Melbourne Cup Results & Past Winners

The Melbourne Cup is a famous Group 1 thoroughbred race that takes place annually in Melbourne, Australia. Flemington Racecourse is the home of the Melbourne Cup, which isn’t just the richest two-mile handicap on the planet but also one of the richest flat races around.  

The Melbourne Cup is run across a distance of 3,200m, and the Victoria Racing Club organises it. It’s open to Group 1 thoroughbreds aged three and over and makes up part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Locally, the Melbourne Cup is known as “the race that stops the nation,” with proceedings getting underway on the first Tuesday of November at 3.00 pm local time. The day of the race continues to be a public holiday in Victoria, Australia. 

Which horse won the Melbourne Cup 2023? 

In some ways, Without A Fight winning the Melbourne Cup and how he won it was a surprise as he wasn’t a favourite in the Melbourne Cup odds. Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, a racing family with a rich history in the sport, Without A Fight won, well, without much of a fight from anyone else, with champion jockey Mark Zahra having time to check left and right for any threats repeatedly, and he saw none. Placing first in the Melbourne Cup results also ensured Without A Fight is only the 12^th horse to win the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double. 

A horse rarely manages to blitz the Melbourne Cup with relative ease, but Without A Fight won clear from second, with daylight in between the two runners. Those who attempted to make a charge towards the end found themselves bogged down by runners sitting back, and this made Without A Fight’s advantage more significant. See next year’s Melbourne Cup odds in our horse racing betting section.

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Who came 2^nd and 3^rd in the Melbourne Cup? 

Until the final stages of the race and as the final 1,000m began to tick down, Without A Fight emerged from the pack after being kicked on by Mark Zahra, and it was clear there’d be no stopping him at that pace. But, also breaking out of the pack alongside Without A Fight were Soulcombe and Sheraz, and they finished second and third, respectively. 

There was clear daylight between Without A Fight and Soulcombe, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Joao Moreira, but it did well to move into position, and it held off a credible challenge from Sheraz for second. If there was enough of the race to go, Sheraz, also trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Beau Mertens, would have potentially had enough in the tank to cross the line ahead of Soulcombe. 

All 2023 Melbourne Cup Placings 

Here are the 2023 Melbourne Cup results in full: 

Past Melbourne Cup Winners Year by Year