2006 Melbourne Cup

{{Infobox horse race

|name = 2006 Melbourne Cup

|horse race = Melbourne Cup

|image =

|caption =

|location = Flemington Racecourse
Melbourne, Australia

|date = 7 November 2006

|winning horse = Delta Blues

|winning time =

|starting price =

|winning jockey = Yasunari Iwata

|winning trainer = Katsuhiko Sumii

|winning owner =

|surface = Grass

|attendance = 106,691{{cite web|url=https://www.flemington.com.au/racing/track-records-and-attendances|title=Track records and Attendances|work=Flemington.com.au|accessdate=3 November 2020|archive-date=20 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320224301/https://www.flemington.com.au/racing/track-records-and-attendances|url-status=dead}}

|conditions =

|previous = 2005

|next = 2007

}}

{{Quote box

|quote = Delta Blues in front again from Mandela, 300 left to go, Maybe Better coming on, Zipping battlingly strongly, Pop Rock joining in. Delta Blues in front at the 200, Pop Rock his danger on the outside. Delta Blues by a length, Pop Rock coming at him, Japan 1-2. Oliver weals the whip. Pop Rock trying to get to Delta Blues. Delta Blues and Pop Rock they come to the line oh very close, Delta Blues maybe a nose to Pop Rock, very little between them!

|source = Commentator Greg Miles describes the climax of the race

|width = 25%

|quoted = 1

|align = right

}}

The 2006 Melbourne Cup was the 146th running of the Melbourne Cup, a prestigious Australian Thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over {{convert|3200|m|mi|3}}, was held on 7 November 2006 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse.

The winner of the 2006 Melbourne Cup was Delta Blues, ridden by Yasunari Iwata, which won by a nose ahead of Pop Rock, with Maybe Better coming in third place.[http://www.breednet.com.au/Stakes-Race-IndResults.asp?racename=Melbourne+Cup&md=7/11/2006 2006 Melbourne Cup result]{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20716700-2,00.html |title=Delta Blues holds on for thrilling win |date=7 November 2006 |work=News.com.au |first=Fox |last=Sports |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106145242/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C23599%2C20716700-2%2C00.html |archivedate=6 November 2008 |df=dmy }}

Field and barriers for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday 7 November after final declarations:{{cite news |url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20349471-32343,00.html |title=Melbourne Cup field|date=4 November 2006 |work=Fox Sports Australia}}

Field

Victoria Derby winner Efficient pulled out of the Melbourne Cup lineup early on Tuesday morning with a knee injury, reducing the field to 23 runners. Efficient was aiming to become the first three-year-old since Skipton in 1941 to claim the Derby-Cup double. Efficient returned a year later and won the 2007 Melbourne Cup.

Tawqeet was inspected by veterinarians early Tuesday after concerns had been raised he may have injured his hoof after pulling the shoe on Monday afternoon.{{cite news |url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20715096-32343,00.html |title=Efficient scratched from Cup |date=7 November 2006 |work=Fox Sports Australia}}

class="wikitable sortable"

align="center"

! Saddle
cloth

! Form

! Horse

! Trainer

! Jockey

! Weight

! Barrier

! Placing

! Time[http://cms.vrc.net.au/static/htm_mcc_content_full2129.html Flemington Race 7] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20061201032234/http://cms.vrc.net.au/static/htm_mcc_content_full2129.html |date=1 December 2006 }} VRC official times

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|x112

|Yeats

|Aidan O'Brien (Ire)

|Kieren Fallon

|59 kg

|7th

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|30x3

|Delta Blues

|K Sumii (Jpn)

|Yasunari Iwata