The Caulfield Cup, a group one race, is run over 2400 meters and is one of Australia’s toughest handicap races. The race was first run in the autumn of 1879 with Newminster being the first horse to win the cup.
Two horses claimed the cup in 1881 as it was switched to the spring, so that Blue Ribbon was a winner in the autumn and Master Avenel in the spring. The only other occasion where two Caulfield Cup winners have emerged in the same year was again in 1943 when the race was run in two divisions to accommodate the large number of entries.
The Caulfield cup has also seen the worst race fall in Australian turf history when in the Cup of 1885, 16 of the 44 runners fell, resulting in jockey Donald Nicholson’s death.
Caulfield Guineas
The Caulfield Guineas is a Group One three-year-old classic event run over 1600 meters. It is raced at set weights for three-year-olds. The race itself is the highlight of the first day of the week long Caulfield Spring racing carnival held in October and the major race of the three-day Caulfield carnival for three-year-olds.
The Caulfield Guineas has a long history dating all the way back to 1881. Valued at $1,000,000 in prize money, it is one of the biggest events on the racing calendar for 3yo’s over one mile and considered a good horse’s race.
The Caulfield Guineas has been won over the years by some of the greats of the turf, including Mahogany, Lonhro, and classy galloper Whobegotyou winning the Guineas
The Caulfield Cup is an important lead up race to the Melbourne Cup and a race which has been won by some of the best horses Australia has seen. Worth over 2 million dollars, the Caulfield Cup is one of Australia’s most exciting races, linking with the Melbourne cup to form Australia’s most popular betting double.
