2008 Melbourne Cup 2008 Melbourne Cup The 2008 Melbourne Cup, the 148th running of Australia's most prestigious Thoroughbred horse race, was run on Tuesday, 4 November 2008, starting at 3:00 pm local time (0400 UTC). It was won by Viewed. On 3 December 2008, Luca Cumani, trainer of second-place Bauer, announced that an inquiry was underway into treatment Bauer received on the Thursday prior to the race. The treatment was a form of physio therapy that is illegal to administer within 7 days of a race; as a result of the treatment, Bauer could have been stripped of his second place. However, Racing
Melbourne Cup of the first Melbourne Cup in 1861 received a gold watch. The first Melbourne Cup trophy was awarded in 1865 and was an elaborate silver bowl on a stand that had been manufactured in England. The first existing and un-altered Melbourne Cup is from 1866, presented to the owners of The Barb; as of 2013, it is in the National Museum of Australia. The silver trophy presented in 1867, now also in the National Museum of Australia, was also made in England but jewellers in Victoria complained to the Victorian Racing Club that the trophy should have been made locally.