Horse Racing

Melbourne Cup Carnival: Full Schedule for 2022 including date and times

It’s that time of year again – the Melbourne Cup Carnival is upon us. Viewers far and wide are tuning in for some of the biggest Grade One events of the Australian racing calendar. And of course, the famous carnival plays host to the biggest event of them all, the Melbourne Cup. This race is set to be held on Tuesday, November 1st, and the day itself is popularly dubbed ‘Melbourne Cup Day’. 

Melbourne Cup Day

For sponsorship reasons, this year’s race is known as the Lexus Melbourne Cup. Yet despite the sponsorship switching hands over the years, this particular race has remained right at the top of the tree in terms of prestige. With this in mind, many people don’t know the exact schedule for things like the Melbourne Cup race times as well as other races that are scheduled for the same day. 

So because of that, we’d like to share some key information on this right here.

Melbourne Cup Day – Event Breakdown

Once again, Melbourne Cup Day is set for November 1st, which is just a few short days away. And as it happens, the Melbourne Cup Carnival is already kicking off with the Penfolds Victoria Derby Day – on October 29th. This is the first of several days of top-tier racing, with the Melbourne Cup taking the crown as the biggest of the bunch. In terms of the actual races that are scheduled, the three top events that are set to be held that day that is part of the Melbourne Cup Carnival includes the Melbourne Cup itself as well as the Darley Maribyrnong Plate and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes. 

The Melbourne Cup is a Grade One event, as you’ve seen above. And the other two events are both Grade Three races. So this alone shows that the Melbourne Cup ranks above the other carnival-related races on that particular day. As for the start times for these two key races, the day kicks off with the Darley Maribyrnong Plate at 10:45 AM (Melbourne time). The next in line is then the Melbourne Cup at 15:00 (Melbourne time), and the day wraps up with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes at 15:50 (Melbourne time).

It’s also possible to watch these races from the UK, of course. And we have provided the relevant UK race times for the closer descriptions of each of these races below.

Darley Maribyrnong Plate – First G3 of the day

The actual Melbourne Cup day kicks off in spectacular fashion with this event. This is a Grade Three event, as you already know, and it is open to two-year-old thoroughbreds only. Like each of the other three races we are discussing here, the race is set to be held at Flemington Racecourse – an icon of top-level Australian racing competitions. The race is actually pretty short, however, as it is only run over the course of 1,000m. Then again, short doesn’t mean boring, not by any stretch of the imagination.

This race carries a prize purse of $200,000 AUD, which is huge compared to other Grade Three events from around the world. Of course, since this race begins at 10:45 AM in Melbourne, this means that it is starting at 11:45 PM on Monday, October 31st in the UK – since the clocks go back this weekend. 

The main event on Melbourne Cup Day

Naturally, people want to know the Melbourne Cup time in order to watch the ‘race that stops a nation’. And as a reminder, the Melbourne Cup, which is the main event on Tuesday, November 1st is set to take place at 15:00 in the afternoon, local time. This equates to 02:00 AM, essentially in the middle of the night in the UK. As for the race structure, this is a pretty mammoth event, to say the least. It is run over the course of 3,200m, which really does test the endurance of all participants. 

The prize purse for this race is expected to be more than $8 million AUD for 2022 too, which cements the position of this race being the richest two-mile horse race in the world.

Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes – Second G3 of the day

Wrapping things up on Melbourne Cup day we have the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes. This is a Grade Three event that immediately follows the Melbourne Cup. Therefore, the race is on track to be held at 15:50 in the afternoon, local time. This gives enough time for the crowd to settle down following the main event, yet this one should also be a great race to watch. In terms of structure, it’s a 1,400m race with a total prize purse equal to that of the first G3 of the day – $200,000 AUD.

Since we’ve given the start time of the race in Melbourne, we should note that the race is expected to begin at 02:50 UK time. 

Melbourne Cup Day FAQS

What are the race start times for different time zones in Australia?

To check out the race times for Australia’s different time zones, let us keep things simple. If you are in the ACST time zone, you subtract 30 minutes from the mentioned start times. But if you are in the AEST time zone, you subtract 1 hour and 30 minutes from the Melbourne start time.

What time is the Melbourne Cup run?

The Melbourne Cup is simply another term that describes the main event, so this begins at 15:00 in Melbourne and 02:00 in the UK.

Have there been any major Melbourne Cup scratchings?

Yes, one of the top contenders (Loft) has been withdrawn due to tendon problems.

Where can I find the main Melbourne Cup lineup?

The main Melbourne Cup line-up is now available through various betting sites and on the main Victoria Racing Club website.

Is Melbourne Cup day worth tuning in for?

Absolutely. If you are able to wake up in the middle of the night in the United Kingdom to watch, we recommend doing so. But that’s entirely up to you.


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