The Melbourne Cup is a long running equestrian race, with initial roots going back as far as 1861. Many consider it to be one of the most important in the world involving horses, and so viewed has the Melbourne Cup become that it is often referred to as ‘the race that stops a nation.’ This is because Australia has a long standing tradition of locals dropping everything to watch and cheer on the racers. It is also a long standing tradition of many placing bets on who they think will be the grand champion.
One of the focuses of the Melbourne Cup is that it is a platform, allowing horse breeders to demonstrate the strength of their strongest breeds. It has likewise become a gathering place for breeders to meet, share notes, and discuss the general situation of horse breeding in the country. It is also is not uncommon for good natured debates to break out between breeders on social media networks, with each breeder contesting that their new breed will be the Melbourne Cup winner. Bet makers often observe these debates, as it gives clues as to which horse may be the wisest bet when race day comes.
Melbourne Cup Changes
The Melbourne Cup has undergone changes since its initial inception, mostly due to the fact that Australia adopted the metric system. The original distance of the Melbourne Cup was changed, with miles being adjusted to kilometres. Since the distances were not easily convertible, however, the overall length of the race was shortened to create a rounded number in kilometres. This caused much confusion and controversy, especially when a new record was set, but had to be handicapped due to the change in distance. The controversy has long since faded, and today the majority of racers agree that the distance is fair.
The horses allowed to race in the Melbourne Cup are 3 years of age and older. There is a handicap system based on the weight of each horse, which aims to balance out the fairness the grand final. This system is also sometimes used as a strategy by racers in order to gain an advantage. Bet makers pay special attention to this weight handicap system, as clues may be learned as to which horses are likely to pull ahead.
Bet Making
The Melbourne Cup betting in New Zealand has a rich history of bet makers getting involved in the action. The majority of online bookmakers offer betting options, regardless of where in the world the bet maker might live. It is possible to simply place a bet on a preferred horse to win, but group bets are far more common, and offer far more chance of earning payouts.
A group bet may indicate a selection of horses as preferred choices, and payouts will be given if any of the horses indicated place in the top three, or even top ten. If, however, the bet maker indicates a certain horse to place in the top three, and the horse does so , the payouts will considerably larger. Check your favourite online bookmaker to see what betting options are offered.