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The Race That Stops A Nation Trivia Quiz

In Australia, The "Melbourne Cup" is the biggest 'handicap' horse race of the year. Here are 15 multiple choice questions about this historic horse race.

A multiple-choice quiz by Engadine. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Engadine

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
98,344

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
8 / 15

Plays
1263

Last 3 plays: Guest 1 (2/15), Guest 1 (2/15), Guest 1 (6/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Which horse won the first Melbourne Cup, run in 1861? Hint

Archer

Arsenal

Archimedes

Australia

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Question 2 of 15

2. What was unusual about the Melbourne Cup of 1863? Hint

It was the smallest field to race

It was cancelled

It was a photo finish

It was the largest field to race

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Question 3 of 15

3. Which was the first horse to win at odds of 100/1? Hint

The Pearl, 1871

The Quack, 1872

The Barb, 1866

The Assyrian, 1882

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Question 4 of 15

4. In 1890, in one of the largest fields ever in the Melbourne Cup, who won? Hint

Zulu

Chester

Carbine

Calamia

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Question 5 of 15

5. Who was the second horse to win consecutive Melbourne Cups? Hint

Rain Lover

Think Big

Red Handed

Galilee

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Question 6 of 15

6. Archer won the Melbourne Cup by eight lengths in 1862. No winner broke that record, or equalled it, until which horse won by the same margin?
Hint

Red Handed

Carbine

Rain Lover

Think Big

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Question 7 of 15

7. The modern day Melbourne Cup is usually held on the first Tuesday in November. On what weekday was the very first Melbourne Cup held? Hint

Thursday

Saturday

Friday

Sunday

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Question 8 of 15

8. What was unusual about the Melbourne Cup in 1866 and again in 1867? Hint

All the horses were geldings

All the horses were female

Two horses named Sydney competed

Two horses with the same name competed

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Question 9 of 15

9. What was different about the Melbourne Cup during the years 1942 to 1944? Hint

During the war the Melbourne Cup wasn't run

During the war the Melbourne Cup was run on a Saturday

During the war the Melbourne Cup was run on a Sunday

During the war there was no horse racing

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Question 10 of 15

10. Which horse was the first to compete in six Melbourne Cups? Hint

Rain Lover

Carbine

Think Big

Shadow King

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Question 11 of 15

11. When Jezabeel won the 138th running of the Melbourne Cup in 1998, she was the _________ female horse to win the Melbourne Cup? Hint

9th

32nd

12th

21st

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Question 12 of 15

12. When Doriemus won the 135th Melbourne Cup in 1995 he was the _______ five-year old to win the Melbourne Cup? Hint

51st

33rd

41st

39th

13. In 1972 the race distance was reduced by 61 � feet, when Australia adopted the metric system of measurements. The imperial distance of 2 miles (3218.7 metres) was reduced to an even figure, 3200 m. Which horse was the first to win the Melbourne Cup (either 2 miles or 3200 m) in under 3 minutes 17 seconds? Hint

Kingston Rule

Rain Lover

Kingston Town

Phar Lap

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Question 14 of 15

14. The first jockey to win four Melbourne Cups was Bobby Lewis, who rode his 4th winner in 1927. Who was the next jockey to ride four Melbourne Cup winners? Hint

Peter Cook

Harry White

Roy Higgins

George Moore

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Question 15 of 15

15. When Makai ran second for the second consecutive year, it was the _______ occasion a horse had come second twice, in consecutive years? Hint

3rd

11th

1st

17th

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which horse won the first Melbourne Cup, run in 1861?

Answer: Archer

On Thursday, 7 November, in a field of 17 horses, Archer won the first Melbourne Cup. He would win again in 1862 in a field of 20 horses.

2. What was unusual about the Melbourne Cup of 1863?

Answer: It was the smallest field to race

Archer was nominated to race in the third Melbourne Cup but his nomination didn't arrive in time. Due to this, many other owners scratched their horses. This left a field of only seven horses, the smallest field to ever race in the Melbourne Cup.

3. Which was the first horse to win at odds of 100/1?

Answer: The Pearl, 1871

In 1871, The Pearl, at odds of 100/1, won in a field of 23 horses. The next horse to win at odds of 100/1 was Wotan in 1936, in a field of 20 starters.

