Caulfield Cup

Race qualification

The field is limited 18 starters with 4 emergency entries which is decided by a ballot system. The prize money, wins, and placing in lead up races are among the major factors that determine the eligibility of a horse. Automatic entry are awarded to winners of the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes and the Listed Mornington Cup.^[4]

Distance

• 1879–1971 - 1​¹⁄₂ miles (~2400 metres)
• 1972 onwards - 2400 metres

Grade

• 1879–1978 - Principal Race
• 1979 onwards - Group 1

Doubles wins

The following thoroughbreds have won the Cups Double: Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup in the same year.

• Poseidon (1906), The Trump (1937), Rivette (1939), Rising Fast (1954), Even Stevens (1962), Galilee (1966), Gurner's Lane (1982), Let’s Elope (1991), Doriemus (1995), Might and Power (1997) and Ethereal (2001).^[5]

Notable runnings

• The Australian Test cricketer Clem Hill was the handicapper for the Victoria Amateur Turf Club (VATC) and responsible for setting the weights for the Caulfield Cup from 1937 to 1943.
• Jockey Scobie Breasley rode the winner of four consecutive Caulfield Cups from 1942 to 1945. This included a division of the 1943 race, which was run in two divisions. He also holds the record for most wins by a jockey of the race - 5 wins.^[4]
• Trainer Bart Cummings holds the record for training Caulfield Cup winners with seven - Galilee, Big Philou, Leilani, Ming Dynasty (twice), Let's Elope and Viewed.^[4]
• 2014 Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti died after his run in the Melbourne Cup by natural causes^[6]
• Horses trained outside Australia and New Zealand have been participating in the race since 1998. Four have won the race. They are Taufan's Melody (1998) for British trainer Lady Herries, All the Good (2008) for Saeed bin Suroor of the Godolphin stables, Dunaden (2012) for French trainer Mikel Delzangles and Admire Rakti (2014) for Japanese trainer Tomoyuki Umeda.
• The worst race fall in Australian history occurred at the 1885 Caulfield Cup when 15 of the 44 horses competing fell as they turned onto the straight, resulting in the death of 25-year-old jockey Donald Nicolson.^[7]
• In 2007, Maldivian and Eskimo Queen were late scratchings. Maldivian, shortest price favourite for 41 years, misbehaved and injured himself in the starting stalls, frightening second priced favourite Eskimo Queen who for a time was trapped beneath the stalls.^[8][9] The race started almost nine minutes late.

Winners Gallery

• 
  1886 winner – Ben Bolt
  Drawing by Samuel Calvert
• 
  1912, 1914 winner – Uncle Sam
• 
  1915 winner – Lavendo

1934 racebook

• 
  Front cover of the 1934 VATC Caulfield Cup racebook.
• 
  Inside cover showing raceday officials.
• 
  Starters and results of the 1934 Caulfield Cup racebook showing the winner, Journal.
• 
  Starters and results of the 1934 Caulfield Cup racebook.
• 
  Back cover showing entrance gate charges.