| 2024 Melbourne Cup | |
| Horse Race: | Melbourne Cup |
| Location: | Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia |
| Date: | 5 November 2024 |
| Distance: | 3,200 metres |
| Winning Horse: | Knight's Choice |
| Starting Price: | $81 |
| Winning Jockey: | Robbie Dolan |
| Winning Trainer: | John Symons & Sheila Laxon |
| Surface: | Grass |
| Attendance: | 91,168 |
| Previous: | 2023 |
| Next: | 2025 |
The 2024 Melbourne Cup, known commercially as the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup, was the 164th running of the Melbourne Cup, an Australian thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3200m (10,500feet), was held on 5 November 2024 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.[1]
The final field for the race was declared on 2 November 2024.[2] The total prize money for the race was A$8.56 million, a $150,000 increase from 2023.[3] It was the first Melbourne Cup to be broadcast by Nine Network after Network 10, who had broadcast the race since 2019, dropped out of the bidding for the rights to the race in June 2023. Nine Network will have broadcast rights from 2024 until 2029.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The Italian jockey Frankie Dettori decided to not retire from horse racing in order to compete in the 2024 Cup. He was ruled out of the 2023 Cup after being suspended for a whip breach.[9]
The race was won by Knight's Choice, ridden by Robbie Dolan. This was his first time racing in the Cup.[10]
| Number | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Weight (kg) | Barrier | Placing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vauban (FR) | Willie Mullins | William Buick | 55.5 | 11 | 11 | ||
| 2 | Buckaroo (GB) | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira | 54.5 | 21 | 9 | ||
| 3 | Circle Of Fire (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra | 54.5 | 24 | 6 | ||
| 4 | Warp Speed (JPN) | Noboru Takagi | Akira Sugawara | 54.5 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 5 | Kovalica (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 53.5 | 17 | 10 | ||
| 6 | Sharp 'N' Smart (NZ) | Graeme & Deborah Rogerson | Michael Dee | 53.5 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 7 | Just Fine (IRE) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Jye McNeil | 53 | 13 | 23 | ||
| 8 | Land Legend (FR) | Chris Waller | Zac Purton | 53 | 18 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Absurde (FR) | Willie Mullins | Kerrin McEvoy | 52.5 | 7 | 5 | ||
| 10 | Athabascan (FR) | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | Zac Lloyd | 52 | 2 | data-sort-value="24" | Scratched | |
| 11 | Knight's Choice | John Symons & Sheila Laxon | Robbie Dolan | 51.5 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 12 | Okita Soushi (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Jamie Kah | 51 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 13 | Onesmoothoperator (USA) | Brian Ellison | Craig Williams | 51 | 12 | 12 | ||
| 14 | Zardozi | James Cummings | Andrea Atzeni | 51 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 15 | Sea King (GB) | Harry Eustace | Hollie Doyle | 50.5 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 16 | Valiant King (GB) | Chris Waller | Craig Newitt | 50.5 | 22 | 13 | ||
| 17 | Fancy Man (IRE) | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | Ron Stewart | 50 | 19 | 7 | ||
| 18 | Interpretation (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Teo Nugent | 50 | 14 | 15 | ||
| 19 | Manzoice | Chris Waller | Declan Bates | 50 | 8 | 19 | ||
| 20 | Mostly Cloudy (IRE) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | Karis Teetan | 50 | 16 | 18 | ||
| 21 | Positivity (NZ) | Andrew Forsman | Winona Costin | 50 | 20 | 20 | ||
| 22 | Saint George (GB) | Ciaron Maher | Tyler Schiller | 50 | 9 | 22 | ||
| 23 | The Map | Dan Clarken & Oopy MacGillivray | Rachel King | 50 | 23 | 21 | ||
| 24 | Trust In You (NZ) | Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley | Mark Du Plessis | 50 | 5 | 17 |