Melbourne Cup Carnival

The Melbourne Cup Carnival is not a single racing event but a full week of races that include the AAMI Victoria Derby Day, the Emirates Melbourne Cup, the Crown Oaks Day, and a huge number of events packed in between. Each of the “Days” sees race cards full of events by “Groups”. For instance, the famous Crown Casino event is run on the Crown Oaks Day and features the 3 year-old fillies Group. Naturally, this means that anyone hoping to make a wager on any of the Melbourne Cup Carnival races is going to have to really “know their stuff”.

More information about each of the days, racing on Cup Carnival:

• AAMI Victoria Derby Day
• Emirates Melbourne Cup
• Crown Oaks Day
• Emirates Stakes Day

Consider that almost each day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival features around nine different races with five or more being comprised of the distinct Groups. Because this is the opening week of the racing season it often means that the earliest racing events are nearly impossible to predict. Because of this, the odds can be distinctly “off” for those first races, and a savvy betting enthusiast will take the time to research the horses to see how their training is going, how the rider is doing, and what the rest of the bookmakers are offering in terms of odds for each race.

Usually it is later in the Carnival that odds are a better match to the realities of each of the horses, and why the Emirates Stakes Day wagers are likely to be the most lucrative in terms of accuracy. This is the fourth day of racing, which means that most of the horses and Groups will have revealed their leaders and strongest runners.

There is an official VRC betting or bookmaking agent, but there are also many alternative venues for making wagers on these thrilling races. Before doing so it is advisable to double check the odds to determine if they are a good match to the horses’ performances.