4. In 1890, in one of the largest fields ever in the Melbourne Cup, who won?

Answer: Carbine

In a field of 39 horses, the great Carbine, born and bred in New Zealand, carried a huge 65.5 kg (10st 5lb in 1890) in his Cup winning run. To put this in perspective, in the modern era (from 1972) Melbourne Cup winners who have been heavily weighted have been; 1975 Think Big - 58.5 kg, 1977 Gold and Black - 57 kg, 1979 Hyperno - 56 kg, 1982 Gurner's Lane - 56 kg, 1994 Jeune - 56.5kg, 1997 Might and Power - 56 kg.

In 1990, the Victoria Racing Club restored Carbine's original stall to celebrate the centenary of his Melbourne Cup victory.

5. Who was the second horse to win consecutive Melbourne Cups?

Answer: Rain Lover

Rain Lover won in both 1968 and 1969, matching the feat of Archer, who won the first two runnings, in 1861 and 1862.

6. Archer won the Melbourne Cup by eight lengths in 1862. No winner broke that record, or equalled it, until which horse won by the same margin?

Answer: Rain Lover

In 1862, Archer won by eight lengths and in 1968, Rain Lover repeated this massive feat in a race held over 2 miles (3200 m).

7. The modern day Melbourne Cup is usually held on the first Tuesday in November. On what weekday was the very first Melbourne Cup held?

Answer: Thursday

1874 was the first year the Cup was run on a Tuesday, and, in Australia, only metropolitan Melbourne gets a holiday to enjoy the Melbourne Cup, the rest of Australia has to 'soldier on'!

8. What was unusual about the Melbourne Cup in 1866 and again in 1867?

Answer: Two horses with the same name competed

Two horses named Falcon competed in the 1866 Melbourne Cup. In 1867, two horses named Tim Whiffler competed. In 1867, to distinguish one "Tim" from the other, they nicknamed one of the horses "Sydney Tim".

9. What was different about the Melbourne Cup during the years 1942 to 1944?

Answer: During the war the Melbourne Cup was run on a Saturday

From 1874 onwards the Melbourne Cup has been run on a Tuesday, with few exceptions. It was run on a Saturday in the war years 1942 to 1944 and on two other occasions was postponed. In 1870, because of rain it was run a week late, on a Saturday, and in 1916 the Cup was postponed (for five days) again because of rain.

10. Which horse was the first to compete in six Melbourne Cups?

Answer: Shadow King

Aged 10 in his last Melbourne Cup, Shadow King ran in the Melbourne Cup six times for two seconds in 1931 and 1933, two thirds in 1930 (the year Phar Lap won) and 1932, a fourth (1935) and a sixth (1929). In the 1933 Melbourne Cup, the popular gelding was narrowly defeated in a very close finish. An incredible record in a handicap race. Sky Beau came close to equalling Shadow King's feat, running in five consecutive Cups from 1995 to 2000.

11. When Jezabeel won the 138th running of the Melbourne Cup in 1998, she was the _________ female horse to win the Melbourne Cup?

Answer: 12th

Between 1861 and 1998, 12 female horses, 3 fillies and 9 mares, won the Cup. The filly Briseis was the first female winner, back in 1876. No mare or filly ever won twice during those 138 Melbourne Cups.

12. When Doriemus won the 135th Melbourne Cup in 1995 he was the _______ five-year old to win the Melbourne Cup?

Answer: 41st

At that time (1995), forty one Cup winners had been aged 5 years - the next best were 4 year olds, with thirty nine winners.

Answer: Kingston Rule

In 1990, Kingston Rule won the Melbourne Cup in a record time of 3 minutes, 16.3 seconds out of Barrier 1. His Sire was the US Triple Crown winner of 1973, Secretariat, and his Dam was Rose of Kingston.

14. The first jockey to win four Melbourne Cups was Bobby Lewis, who rode his 4th winner in 1927. Who was the next jockey to ride four Melbourne Cup winners?

Answer: Harry White

Bobby Lewis four winners, 25 years apart! He rode The Victory (1902), Patrobas (1915), Artilleryman (1919), and his fourth in 1927. Harry White rode Think Big to two consecutive wins in 1974 and 1975, then won again in 1978 on Arwon and in 1979 on Hyperno.

The owners of Arwon named their horse after Nowra (backwards), a town on the South Coast of New South Wales, which was the hometown of the first winner of the Melbourne Cup back in 1861, Archer!

15. When Makai ran second for the second consecutive year, it was the _______ occasion a horse had come second twice, in consecutive years?

Answer: 3rd

Mormon came second to Archer in the first two Melbourne Cups. Sarcherie came second in 1934 and 1935 and Maikai came in second in 1939 and 1940.

Source: Author Engadine

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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