| Horse race | Melbourne Cup |
|---|---|
| Location | Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia |
| Date | 7 November 2023 |
| Distance | 3,200 metres |
| Winning horse | Without A Fight |
| Starting price | $9.00 |
| Winning jockey | Mark Zahra |
| Winning trainer | Anthony & Sam Freedman |
| Surface | Grass |
| Attendance | 84,492 |
| Previous | 2022 |
| Next | 2024 |
400 meters to go, it's Absurde moving up on the outside for Zac Purton a length in front but Without A Fight is running on right down the centre of the track. Without A Fight up to Absurde, Vow And Declare and Sheraz the bolter. It's Without A Fight, a hundred meters to go, 2 or 3 lengths in front, coming away from Sheraz and also Soulcome. Without A Fight, Mark Zahra, a Melbourne Cup champion, wins it by two lengths!
— Commentator Matt Hill describes the climax of the race
The 2023 Melbourne Cup, known commercially as the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup, was the 163rd running of the Melbourne Cup, an Australian thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3,200 metres (1.988 mi), was held on 7 November 2023 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.
The final field for the race was declared on 4 November 2023.[1] The total prize money for the race was A$8.41 million, a $410,000 increase from 2022.[2] It was the last Melbourne Cup broadcast by Network 10, who have broadcast the race since 2019 and dropped out of the bidding for the broadcast rights in June 2023.[3][4] In February 2024, Nine Entertainment, owner of Nine Network, announced they will broadcast the race from 2024 until 2029.[5][6][7]
The race was won by Without A Fight, ridden by Mark Zahra.[8] It was Zahra's second Melbourne Cup win, having ridden Gold Trip to victory in the 2022 Melbourne Cup.[9]
The top-weighted horse was the 17th placed Gold Trip carrying 58kg, then Alenquer (21st), and the winner Without A Fight on 56.5kg.
Field
| Number | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Weight (kg) | Barrier | Placing[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold Trip (FR) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | James McDonald | 58 | 2 | 17th |
| 2 | Alenquer (FR) | Michael Moroney | Damien Oliver | 56.5 | 9 | 21st |
| 3 | Without A Fight (IRE) | Anthony Freedman & Sam Freedman | Mark Zahra | 56.5 | 10 | 1st |
| 4 | Breakup (JPN) | Tatsuya Yoshioka | Kohei Matsuyama | 55 | 18 | 16th |
| 5 | Vauban (FR) | Willie Mullins | Ryan Moore | 55 | 3 | 14th |
| 6 | Soulcome (GB) | Chris Waller | João Moreira | 53.5 | 4 | 2nd |
| 7 | Absurde (FR) | Willie Mullins | Zac Purton | 53 | 8 | 7th |
| 8 | Right You Are | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | John Allen | 53 | 15 | FF |
| 9 | Vow And Declare | Danny O'Brien | Billy Egan | 53 | 19 | 9th |
| 10 | Cleveland (IRE) | Kris Lees | Michael Dee | 52 | 23 | |
| 11 | Ashrun (FR) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Kerrin McEvoy | 51.5 | 11 | 4th |
| 12 | Daqiansweet Junior (NZ) | Phillip Stokes | Daniel Stackhouse | 51.5 | 12 | 5th |
| 13 | Okita Soushu (IRE) | Joseph O'Brien | Dylan Gibbons | 51.5 | 20 | 11th |
| 14 | Sheraz (FR) | Chris Waller | Beau Mertens | 51.5 | 22 | 3rd |
| 15 | Lastotchka (FR) | Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr | Craig Williams | 51 | 21 | 13th |
| 16 | Magical Lagoon (IRE) | Chris Waller | Mark Du Plessis | 51 | 7 | 22nd |
| 17 | Military Mission (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Rachel King | 51 | 5 | 10th |
| 18 | Serpentine (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jye McNeil | 51 | 1 | 19th |
| 19 | Virtous Circle (NZ) | Liam Howley | Craig Newitt | 51 | 6 | 18th |
| 20 | More Fellons (IRE) | Chris Waller | Jamie Kah | 50.5 | 24 | 12th |
| 21 | Future History (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Hollie Doyle | 50 | 13 | 15th |
| 22 | Interpretation (IRE) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Teo Nugent | 50 | 17 | 6th |
| 23 | Kalapour (IRE) | Kris Lees | Zac Lloyd | 50 | 14 | 20th |
| 24 | True Marvel (FR) | Matthew Smith | Ben Thompson | 50 | 10 | 8th |
References
- ^ 2023 Melbourne Cup field and barrier draw – racenet.com.au. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "2023 Melbourne Cup Results: Without A Fight Beats Soulcombe, Sheraz Third - races.com.au". www.races.com.au. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ Ten withdraws Melbourne Cup broadcast bid Mumbrella 22 June 2023
- ^ Ten Network drops bid to secure Melbourne Cup rights over Tabcorp deal The Guardian 22 June 2023
- ^ Brunsdon, Simon (20 February 2024). "Nine announces landmark broadcast rights deal with VRC for Melbourne Cup carnival". Wide World of Sports. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ McKnight, Robert (20 February 2024). "Nine nabs the MELBOURNE CUP as part of a complicated deal". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (20 February 2024). "Nine announces Melbourne Cup deal to 2029". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ https://www.theage.com.au/sport/racing/melbourne-cup-2023-live-updates-stewards-make-call-on-alenquer-on-race-day-20231106-p5ehzb.html
- ^ "Without A Fight wins 2023 Melbourne Cup as jockey Mark Zahra goes back-to-back". Guardian. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Melbourne Cup results 2023: The finishing order". The Age. 7 November 2023.