How many horses have won the Melbourne Cup back-to-back?
Four
10
22
None
Which saddlecloth number(s) have won the most Melbourne Cups?
4 & 12
7
1 & 3
19 & 20
When was the last time a horse with a name like a proper person won? Titles (like Prince of Penzance) or one word names do not count. This is strictly first and last names only.
2009
1976
1932
A horse with a name like a person has never won, for that would be absurd
How many horses named after adjectives have won?
30
32
11
50
Which is the most common silk colour of a Melbourne Cup winner?
Red
Pink
Green
Blue
Which is the most common coat colour of a Melbourne Cup winner?
Brown
Grey
Black
Bay
What's better? A fire-related name, or water?
Fire!
Water!
Which of these food or drink-based horses has NOT won the Melbourne Cup?
Rogan Josh
Double Brie
Brew
Kiwi
Who is more successful – favourites or outsiders?
Favourites, duh
Outsiders, of course
How much career prizemoney has the richest Cup-winning horse won?
$4 million
$10 million
$14.5 million
$32.5 million
Solutions
1:A - Only four horses have won the Melbourne Cup in consecutive years: Makybe Diva (2003-5), Think Big (1974-5), Rain Lover (1968-9) and Archer (1861-2). WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Steer clear of last year's returning champion, Almandin, as history suggests he is unlikely to repeat the trick., 2:A - These two numbers have 11 wins each. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Tiberian (4) and Wicklow Brave (12) have the lucky(ish) numbers. , 3:C - Real names fare poorly in horse racing. Peter Pan in 1932 was the earliest winner that could qualify for this category (just). WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Avoid Max Dynamite, Thomas Hobson and the weirdly specific Johannes Vermeer., 4:C - Nouns and noun phrases (ie: Green Moon) have dominated the Melbourne Cup's history. The last adjectival winner was 2014's Protectionist. But let us not forget the mid-2000s hat-trick of adjectival winners between 2007 and 2009: Efficient, Viewed and Shocking. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: There's only one adjectival horse running this year. So steer clear of Tiberian., 5:D - Blue dominates, both among past winners and in most horses generally. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: The field is full of blue. Pick from Hartnell, Almandin, Johannes Vermeer, Bondi Beach, US Army Ranger, Gallante, Single Gaze and Rekindling., 6:D - Bay (i.e: reddish-brown) horses have won the Cup 68 times, vastly more than brown horses on 37. Black horses have only won three times. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Every horse running is a bay, except Libran who can be classed "bay or brown", and Single Gaze, who is chestnut. Pick any others., 7:B - The last fire-related winner was Red Handed (1967) and even then that’s a stretch. Before that we only have Rimfire (1948) and Lantern (1864). Water-based names are much more successful, with six wins from horses like Subzero (1992), Rain Lover (1968-69) and Poseidon (1906). WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Back the watery winners, like Ventura Storm, Bondi Beach and Humidor. Avoid Wall of Fire, Rekindling and Red Cardinal. , 8:B - Rogan Josh (1999), Brew (2000) and Kiwi (1983) are all winners. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Marmelo is named after the Portuguese word for quince. , 9:B - Pre-race favourites have only won the Cup 34 times out of 156, a rate of 21%. The last favourite to win was 2013's Fiorente. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Back an outsider and avoid the quince-flavoured Marmelo, or the returning champ Almadin., 10:C - This was of course, three-time winner Makybe Diva. WHO TO PICK THIS YEAR: Hartnell is the richest horse running, having earned $4.4m.
