranked horses, pointing to a very strong field for the race that stops a nation. These were the runners that were left after the fourth declarations were announced and ahead of the final field & barrier draw.
| Runner | Sex | Age | Trainer | Weight | Penalty | Handicap Rating |
| Durston (GB) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 53.5kg | 3.5kg | 6 |
| Lunar Flare | M | 7 | Grahame Begg | 51.5kg | 0.5kg | 6.5 |
| Point Nepean (Ire) | H | 5 | Robert Hickmott | 51kg | 8.5 | |
| Deauville Legend (Ire) | G | 4 | James Ferguson | 55kg | 1.5 | |
| Gold Trip (Fr) | H | 6 | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 57.5kg | 2 | |
| Duais | M | 5 | Edward Cummings | 55.5kg | 2.5 | |
| Montefilia | M | 5 | David Payne | 55.5kg | 2.5 | |
| Hoo Ya Mal (GB) | H | 4 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 53.5kg | 3 | |
| Knights Order (Ire) | G | 8 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 55.5kg | 4 | |
| Loft (Ger) | G | 5 | Marcel Weiss | 55.5kg | 4 | |
| Without a Fight (Ire) | G | 6 | Simon & Ed Crisford | 55.5kg | 4 | |
| Numerian (Ire) | G | 7 | Annabel Neasham | 55.5kg | 4 | |
| Camorra (Ire) | G | 6 | Ben & JD Hayes | 55kg | 4.5 | |
| Alegron | G | 4 | James Cummings | 53kg | 5 | |
| Stockman (NZ) | G | 6 | Joseph Pride | 54kg | 5.5 | |
| Young Werther (NZ) | G | 5 | Danny O’Brien | 54kg | 5.5 | |
| Vow and Declare | G | 7 | Danny O’Brien | 54kg | 5.5 | |
| Grand Promenade (GB) | G | 7 | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 53kg | 6.5 | |
| Tralee Rose (NZ) | M | 6 | Symon Wilde | 51.5kg | 6.5 | |
| Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) | G | 5 | Phillip Stokes | 53kg | 6.5 | |
| Arapaho (Fr) | G | 6 | Bjorn Baker | 52.5kg | 7 | |
| Crystal Pegasus (GB) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 52kg | 7.5 | |
| Smokin’ Romans (NZ) | G | 6 | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 51.5kg | 1.5kg | 8 |
| Emissary (GB) | G | 6 | Michael Moroney | 51.5kg | 0.5kg | 8 |
| Realm of Flowers | M | 6 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | 50kg | 8.5 | |
| Interpretation (Ire) | H | 5 | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 50kg | 9.5 | |
| Makram (Ire) | G | 6 | Ben & JD Hayes | 50kg | 9.5 | |
| King of the Castle (Ire) | G | 5 | Robert Hickmott | 50kg | 9.5 | |
| Serpentine (Ire) | G | 6 | Robert Hickmott | 53.5kg | 6 | |
| Chapada | G | 7 | Michael Moroney | 52.5kg | 7 | |
| San Huberto (Ire) | H | 7 | Matt Cumani | 51.5kg | 8 | |
| Harmysian (GB) | G | 6 | Clayton Douglas | 50kg | 9.5 | |
| High Emocean (NZ) | M | 6 | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 50kg | 9.5 | |
| Schabau (Ger) | G | 8 | Robert Hickmott | 50kg | 9.5 |
Melbourne Cup 2022 Final Field & Barrier Draw
Below is the confirmed field for the 2022 Melbourne Cup and barrier draw, with the field cut down to the final 24 runners:
| Horse | Barrier Number | |
| 1. | Gold Trip (FR) – 57.5kg | 14 |
| 2. | Duais – 55.5kg | 10 |
| 3. | Knights Order (IRE) – 55.5kg | 24 |
| 4. | Montefillia – 55.5kg | 11 |
| 5. | Numerian (IRE) – 55.5kg | 7 |
| 6. | Without A Fight (IRE) – 55.5kg | 18 |
| 7. | Camorra (IRE) – 55kg | 17 |
| 8. | Deauville Legend (IRE) – 55kg | 9 |
| 9. | Stockman (NZ) – 54kg | 2 |
| 10. | Vow And Declare – 54kg | 4 |
| 11. | Young Werther – 54kg | 21 |
| 12. | Hoo Ya Ma (GB) – 53.5kg | 15 |
| 13. | Serpentine (IRE) – 53.5kg | 23 |
| 14. | Daquiansweet Junior (NZ) – 53kg | 13 |
| 15. | Grand Promenade (GB) – 53kg | 1 |
| 16. | Arapaho (FR) – 52.5kg | 19 |
| 17. | Emissary (GB) – 51.5kg | 3 |
| 18. | Lunar Flame – 51.5kg | 12 |
| 19 | Smokin’ Roses (NZ) – 51.5kg | 16 |
| 20. | Tralee Rose (NZ) – 51.5kg | 22 |
| 21. | Point Nepean (IRE) – 51kg | 20 |
| 22. | High Emocean (NZ) – 50kg | 8 |
| 23. | Interpretation (IRE) 50kg | 6 |
| 24. | Realm Of Flowers – 50kg | 5 |
Melbourne Cup Horses Preview & Leaders In The Betting
These are some of the fancied horses in the Melbourne Cup 2022 betting:
- Deauville Legend | An English raider who has displayed elite form this year, with three wins and two runner-up finishes from five starts. He will bid to become the first three-year-old to win the race since Skipton in 1941. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy will ride the James Ferguson-trained favourite.
