Everything you need to know to ace Melbourne Cup

For some people, Melbourne Cup day is bigger than Christmas, New Year and Easter put together. Those heart stopping seconds as the winner crosses the line, the glamour of the fashion and the luxuriousness of the food and drink all combine to make a pretty special day out.

Held on November 6 at 3pm at Flemington race track in Victoria, the winner will take home a prize pool of $7.3 million dollars.

If you can’t make it to the track, have you made plans for the big day?

Whether you’re staying in the office or heading out to a venue, a steady flow of drinks and canapes, paella catering or some tasty traditional tapas will keep your guests happy as the day unfolds.

Food Adventura helps create a fun atmosphere, no matter where you are. Paella catering is a great way to cater for a range of dietary requirements, it’s super affordable and we can even provide a mobile bar and waitstaff – always handy on Melbourne Cup Day when the Champagne is flowing.

Food Adventura can set up literally anywhere and, in addition to paella and tapas, we can arrange beautiful grazing tables, dessert buffets and roving canapés – check out our menus here.

Want to impress your guests with your Melbourne Cup knowledge?

Here’s our Melbourne Cup cheat sheet to make you look like a horse racing expert.

The first ever Melbourne Cup took place in 1861.
The first ever winner of the Melbourne Cup was Archer, who won 170 pounds and a gold watch. Legend has it that the stallion had to walk over 500 miles from Terara near New South Wales to participate in the race.
In 1877, Melbourne Cup day was declared a whole day holiday, with patrons crowding the Flemington race course. This helped to give this race the reputation as “the race that stops a nation.”
The Melbourne Cup is held over a distance of 3200 metres, and takes place on the first Tuesday of November every year.
The fastest winning time for the Melbourne Cup was recorded by Kingston Rule in 1990, crossing the line at 3:16.3.
Bart Cummings has experienced the most wins as a trainer, with 12 victories in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999 and 2008.
Michelle Payne is the only female jockey to have won the Melbourne Cup (2015).
Makybe Diva is the most successful horse, winning the race three years in a row between 2003 and 2005.
The Melbourne Cup did not originally allow women to compete, with Maree Lyndon becoming the first female to do so with horse Argonaut Style in 1987. The first woman to formally train a Melbourne Cup winner was Sheila Laxon, who won with New Zealand mare Ethereal in 2001.
10. 35 out of 150 favourites have won the Melbourne Cup, which is 23 percent. 71 favourites have finished in the first three placings, which is 47 percent.
Have you booked your corporate event caterer for Melbourne Cup? Why not do something different to the traditional sit-down lunch and and have Food Adventura’s paella caterers liven up your event. Contact us today to discuss your next event.

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