The 2020 Melbourne Cup (known commercially as the 2020 Lexus Melbourne Cup) was the 160th running of the Melbourne Cup, a prestigious Australian Thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3,200 metres (1.988 mi), was held on 3 November 2020 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.
| Melbourne Cup | |
| Location | Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 November 2020 |
| Distance | 3,200 metres |
| Winning horse | Twilight Payment |
| Starting price | $26 |
| Jockey | Jye McNeil |
| Trainer | Joseph O’Brien |
| Owner | Lloyd Williams |
| Surface | Grass |
| Attendance | N/A (no attendance due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions) |
Twilight Payment at the 300 meters, still three lengths Finche, Tiger Moth, The Chosen One running on with Russian Camelot and Persan. Twilight Payment tries to break their hearts, Tiger Moth wearing him down with The Chosen One. It's Twilight Payment, Tiger Moth still trying to get there. Twilight Payment, what a ride, what a win in a Cup we'll never forget! Has won it from Tiger Moth and Prince of Arran
Commentator Matt Hill describes the climax of the race
The final field for the race was declared on 31 October.[1] The total prize money for the race was A$8 million, the same as the previous year.[2]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public and horse owners were not able to attend the event.[3]
The race was won by Twilight Payment, ridden by Jye McNeil and trained by Joseph O'Brien.[4]
Field edit
| Number | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Weight (kg) | Barrier | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Van Dyck | Aidan O'Brien | Hugh Bowman | 58.5 | 3 | FF |
| 2 | Avilius | James Cummings | John Allen | 57 | 10 | 22 |
| 3 | Vow And Declare | Danny O'Brien | Jamie Mott | 57 | 4 | 18 |
| 4 | Master of Reality | Joseph O'Brien | Ben Melham | 56 | 11 | 15 |
| 5 | Sir Dragonet | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Glen Boss | 55.5 | 14 | 6 |
| 6 | Twilight Payment | Joseph O'Brien | Jye McNeil | 55.5 | 12 | 1 |
| 7 | Verry Elleegant | Chris Waller | Mark Zahra | 55.5 | 15 | 7 |
| 8 | Mustajeer | Kris Lees | Michael Rodd | 55 | 2 | 19 |
| 9 | Stratum Albion[a] | Willie Mullins | Jordan Childs | 55 | 9 | 20 |
| 10 | Dashing Willoughby | Andrew Balding | Michael Walker | 54.5 | 19 | 21 |
| 11 | Finche | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 54.5 | 6 | 9 |
| 12 | Prince of Arran[b] | Charlie Fellowes | Jamie Kah | 54.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Surprise Baby | Paul Preusker | Craig Williams | 54.5 | 7 | 13 |
| 14 | King of Leogrance | Danny O’Brien | Damian Lane | 53.5 | 18 | Scratched |
| 15 | Russian Camelot | Danny O'Brien | Damien Oliver | 53.5 | 16 | 8 |
| 16 | Steel Prince | Anthony & Sam Freedman | William Pike | 53.5 | 21 | 16 |
| 17 | The Chosen One | Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman | Daniel Stackhouse | 53.5 | 5 | 4 |
| 18 | Ashrun | Andreas Wohler | Declan Bates | 53 | 24 | 10 |
| 19 | Warning | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Luke Currie | 53 | 8 | 12 |
| 20 | Etah James | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Billy Egan | 52.5 | 22 | 17 |
| 21 | Tiger Moth | Aidan O'Brien | Kerrin McEvoy | 52.5 | 23 | 2 |
| 22 | Oceanex | Mick Price & Michael Kent | Dean Yendall | 51.5 | 17 | 11 |
| 23 | Miami Bound | Danny O'Brien | Daniel Moor | 51 | 13 | 14 |
| 24 | Persan | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Michael Dee | 51 | 20 | 5 |
Fatalities edit
Anthony Van Dyck was euthanised after suffering a fractured fetlock,[6] becoming the second horse that had to be euthanized at Flemington in 2020, and the sixth horse to die during the Melbourne Cup since 2013.
References edit
- ^ 2020 Melbourne Cup field and barrier draw – racenet.com.au. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ 2020 Melbourne Cup – Punters.com.au. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Cup blow: VRC makes big call on crowds for carnival – racenet.com.au. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Melbourne Cup 2020: Twilight Payment wins the big race as top weight Anthony Van Dyck breaks down". Herald Sun. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ 94 still chasing Melbourne Cup
- ^ "Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck dies after breaking down during Melbourne Cup". ABC News. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.