2023 Melbourne Cup

2023 Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
Flemington Racecourse, location of the race
LocationFlemington Racecourse
Melbourne, Australia
Date7 November 2023
Distance3,200 metres
Winning horseWithout A Fight
Starting price$9.00
JockeyMark Zahra
TrainerAnthony & Sam Freedman
SurfaceGrass
Attendance84,492
← 2022
2024 →

400 meters to go, it's Absurde moving up on the outside for Zac Purton a length in front but Without A Fight is running on right down the centre of the track. Without A Fight up to Absurde, Vow And Declare and Sheraz the bolter. It's Without A Fight, a hundred meters to go, 2 or 3 lengths in front, coming away from Sheraz and also Soulcome. Without A Fight, Mark Zahra, a Melbourne Cup champion, wins it by two lengths!

Commentator Matt Hill describes the climax of the race

The 2023 Melbourne Cup, known commercially as the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup, was the 163rd running of the Melbourne Cup, an Australian thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3,200 metres (1.988 mi), was held on 7 November 2023 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.

The final field for the race was declared on 4 November 2023.[1] The total prize money for the race was A$8.41 million, a $410,000 increase from 2022.[2] It was the last Melbourne Cup broadcast by Network 10, who have broadcast the race since 2019 and dropped out of the bidding for the broadcast rights in June 2023.[3][4] In February 2024, Nine Entertainment, owner of Nine Network, announced they will broadcast the race from 2024 until 2029.[5][6][7]

The race was won by Without A Fight, ridden by Mark Zahra.[8] It was Zahra's second Melbourne Cup win, having ridden Gold Trip to victory in the 2022 Melbourne Cup.[9]

The top-weighted horse was the 17th placed Gold Trip carrying 58kg, then Alenquer (21st), and the winner Without A Fight on 56.5kg.

Field

Number Horse Trainer Jockey Weight (kg) Barrier Placing[10]
1 Gold Trip (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace James McDonald 58 2 17th
2 Alenquer (FR) Michael Moroney Damien Oliver 56.5 9 21st
3 Without A Fight (IRE) Anthony Freedman & Sam Freedman Mark Zahra 56.5 10 1st
4 Breakup (JPN) Tatsuya Yoshioka Kohei Matsuyama 55 18 16th
5 Vauban (FR) Willie Mullins Ryan Moore 55 3 14th
6 Soulcome (GB) Chris Waller João Moreira 53.5 4 2nd
7 Absurde (FR) Willie Mullins Zac Purton 53 8 7th
8 Right You Are Ciaron Maher & David Eustace John Allen 53 15 FF
9 Vow And Declare Danny O'Brien Billy Egan 53 19 9th
10 Cleveland (IRE) Kris Lees Michael Dee 52 23 Scratched
11 Ashrun (FR) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Kerrin McEvoy 51.5 11 4th
12 Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) Phillip Stokes Daniel Stackhouse 51.5 12 5th
13 Okita Soushu (IRE) Joseph O'Brien Dylan Gibbons 51.5 20 11th
14 Sheraz (FR) Chris Waller Beau Mertens 51.5 22 3rd
15 Lastotchka (FR) Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr Craig Williams 51 21 13th
16 Magical Lagoon (IRE) Chris Waller Mark Du Plessis 51 7 22nd
17 Military Mission (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Rachel King 51 5 10th
18 Serpentine (IRE) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Jye McNeil 51 1 19th
19 Virtous Circle (NZ) Liam Howley Craig Newitt 51 6 18th
20 More Fellons (IRE) Chris Waller Jamie Kah 50.5 24 12th
21 Future History (GB) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Hollie Doyle 50 13 15th
22 Interpretation (IRE) Ciaron Maher & David Eustace Teo Nugent 50 17 6th
23 Kalapour (IRE) Kris Lees Zac Lloyd 50 14 20th
24 True Marvel (FR) Matthew Smith Ben Thompson 50 10 8th

References

  1. ^ 2023 Melbourne Cup field and barrier draw – racenet.com.au. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ^ "2023 Melbourne Cup Results: Without A Fight Beats Soulcombe, Sheraz Third - races.com.au". www.races.com.au. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  3. ^ Ten withdraws Melbourne Cup broadcast bid Mumbrella 22 June 2023
  4. ^ Ten Network drops bid to secure Melbourne Cup rights over Tabcorp deal The Guardian 22 June 2023
  5. ^ Brunsdon, Simon (20 February 2024). "Nine announces landmark broadcast rights deal with VRC for Melbourne Cup carnival". Wide World of Sports. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. ^ McKnight, Robert (20 February 2024). "Nine nabs the MELBOURNE CUP as part of a complicated deal". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  7. ^ Knox, David (20 February 2024). "Nine announces Melbourne Cup deal to 2029". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ^ https://www.theage.com.au/sport/racing/melbourne-cup-2023-live-updates-stewards-make-call-on-alenquer-on-race-day-20231106-p5ehzb.html
  9. ^ "Without A Fight wins 2023 Melbourne Cup as jockey Mark Zahra goes back-to-back". Guardian. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Melbourne Cup results 2023: The finishing order". The Age. 7 November 2023.