- Without A Fight | An Irish raider who won the Silver Cup at York (2800m) in July. He has been consistent throughout his career, but this will be his greatest challenge.
- Montefilia | The talented mare finished strong when running fourth in the Caulfield Cup, and she should relish the longer trip in the Melbourne Cup. She won The Metropolitan last year.
- Gold Trip | This import came within a whisker of winning the Caulfield Cup, only to be bloused on the line by Durston. He loves running on soft ground, so rain could help his chances.
- Hoo Ya Mal | Gai Waterhouse is bullish on Hoo Ya Mal’s chances in this race. He was runner-up in the Derby at Epsom and he was also third in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, behind Deauville Legend. Craig Williams, winner of the 2019 Melbourne Cup, is booked to ride.
Melbourne Cup 2022 Weights
The current weights are displayed alongside each potential runner in the chart above. The usual entry requirements for this weight stand – all runners must be three or older, with a minimum handicap weight of 50kg.
Melbourne Cup Predicted Weather & Track Conditions
Flemington is currently rated Soft (7). Rain is forecast every day in the build-up to the race that stops a nation, so it is likely to remain soft.
Melbourne Cup 2022 Betting & Odds
| Horse | Fixed Win Odds | Fixed Place Odds | |
| 1. | Gold Trip (FR) | $12 | $4.20 |
| 2. | Duais | $21 | $6 |
| 3. | Knights Order (IRE) | $21 | $6 |
| 4. | Montefillia | $11 | $4 |
| 5. | Numerian (IRE) | $61 | $13 |
| 6. | Without A Fight (IRE) | $11 | $4 |
| 7. | Camorra (IRE) | $41 | $9 |
| 8. | Deauville Legend (IRE) | $3.80 | $2.05 |
| 9. | Stockman (NZ) | $31 | $7.50 |
| 10. | Vow And Declare | $19 | $6 |
| 11. | Young Werther | $26 | $7 |
| 12. | Hoo Ya Ma (GB) | $21 | $6 |
| 13. | Serpentine (IRE) | $61 | $13 |
| 14. | Daquiansweet Junior (NZ) | $51 | $11 |
| 15. | Grand Promenade (GB) | $61 | $13 |
| 16. | Arapaho (FR) | $101 | $15 |
| 17. | Emissary (GB) | $21 | $6 |
| 18. | Lunar Flame | $17 | $5.50 |
| 19 | Smokin’ Roses (NZ) | $21 | $6 |
| 20. | Tralee Rose (NZ) | $101 | $15 |
| 21. | Point Nepean (IRE) | $81 | $14 |
| 22. | High Emocean (NZ) | $51 | $11 |
| 23. | Interpretation (IRE) | $41 | $9 |
| 24. | Realm Of Flowers | $15 | $4.80 |
Melbourne Cup Tips
The last eight favourites have fallen short in the Melbourne Cup, and it typically pays to look further down the betting. One name that stands out is Duais. Rider Josh Parr said she is “screaming out for 3200m” after the Caulfield Cup. He has been replaced by Hugh Bowman in the saddle for the Melbourne Cup, and he should deliver a strong ride. The track is likely to be soft by jump time, and that should suit Duais, who could be a very interesting option.
**Odds quoted are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change.
