Melbourne Cup 31 October 1873 announced that the following Thursday (Cup Day) be observed as a bank and civil (public) service holiday. The Melbourne Cup was first run on a Tuesday in 1875, the first Tuesday in that month. On 7 November 1876, the three-year-old filly, Briseis, owned and trained by James Wilson Snr., won in a time of 3.36.25. Briseis then went on to create a record that is never likely to be equalled, winning the VRC Derby, the Melbourne Cup and the VRC Oaks in the space of six days. She was ridden in the Melbourne Cup by the tiny
Caulfield Cup Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions although the MRC is in the process to turn the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 2400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in mid October. The prizemoney is A$5,000,000. The race has become one of Australia's richest Thoroughbred horse races and the richest of its type in the world (2,400 metre or 1 miles). The race is held annually in October on the third