Melbourne Cup Carnival Tips & Betting Selections
More news
Melbourne Cup Carnival Betting Tips
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the pinnacle of racing in Australia. There’s big-name races everywhere you look and betting on the feature races is extremely popular.
Home to the Melbourne Cup among a host of other Group One features across four days, the Melbourne Cup Carnival is Australia's best horse racing carnival.
With all the major races being covered, including the Melbourne Cup, Victoria Derby and VRC Oaks, our readers will have our expert’s opinions on who to back.
Group options
Filter options
Melbourne Cup Carnival Schedule
- Date Race Name State Prize Money Distance Track
May 2026
- Sat 30 Queensland Derby (Group 1) Brisbane Winter Carnival QLD $1,000,000 2400 metres Eagle Farm
- Sat 30 Kingsford-Smith Cup (Group 1) Brisbane Winter Carnival QLD $1,000,000 1300 metres Eagle Farm
June 2026
- Sat 06 Queensland Oaks (Group 1) Brisbane Winter Carnival QLD $700,000 2200 metres Eagle Farm
- Sat 13 JJ Atkins (Group 1) Brisbane Winter Carnival QLD $1,000,000 1600 metres Eagle Farm
- Sat 13 Stradbroke Handicap (Group 1) Brisbane Winter Carnival QLD $3,000,000 1400 metres Eagle Farm
- Sat 27 Tattersalls Tiara (Group 1) Brisbane Winter Carnival QLD $700,000 1400 metres Eagle Farm
August 2026
- Sat 29 Memsie Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 1400 metres Caulfield
September 2026
- Sat 12 Makybe Diva Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 1600 metres Flemington
- Sat 19 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1400 metres Caulfield
- Sat 19 Underwood Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 1800 metres Caulfield
October 2026
- Sat 03 Turnbull Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $750,000 2000 metres Flemington
- Sat 10 Might And Power (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,000,000 2000 metres Caulfield
- Sat 10 Toorak Handicap (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1600 metres Caulfield
- Sat 10 Caulfield Guineas (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $3,000,000 1600 metres Caulfield
- Sat 17 Thousand Guineas (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $1,500,000 1600 metres Caulfield
- Sat 17 Caulfield Cup (Group 1) Melbourne Spring Carnival VIC $5,000,000 2400 metres Caulfield
- Sat 31 Empire Rose Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1600 metres Flemington
- Sat 31 Coolmore Stud Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $2,000,000 1200 metres Flemington
- Sat 31 Victoria Derby (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $2,000,000 2500 metres Flemington
November 2026
- Tue 03 Melbourne Cup (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $8,000,000 3200 metres Flemington
- Thu 05 VRC Oaks (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $1,000,000 2500 metres Flemington
- Sat 07 VRC Champions Mile (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $3,000,000 1600 metres Flemington
- Sat 07 Champions Sprint (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $3,000,000 1200 metres Flemington
- Sat 07 VRC Champions Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Cup Carnival VIC $3,000,000 2000 metres Flemington
- Sat 14 C.F. Orr Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $750,000 1400 metres Caulfield
February 2027
- Sat 13 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1000 metres Flemington
- Sat 20 Futurity Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $750,000 1400 metres Caulfield
- Sat 20 Blue Diamond Stakes (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $2,000,000 1200 metres Caulfield
- Sat 20 Oakleigh Plate (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $750,000 1100 metres Caulfield
- Sat 27 Australian Guineas (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $1,000,000 1600 metres Flemington
March 2027
- Sat 06 Newmarket Handicap (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $1,500,000 1200 metres Flemington
- Sat 27 Australian Cup (Group 1) Melbourne Autumn Carnival VIC $2,500,000 2000 metres Flemington
April 2027
- Sat 24 Australasian Oaks (Group 1) Adelaide Racing Carnival SA $1,000,000 2000 metres Morphettville
- Sat 24 Robert Sangster Stakes (Group 1) Adelaide Racing Carnival SA $1,000,000 1200 metres Morphettville
Melbourne Cup Carnival Betting Odds
Check the individual betting pages for betting markets, the latest news and tips on the entire four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Melbourne Cup Carnival Promotions & Offers
Looking for Melbourne Cup Carnival bookmaker offers? You’ve come to the right place.
If bookmakers value their clients they are offering Melbourne Carnival promotions, that’s just a fact, and all our trusted bookies will deliver specials on all the big events.
Check back here in the lead in to the Melbourne Cup Carnival for a look at which of the best Australian betting sites are offering deals.
Melbourne Cup Carnival Fields
The moment Melbourne Cup Carnival fields for the big Group 1 races are available you’ll see them right here.
All things being equal you should see fields for most races finalised in the week leading into the events, with some connections waiting to see how they fair in the barrier draw before making the decision to run their horses.
Check back in the week leading into the specific race for Melbourne Cup Carnival fields.
Melbourne Cup Carnival Live Streaming
Melbourne Cup Carnival live streaming is available with most online bookmakers that we recommend.
Ladbrokes and Sportsbet are among the betting sites who offer live streaming services on all Victorian racing and punters only need a positive account balance to reap the benefits.
Punters can live stream every Melbourne Cup Carnival with almost all our recommended bookies, just double check on our review pages to see if they offer Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival live streaming.
Melbourne Cup Carnival History
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the pinnacle of horse racing in Australia and arguably the world's top racing festival.
Headlined by the Melbourne Cup, the Cup Carnival has over 150 years of history on the Australian racing scene and is considered one of the worl'd best races. The Melbourne Cup itself is the the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world and one of the richest turf races.
Outside of the Melbourne Cup there's a number of Group One races that take centrestage including the Victoria Derby, the VRC Oaks and the Darley Classic.
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is the peak of racing in its most important month, making it the go-to thoroughbred festival in the world.
Melbourne Cup Carnival FAQ
When does the Melbourne Cup Carnival start?
The Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off with Victoria Derby Day before the Melbourne Cup takes place on the first Tuesday in November.
What are the main races of the Melbourne Cup Carnival?
The four main races of the Melbourne Cup Carnival are: The Victoria Derby, The Melbourne Cup, the VRC Oaks and the Emirates Stakes. All four of these events are Group One races and headline each specific day.
Where is the Melbourne Cup Carnival held?
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is raced exclusively at Flemington racecourse across the four main days of racing.
When is the Melbourne Cup?
The race that stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup, is held on the first Tuesday in November each year.
