| 2020 Melbourne Cup | |
| Horse Race: | Melbourne Cup |
| Location: | Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia |
| Date: | 3 November 2020 |
| Distance: | 3,200 metres |
| Winning Horse: | Twilight Payment |
| Starting Price: | $26 |
| Winning Trainer: | Joseph O’Brien |
| Surface: | Grass |
| Attendance: | N/A (no attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions) |
| Previous: | 2019 |
| Next: | 2021 |
The 2020 Melbourne Cup (known commercially as the 2020 Lexus Melbourne Cup) was the 160th running of the Melbourne Cup, a prestigious Australian Thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3200m (10,500feet), was held on 3 November 2020 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.
The final field for the race was declared on 31 October.[1] The total prize money for the race was A$8 million, the same as the previous year.[2]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public and horse owners were not able to attend the event.[3]
The race was won by Twilight Payment, ridden by Jye McNeil and trained by Joseph O'Brien.[4]
| Number | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Weight (kg) | Barrier | Placing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Van Dyck | Aidan O'Brien | Hugh Bowman | 58.5 | 3 | FF | |
| 2 | Avilius | James Cummings | John Allen | 57 | 10 | 22 | |
| 3 | Vow And Declare | Danny O'Brien | Jamie Mott | 57 | 4 | 18 | |
| 4 | Master of Reality | Ben Melham | 56 | 11 | 15 | ||
| 5 | Sir Dragonet | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Glen Boss | 55.5 | 14 | 6 | |
| 6 | Twilight Payment | 55.5 | 12 | 1 | |||
| 7 | Verry Elleegant | Chris Waller | Mark Zahra | 55.5 | 15 | 7 | |
| 8 | Mustajeer | Kris Lees | Michael Rodd | 55 | 2 | 19 | |
| 9 | Stratum Albion | Willie Mullins | Jordan Childs | 55 | 9 | 20 | |
| 10 | Dashing Willoughby | Andrew Balding | Michael Walker | 54.5 | 19 | 21 | |
| 11 | Finche | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 54.5 | 6 | 9 | |
| 12 | Prince of Arran | Charlie Fellowes | Jamie Kah | 54.5 | 1 | 3 | |
| 13 | Surprise Baby | Paul Preusker | Craig Williams | 54.5 | 7 | 13 | |
| 14 | King of Leogrance | Danny O’Brien | Damian Lane | 53.5 | 18 | Scratched | |
| 15 | Russian Camelot | Danny O'Brien | Damien Oliver | 53.5 | 16 | 8 | |
| 16 | Steel Prince | Anthony & Sam Freedman | William Pike | 53.5 | 21 | 16 | |
| 17 | The Chosen One | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Daniel Stackhouse | 53.5 | 5 | 4 | |
| 18 | Ashrun | Andreas Wohler | Declan Bates | 53 | 24 | 10 | |
| 19 | Warning | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Luke Currie | 53 | 8 | 12 | |
| 20 | Etah James | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Billy Egan | 52.5 | 22 | 17 | |
| 21 | Tiger Moth | Kerrin McEvoy | 52.5 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 22 | Oceanex | Mick Price & Michael Kent | Dean Yendall | 51.5 | 17 | 11 | |
| 23 | Miami Bound | Danny O'Brien | Daniel Moor | 51 | 13 | 14 | |
| 24 | Persan | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Michael Dee | 51 | 20 | 5 |
Anthony Van Dyck was euthanised after suffering a fractured fetlock,[5] becoming the second horse that had to be euthanized at Flemington in 2020, and the sixth horse to die during the Melbourne Cup since 2013.