Moonee Valley Cup

Winners and Past Results for the Moonee Valley Cup

The Moonee Valley Cup is a Group 2 event run over a distance of 2500 meters at the Moonee Valley track in October during the spring racing carnival.

A quarter of a million dollars is at stake in the event hosted by the Moonee Valley Racing Club with a prize offering of A$250,000.

The race is run under set weight and penalty conditions and is one of the biggest staying events held at Moonee Valley Racecourse during the carnival. Even though The Moonee Valley Cup is a Group 2 event, it does attract the best four year old and above stayers.

Inaugurated in 1883, the Moonee Valley Cup has undergone six name changes, with the most recent name change to Drake International Cup in 2011, it was a principle race from its inception to 1978, and was a group 3 race for only one year in 1979, before being upgraded to its present Group 2 status.

As with most long distance races, there is no clear lead up races to consider, as horse's usually work their way up the distances, to acclimatize themselves to the longer distance. The cup usually attracts above average stayers rather than the elite, with more often than not, in present times, the cup going to the best stayer on the day.

The Moonee Valley Cup is considered as a precursor to the prestigious Group 1 Melbourne Cup, but the last horse to complete a double was Kingston Rule in 1990. Mr. Orudent in 2002, managed to place himself in both events, and in 2000, Brew who was runner up in the Moonee Valley Cup won the Melbourne Cup. Zipping in 2006 won this event and went on to place fourth in four consecutive Melbourne Cup's.

Some horses that do complete here do not to carry on to larger events, but look for something a bit lighter than major staying events. Some horses, instead of proceeding to the Melbourne Cup, move on to compete in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington Racecourse on Emirates Stakes Day. Capecover in 2010, who placed third in this event, went on to finish second in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, while Baughurst, runner up in 2008, placed third.

The recent Moonee Valley Cup was won by Americain, ahead of Tullamore and Illo placing third. Americain placed 4th in the 2011 Melbourne Cup. The Moonee Valley Cup has seen several double winners, such as Little Bob in 1891 & 1892, Gladwyn in 1914 and 1915, Gilltown in 1939 and 1940, and Valcurl in 1945 and 1946.