| 1988 Melbourne Cup | |
| Horse Race: | Melbourne Cup |
| Location: | Flemington Racecourse |
| Date: | 1 Nov 1988 |
| Distance: | 3200 Meters |
| Winning Horse: | Empire Rose |
| Winning Time: | 3:18.3 |
| Final Odds: | 5/1 |
| Winning Jockey: | Tony Allan |
| Winning Trainer: | Laurie Laxon |
| Surface: | Turf |
| Previous: | 1987 |
| Next: | 1989 |
The 1988 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Tuesday, 1 November 1988. The race, run over 3200m (10,500feet), at Flemington Racecourse.
The race was won by Empire Rose, the popular New Zealand mare who had finished fifth in 1986 when trained by Bart Cummings and second to Kensei the previous year. She did one better in 1988 after winning Mackinnon Stakes she held off 5/1 equal favourite (Empire Rose was also 5/1) Metropolitan Handicap winner Natski in the "Bicentenary" Melbourne Cup[1] Empire Rose became the first mare to win the race since 1965. Empire Rose had previously placed second to Royal Heights in the 1986 New Zealand Oaks and won the 1987 New Zealand Cup. She subsequently placed third in the 1989 W. S. Cox Plate.[2] This would be the last of four Melbourne Cup calls by Bruce McAvaney though his call of this race is considered to be among the best in the race's history.[3]
This is a list of horses which ran in the 1988 Melbourne Cup.[4]
| Place | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Empire Rose | Laurie Laxon | Tony Allan | |
| 2nd | Natski | Jack Denham | Mick Dittman | |
| 3rd | Na Botto | R Otto | P D Johnson | |
| 4th | Apollo Run | Colin Alderson | Alf Matthews | |
| 5th | Round The World | Bart Cummings | J Marshall | |
| 6th | Banderol | Dave O'Sullivan | Lance O'Sullivan | |
| 7th | Ideal Centeman | C Balfour | Michael Clarke | |
| 8th | Mr. Bunnythorpe | M Griffin | B E Griffin | |
| 9th | Full At Last | John Sadler | G Murphy | |
| 10th | Kensei | Les Bridge | Larry Olsen | |
| 11th | Our Classic Boy | M Andrews | David Walsh | |
| 12th | Tawrrific | Lee Freedman | S D Marshall | |
| 13th | Shantaroun | J Meagher | Greg Hall | |
| 14th | Copatonic | Paul Perry | Gary Willetts | |
| 15th | Secret Seal | G Shinn | N Willams | |
| 16th | Congressman | George Hanlon | Darren Gauci | |
| 17th | It's Candide | G Haigh | R N Elliot | |
| 18th | Algonquin Club | B Lockwood | Shane Dye | |
| 19th | Authaal | Colin Hayes | Brent Thomson | |
| 20th | Lord Hybrow | N McBurney | K Moses | |
| 21st | Balciano | Neville Voigt | Harry White | |
| 22nd | Might | Tommy Smith | Brian York |