| 2021 Melbourne Cup | |
| Horse Race: | Melbourne Cup |
| Location: | Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia |
| Date: | 2 November 2021 |
| Distance: | 3,200 metres |
| Winning Horse: | Verry Elleegant |
| Starting Price: | $17 |
| Winning Jockey: | James McDonald |
| Winning Trainer: | Chris Waller |
| Surface: | Grass |
| Attendance: | 10,000 |
| Previous: | 2020 |
| Next: | 2022 |
The 2021 Melbourne Cup (known commercially as the 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup) was the 161st running of the Melbourne Cup, a prestigious Australian Thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3200m (10,500feet), was held on 2 November 2021 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.
The final field for the race was declared on 30 October 2021.[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 crowd was limited to 10,000 vaccinated attendees.[3] Also, all horses are required fully CT scan to permit run the Melbourne Cup.[4]
The race was won by Verry Elleegant, ridden by James McDonald and trained by Chris Waller.[5] She became the first horse in 161 runnings of the cup to win from barrier 18.[6]
| Number | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Weight (kg) | Barrier | Placing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twilight Payment | 58 | 2 | 11 | |||
| 2 | Incentivise | Peter G Moody | Brett Prebble | 57 | 15 | 2 | |
| 3 | Spanish Mission | Andrew Balding | Craig Williams | 57 | 14 | 3 | |
| 4 | Verry Elleegant | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 57 | 18 | 1 | |
| 5 | Explosive Jack | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | John Allen | 54 | 4 | 15 | |
| 6 | The Chosen One | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Damian Lane | 54 | 5 | 5 | |
| 7 | Delphi | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Damien Oliver | 53.5 | 3 | 7 | |
| 8 | Ocean Billy | Chris Waller | Damien Thornton | 53.5 | 13 | 23 | |
| 9 | Selino | Chris Waller | Ron Stewart | 53.5 | 23 | 8 | |
| 10 | Johnny Get Angry | Denis Pagan | Lachlan King | 53 | 21 | 21 | |
| 11 | Knights Order | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Daniel Stackhouse | 53 | 9 | 17 | |
| 12 | Persan | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Luke Currie | 53 | 11 | 18 | |
| 13 | Carif | Peter & Paul Snowden | Blaike McDougall | 52.5 | 8 | 19 | |
| 14 | Master of Wine | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Fred Kersley | 52.5 | 6 | 16 | |
| 15 | Pondus | Robert Hickmott | Rachel King | 52.5 | 1 | 20 | |
| 16 | Grand Promenade | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Kerrin McEvoy | 52 | 20 | 6 | |
| 17 | Miami Bound | Danny O’Brien | Patrick Moloney | 52 | 16 | 13 | |
| 18 | Port Guillaume | Ben & JD Hayes | Harry Coffey | 52 | 22 | 22 | |
| 19 | She’s Ideel | Bjorn Baker | Craig Newitt | 52 | 19 | 10 | |
| 20 | Future Score | Matt Cumani | Dean Yendall | 51.5 | 15 | Scratched | |
| 21 | Tralee Rose | Symon Wilde | Dean Holland | 51 | 12 | 9 | |
| 22 | Floating Artist | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Teo Nugent | 50 | 10 | 4 | |
| 23 | Great House | Chris Waller | Michael Dee | 50 | 7 | 14 | |
| 24 | Sir Lucan | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Glen Boss | 50 | 17 | 12 |