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 placed a bet on the race that year. In 2010 it was predicted that $183 million would be spent by 83,000 tourists during the Spring Racing Carnival. In New Zealand, the Melbourne Cup is the country's single biggest betting event, with carnival race-days held at several of the country's top tracks showing the cup live on big screens. It is commonly billed as "The race that stops a nation", but it is more accurately "The race that stops two nations", as many people in New Zealand, as well as Australia, pause to watch the race. Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup